Maple Syrup Time...

[Lloyd_E]

I have been wanting to do this for years...

SOooo, the other day I grabbed my young family(children) and headed off to the back woods. We found and tapped 3 maples. Will probably tap more.

So from 2.5-3 gallons we got just over 1 cup. But, man, does it taste great. Lots of flavour,
and really sweet - almost too sweet.

Tomorrow and Friday will be warm... so here's hoping for more.

Lloyd

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Looks good Lloyd

I have never done that....but we have talked about doing it.

I have several big maple trees on my property and i will try it this year.

How far in the tree did you tap???

 

[Lloyd_E]

3/8 to maybe 1/2 or little more.

Picked up the spouts at the Farm co-op. Less than $2 each... probably cheaper down your way.

We checked them every two days... more once the weather warms.

Lots of fun... go for it.

lloyd

PS: if you want to get sophisticated, run lines to 5 gallon pale - fewer trips!
I may do this next year.

 

[studor]

Looks good Lloyd -- my wife and I just got back in with the sap from our eight trees -- we have about 2 quarts of syrup now and should have another quart by tomorrow evening. My wife loves the stuff -- I'd rather drink the sap.
regards

 

[JohnDeere4300]

OK Thanks!

I'll be sure to try it.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

i really want to try this......thanks for sharing.....

do you take the tap out at the end of the season and then the next year put it in a different hole? after about 4-8 years of tapping, does it hurt the tree?

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evenin Lloyd,
Hey good deal buddy, I tried that as a kid many many years ago and had a ball doing it ! My neighbors have their sugar houses in full swing about now ! Sure is tasty !

 

[studor]

do you take the tap out at the end of the season and then the next year put it in a different hole? after about 4-8 years of tapping, does it hurt the tree?

Yep the tap comes out each year and next year a new hole is drilled -- does not hurt the tree but you won't be using them for veneer logs

 

[Thomas]

Nothing like the taste of home made.
More taps next year...yes sir your hook on sugaring.

 

[Scooby074]

Looks good.

Last weekend i was at a local sugar shack in Truro (they didnt have any syrup to sell besides the premium glass bottled stuff 250ml/$10.00 ). They were saying that the sap wasnt running that great but it looks like it is down your way. Hopefully things will improve by this weekend.

The amateur cook in me has to ask where you got that solid copper pan? Id love to get a couple more (if i win the lottery).

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

we cut down some sugar maples about 4 weeks ago and man the sap just poured out of the stump right after we cut them.......i mean they were running down the sides, pooling up on top of the stump....never seen anything like it.....when we topped one above a building, it actually was running off of the tin roof....

i tried a drink of it.....very cold and clean tasting.....

 

[Lloyd_E]

Scooby

Winners.

$180 down to $20 or $25.00

They don't always have them...I got 3 over a 12 month period. good luck... like playing the lottery though!!!

lloyd

 

[SPIKER]

hi guys:

i didn't make any this year had enough left over from last year to keep me in syrup this year I HOPE! I use the 5 gallon buckets and short tubing rout works well and easier than the smaller pails. I tap 10~15 taps into 4 different 5 gallon buckets. I have 8 buckets and switch them out easily getting all 4, 5 gallon buckets full a day when running well. I boil in wood fired pit/block on a home made S.S. pan which will just hold 35~40 gallons, I've had it FULL and boiled all day last spring the sap ran so well. (reason I have left over, in fact I was done boiling by march 5th. pulled my taps!) I started NEW job on the 3rd of march working 12 hr shifts 7 days a week. figured I wouldn't have time to run the sap and boil it down.

here are a bunch of picks if ya want to see how I been doing it.
syrup stuff pictures by WPSPIKER - Photobucket



Mark

 

[Scooby074]

Thanks for the info Lloyd. A new Winners just opened today in our town. i went by but they were packed in like sardines, so it will have to wait till the newness wears off.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Now that is something I've never seen or participated in is making syrup. I bet the smell is just awesome. I'm sure its a lot of work, but man the end product would sure make it worthwhile.

How much do you get out of 5 gallons, like maybe 1?

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

i saw somewhere on the net that it takes about 40 gallons to make a gallon!

can you just, say, start with a large kettle- 10 gallons??- boil it down and add the other sap as it fill fit in to the kettle?

or, do you boil the 10 gallons down until thick......boil the next 10 gallons, and the next....all as seperate batches...????

Now that is something I've never seen or participated in is making syrup. I bet the smell is just awesome. I'm sure its a lot of work, but man the end product would sure make it worthwhile.

How much do you get out of 5 gallons, like maybe 1?

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

nice pics....i thought you just used like an apple butter kettle....


what do the dividers do?

can you over-cook it or scorch it?

hi guys:

i didn't make any this year had enough left over from last year to keep me in syrup this year I HOPE! I use the 5 gallon buckets and short tubing rout works well and easier than the smaller pails. I tap 10~15 taps into 4 different 5 gallon buckets. I have 8 buckets and switch them out easily getting all 4, 5 gallon buckets full a day when running well. I boil in wood fired pit/block on a home made S.S. pan which will just hold 35~40 gallons, I've had it FULL and boiled all day last spring the sap ran so well. (reason I have left over, in fact I was done boiling by march 5th. pulled my taps!) I started NEW job on the 3rd of march working 12 hr shifts 7 days a week. figured I wouldn't have time to run the sap and boil it down.

here are a bunch of picks if ya want to see how I been doing it.
syrup stuff pictures by WPSPIKER - Photobucket



Mark

 

[studor]

Yep the ratio is about forty to one -- the process is really evaporating rather than boiling -- you can boil down then add, boil down and repeat etc. if you over do it you will end up with a big back lump of carbon
Before that happens you will get thicker and thicker syrup, then taffy then sugar then oh well -- start over in another pot

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

i saw somewhere on the net that it takes about 40 gallons to make a gallon!

Correct.

can you just, say, start with a large kettle- 10 gallons??- boil it down and add the other sap as it fill fit in to the kettle?

Yes.

or, do you boil the 10 gallons down until thick......boil the next 10 gallons, and the next....all as seperate batches...????

What we do is use the rectangular stainless pans like you see food served in at buffets, sitting on a barbeque grate over an open fire. We have three of them side-by-side and boil the sap in all of them at once. The first one gets topped up with the sap, then using a small saucepan with a handle, we transfer over to the middle pan, then that gets gradually transferred to the third pan which will have the most concentrated sap. So it is like an assembly line. It is finally finished in a propane-fired corn cooker so the heat can be controlled better. Over-boiling the almost-done sap will cause it to carmellize (sp?). Boiling sap over an open fire gives it a wonderful smoky flavour.
It's the cleanup afterward that sucks.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

So how much summer do you get in Nova Scotia or Vermont? I would think not much, I'm guessing most of your activities center around snow? What industry is there up in there?

I think snow is beautiful, but used to hate the slush, salt, and dirtiness of it after it got all cruddy. We talked about moving back to Indiana, was about ready to do so, then had an issue come up with DD, so we decided not to. However, I'm not sure if I would like that anymore. The heat here kills us for a couple of months, but the rest of the year I like it. I think we had sugar maples in Indiana too but don't remember anyone tapping them. I remember a few old folks talking a bit about it.