Maple syrup???

[Bilko]

My brother is in his first year of collecting maple sap and making syrup!!! I am contributing by dropping sap off to him from my trees. My question is today he pulled out 3 jars from his first 3 batches and I couldn’t believe the difference in the color. What causes that??? He said he finished them all about the same way.
First batch on left of pic, 2nd batch middle,
3rd batch on the right.

 

[LouNY]

So many ways;
different ambient temps,
different trees producing varying amounts,
the temperature of the boiling sap,
and a multitude of others.
Generally the later in the season the darker the syrup and the more flavor in it.

 

[Bilko]

Thanks Lou, when you say the temp of boiling the sap do mean during the whole process or at the end when he’s finishing it. He boils outside then finishes on the stove inside. I want to say he said once he got to 219 degrees he was done.

 

[LouNY]

Yes, I guess the more proper term would be a faster boil as the temperature is the same,
supposedly a fast or hard boil during the first part of the process in the main pan will produce a lighter colored syrup.
Yes, he is using the boiling temp to establish the sugar content,

The following is from the Penn State Extension Service;

Sap will boil at the same temperature as water and depends on elevation and barometric pressure. On any operating day, determine the boiling point of water and add about 7.5°F for the finishing temperature of syrup. Barometric pressure varies daily and affects the boiling point by a few degrees. A candy thermometer calibrated to the nearest degree should be used to determine the boiling point. While boiling, the sap will roll and foam. A defoaming agent may be purchased from a supplier to decrease the amount of foam. One to two drops per batch should be sufficient.

You should take care during the evaporation process so that your syrup is as close to 66 percent sugar content as possible. Overboiling will cause the syrup to be darker than desired and may cause the syrup to taste scorched or burned. This will greatly reduce the value of the finished syrup. Faster boiling will yield higher quality syrup, so controlling the heat during the finishing process is critical. Many producers do not finish the syrup in the large evaporator. They will draw it off at a lower concentration and then finish the syrup in a smaller pan where the temperature can be better controlled.

When you have finished syrup, you will need to filter it before filling your containers. Commercially available clean wool or orlon is commonly used to filter hot syrup. Paper filters should be used ahead of the wool or orlon filter to extend their useful life. Filtering the syrup is required to remove any "sugar sand," small mineral particles that have precipitated out during the evaporation process. Removing the gritty sugar sand will make your syrup clearer and results in a finished product that looks and tastes good. If you increase in size, you may consider purchasing a filter press designed for filtering syrup. This will make the filtration process much easier and quicker.

Hard to beat good maple syrup, good luck with his endeavor.
I can remember my mother having to finish off our syrup in the house back in the 50's and early 60's, then we got too many cows and didn't have the time to do it anymore.

 

[texas42]

I grew up in upstate NY. We made about 200 gallons of maple syrup every year.
One thing I remember is we had an adjustable thermometer that was calibrated to match the boiling
point of water 2 - 3 times a day. This was to assure we were making syrup at 7 degrees above the exact boiling point of water at that moment. Finished syrup stayed very consistent using this method. However, as we got to the end of the season and trees got close to budding the syrup would be darker.

 

[forgeblast]

Mapletrader.com is a great site. We did a few gallons this year over a fire and using steam table pans. Lots of work, going to look at building a better evaporator for next year.

 

[Bilko]

Yes, I guess the more proper term would be a faster boil as the temperature is the same,
supposedly a fast or hard boil during the first part of the process in the main pan will produce a lighter colored syrup.
Yes, he is using the boiling temp to establish the sugar content,

The following is from the Penn State Extension Service;

Sap will boil at the same temperature as water and depends on elevation and barometric pressure. On any operating day, determine the boiling point of water and add about 7.5°F for the finishing temperature of syrup. Barometric pressure varies daily and affects the boiling point by a few degrees. A candy thermometer calibrated to the nearest degree should be used to determine the boiling point. While boiling, the sap will roll and foam. A defoaming agent may be purchased from a supplier to decrease the amount of foam. One to two drops per batch should be sufficient.

You should take care during the evaporation process so that your syrup is as close to 66 percent sugar content as possible. Overboiling will cause the syrup to be darker than desired and may cause the syrup to taste scorched or burned. This will greatly reduce the value of the finished syrup. Faster boiling will yield higher quality syrup, so controlling the heat during the finishing process is critical. Many producers do not finish the syrup in the large evaporator. They will draw it off at a lower concentration and then finish the syrup in a smaller pan where the temperature can be better controlled.

When you have finished syrup, you will need to filter it before filling your containers. Commercially available clean wool or orlon is commonly used to filter hot syrup. Paper filters should be used ahead of the wool or orlon filter to extend their useful life. Filtering the syrup is required to remove any "sugar sand," small mineral particles that have precipitated out during the evaporation process. Removing the gritty sugar sand will make your syrup clearer and results in a finished product that looks and tastes good. If you increase in size, you may consider purchasing a filter press designed for filtering syrup. This will make the filtration process much easier and quicker.

Hard to beat good maple syrup, good luck with his endeavor.
I can remember my mother having to finish off our syrup in the house back in the 50's and early 60's, then we got too many cows and didn't have the time to do it anymore.

Lou, I was pretty impressed with the taste of the first run and can’t wait to see what the rest of the season taste like! He is staying pretty busy keeping it all going. I hope to be more involved in the future. Something to do together as a family. I will pass on the information. Thanks again

Mike

 

[Bilko]

I grew up in upstate NY. We made about 200 gallons of maple syrup every year.
One thing I remember is we had an adjustable thermometer that was calibrated to match the boiling
point of water 2 - 3 times a day. This was to assure we were making syrup at 7 degrees above the exact boiling point of water at that moment. Finished syrup stayed very consistent using this method. However, as we got to the end of the season and trees got close to budding the syrup would be darker.

Wow I can’t image making 200 gallons in a season! I am sure that would break my my brother. I will pass on your info. Thanks

Mike

 

[Bilko]

This is his setup!

 

[Bilko]

Mapletrader.com is a great site. We did a few gallons this year over a fire and using steam table pans. Lots of work, going to look at building a better evaporator for next year.

Thanks for the website forgeblast I will pass it on to him, and will look at it when I get a chance. I believe he is around 3 gallons so far and still going. It sure is a lot of work but well worth it the end.