Makeing syrup maple that is amber gold ohio tea

[SPIKER]

OK this probably has been answered before someplace, for some reason when I search for stuff it turns up a lot of misc posts but not quite what I was looking for. (I posted same questions in forestry forum and already getting answers. so I will fill in answers underlined.

SO to condense a few posts on making maple syrup sap trees ect.

1. How Deep do you drill when tapping trees? (=1.5~3")

2. How many taps per tree? (=depends on tree size tree must be 10~12" dia for 1 tap, 16~20" dia 2 taps, 21~25" 3 taps no more than 3 recommended)

3. How high UP the tree? (=3~5' depending on easy working height.)

4. What is best way to LOCATE a good point in the tree to drill? (look for large tap/feeder roots and drill above those?)

5. What angle do you drill into the tree (straight in 90 degrees spiel pointing DOWN slight angle or UP?) (=Slight UPHILL so sap runs out into the sap spile)

6. What DIA hole is best? (=depends on the SPILE common are 5/16 and 7/16)(

7. Can you not use any spiels and only tight fit of tubing pressed into the hole (Polly-Propylene type tubing)


Reasons I'm asking is I just want to tap a few trees for my own use. Nothing fancy planned for NOW but I have planted 2000 hard/sugar maples 4 years ago which are starting to FINALLY grow and maybe in 10 more years will be able to start thinking about tapping them in a production application.

I'm now just testing sugar content of some existing trees and to try my hand at it for the first time ever. what I'm planning to do with this for now (next few seasons) are as follows

1. Filter all sap using small potable pressure pump and fiber type whole house filter. (no plans yet for a R.O. system but later if and when I start production on the plantings (planned as a semi-retirement project in 20 or more years)

2. Boil down sap in some sort of Double Boiler over outdoor propane fired cook stove (high BTU burner with S.S. turkey type cooker.

3. Boil in batches or should I boil and add to the boiling sap until it all cooks down???


OK that I suppose is enough questions for now...

Mark M

 

[Jstpssng]

OK this probably has been answered before someplace, for some reason when I search for stuff it turns up a lot of misc posts but not quite what I was looking for. (I posted same questions in forestry forum and already getting answers. so I will fill in answers underlined.

SO to condense a few posts on making maple syrup sap trees ect.

1. How Deep do you drill when tapping trees? (=1.5~3")

2. How many taps per tree? (=depends on tree size tree must be 10~12" dia for 1 tap, 16~20" dia 2 taps, 21~25" 3 taps no more than 3 recommended)

3. How high UP the tree? (=3~5' depending on easy working height.)

4. What is best way to LOCATE a good point in the tree to drill? (look for large tap/feeder roots and drill above those?)

5. What angle do you drill into the tree (straight in 90 degrees spiel pointing DOWN slight angle or UP?) (=Slight UPHILL so sap runs out into the sap spile)

6. What DIA hole is best? (=depends on the SPILE common are 5/16 and 7/16)(

7. Can you not use any spiels and only tight fit of tubing pressed into the hole (Polly-Propylene type tubing)


Reasons I'm asking is I just want to tap a few trees for my own use. Nothing fancy planned for NOW but I have planted 2000 hard/sugar maples 4 years ago which are starting to FINALLY grow and maybe in 10 more years will be able to start thinking about tapping them in a production application.

I'm now just testing sugar content of some existing trees and to try my hand at it for the first time ever. what I'm planning to do with this for now (next few seasons) are as follows

1. Filter all sap using small potable pressure pump and fiber type whole house filter. (no plans yet for a R.O. system but later if and when I start production on the plantings (planned as a semi-retirement project in 20 or more years)

2. Boil down sap in some sort of Double Boiler over outdoor propane fired cook stove (high BTU burner with S.S. turkey type cooker.

3. Boil in batches or should I boil and add to the boiling sap until it all cooks down???


OK that I suppose is enough questions for now...

Mark M

Check out this site Hobby Maple Syrup Production, F-36-02 which Wayne B just posted in another thread.

 

[alan40]

HI, add in sap as you go. When you get close to syrup you can finish on the house stove. My Dad uses a turkey fryer and makes a medium amber. Remember to also filter your syrup while its hot. This will get rid of the niter that will cloud your syrup. Bottle your syrup between 180 and 190 degrees. This helps to kill any bacteria in your packing bottle.
MapleTrader.com is a great web site with all sizes of producers. I even think there may be a couple in your state on site.
Good Luck!!!

 

[SPIKER]

Alan:

Yes there are a lot of producers in OHIO. Went down to a friends place sauterday and got a few pointers He has a LOT of taps trees and great site, (most of the wood/trees are up on top of a hill 100+ feet higher in elevation than his sugar building (can't call it a shack as it is more like a milk house brick/block concrete ect.) learn some, got a few spiles and tubing t's ect. I need some more t's and spiles to tap 3 or 4 more trees at least. I have 5 good taped areas (8 trees I think) and at least 10 more areas 15 or so trees. I'm going to make up a S.S. square pan 14"x28" to set firmly onto my outdoor camp stove (it has 100,000 btu output) SO should be able to boil down sap pretty well.

Any suggestions on best filter method for hot syrup?



Mark M

 

[WayneB]

Just a few Maple syrup facts:

How many gallons of sap are needed to produce one gallon of syrup?

This will vary depending on sugar content of the sap. The "Rule of 86" is used to calculate the gallons of sap needed to produce one gallon of syrup. It states that the number of gallons of sap you need to produce one gallon of syrup is equal to 86 divided by the percent sugar.

Rule of 86

Gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup = 86 / % sugar content in sap.

For example, you would need 43 gallons of sap with 2% sugar content to produce one gallon of syrup.

Does a high sugar content change the boiling time? By how much?

Yes, the higher the sugar concentration of the sap, the less water that needs to be removed to make syrup. Each time you double the sap sugar concentration, you cut in half the amount of water that needs to be removed and the boiling time. For example, sap with 4% sugar requires half the boiling time of sap with 2% sugar to produce syrup. (You need 21 ½ gallons of 4% sap and 43 gallons of 2% sap to produce a gallon of syrup.)

How many trees would I need to produce 30 gallons of syrup per year?

This will vary depending on sugar content and size of the trees. Let’s say you have trees that average 2% sugar content and you have trees large enough for two taps per tree. Using the "Rule of 86," you know that the number of gallons of sap you need to produce one gallon of syrup is equal to 86 divided by the percent sugar of 43 gallons of sap.

Rule of 86

Gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup = 86 / % sugar content in sap.

Gallons of sap = 86/2

Gallons of sap = 43


Therefore, to produce 30 gallons of syrup, you need 1290 gallons of sap (30 X 43).

For example, consider a sugar bush containing trees with two taps per tree, each tap producing 10 gallons of sap, or 20 gallons of sap per tree. To get the number of trees necessary to produce 30 gallons of syrup, divide 1290 gallons of sap by 20 gallons of sap per tree. This is about 65 trees.

# of trees = total gallons of sap / gallons of sap per tree

# of trees = 1290/20

# of trees ~ 65​

When maple producers discuss the conversion of sap to syrup they use the word "Brix". What is Brix?

Brix is a measure of the density of syrup. Although density is related to sugar content, the Brix value is not the true percentage of sugar in a solution that contains sugar plus other solids (for example, minerals in maple syrup). Rather, the Brix value indicates what the percentage sugar would be if the density of the solution were due only to dissolved sugar. However, because 98 percent of the dissolved solids in syrup are sugar, the Brix value is a good approximation of the percent sugar in the syrup.

 

[Jstpssng]

Alan:

Yes there are a lot of producers in OHIO. Went down to a friends place sauterday and got a few pointers He has a LOT of taps trees and great site, (most of the wood/trees are up on top of a hill 100+ feet higher in elevation than his sugar building (can't call it a shack as it is more like a milk house brick/block concrete ect.) learn some, got a few spiles and tubing t's ect. I need some more t's and spiles to tap 3 or 4 more trees at least. I have 5 good taped areas (8 trees I think) and at least 10 more areas 15 or so trees. I'm going to make up a S.S. square pan 14"x28" to set firmly onto my outdoor camp stove (it has 100,000 btu output) SO should be able to boil down sap pretty well.

Any suggestions on best filter method for hot syrup?



Mark M

This is from the site I mentioned above:

Wool, orlon, or other type filter for filtering the finished syrup while it is hot (Figure 4). These filters are available from maple equipment suppliers. Use only filter material that is intended for use in food processing. Do not try to use paper coffee filters; the pores are too small.

Figure 4. Maple syrup filters. From left to right, a cone filter designed to be suspended in a tank or large can, a square filter intended to be laid flat on a screen, and a prefilter intended to be placed inside a cone filter to extend its useful life.

Sap yield will vary but on average figure about a gallon of sap per tap, per day when it's running good. For the # of taps you mention your setup should work out. You might consider a wind break of some sort if you're boiling outside.

Every time you cool the sap down it will get darker. For a higher quality syrup you can preheat the sap before adding it to the main pan, and finish off each batch at the end of the day. I made about 3 1/2 gallons of high grade syrup using a setup similar to what you mention; I gave the best away as gifts and saved the rest for myself. This year I'm tapping a few trees and letting my neighbor collect/ boil it on his new wood fired evaporator; I'll collect a share of the spoils.

Any way you do it, it's a lot of fun and beats watching TV while waiting for mud season to pass.

 

[DAP]

And if you have a kitchen with wall papered walls, do NOT let your SO boil down any sap there. You can try and ask how I know this, but my lips are sealed (with extra glue).

 

[WayneB]

And if you have a kitchen with wall papered walls, do NOT let your SO boil down any sap there. You can try and ask how I know this, but my lips are sealed (with extra glue).

I am certain it was a sticky situation!!!!!!!!

 

[SPIKER]

WELL I FINALLY bottled some syrup today! it ran Friday like gang busters or is that DAM BUSTERS I got 40+ gallons of sap from 4 buckets on Friday & Sat morning. Boiled a lot but just didn't have the right sized equipment (some thing that my woman already said ) No today I went back to the old shop & made a 2nd pan, 8" deep ~34" x 41" with a 1" bung/valve. it will be the primary boiler and my old 28" x 14" x 5" pan will now be the finishing pan...

the new made syrup was VERY sweet & good maple flavor.

SO FAR here is the tally

New Filters Hydrometer Thermometer pans ect ~$120.00
tons of agravation (dropped NEW Hydrometer broke it) had to go get Thermometer, (it didn't work right out of box was a digital one) went got NEW digital replacement & an old mechanical one so that I would have SOME sort of way to read it. Ran out of propane for boiler, had to go get new tank. had to drive up to make bigger pan.. grand total probably over $150.00 + 100+ miles driving + 20+ hrs labor into pans & boiling Plus lugging full 5 gallon buckets out of woods 1/4 ~ 1/2 mile round trip.

but I got 2 pints of syrup and one 8oz jar. promptly gave the 8oz one away and felt pretty good even though every bone in me is aching!

Sure is more sweet than the stuff ya buy in the store & has nothing like the stuff they sell as syrup which is imitation stuff... real syrup has to be kept in fridge once opened...



Mark M

 

[Sigarms]

IF you already haven't, try putting some of that syrup over some vanilla ice cream