Thalos
03-20-2011, 03:29 PM
So.......
this is my first year....my first week and a half to be exact.....
and Ive decided to share my experiance...its always fun reading a newbie's first account of of a new hobbie....remembering your own first trial and errors,frustrations,and victories......and as a newbie...its all so exciting...so here goes...
Making maple syrup is something my father and I have talked about for years...we have land in the U.P. of Michigan most of which is what we think are sugar maples...and we are always talking about what "could" be done with the land...other than hunting.Making syrup has come up year after year...but....we never "really" persued it.Well.....that all kind of changed as of March 10,2011.A freind has been tapping tree's for years..just as a little hobby...and after work that thursday,he stopped at a local nature center to pick up a few taps.Last year he brought to my attention that along the front edge of the cemetary I live next too all the tree's were Sugar Maples...12 big beautiful 100+ year old Maples.So when we were picking up taps that day I decided I was going to give it a shot...so I picked up two taps.As soon as I got home....I started searching for info on the subject...and found this site...and read for many hours...as Im kind of anal about doing things "The right way".The next day I tapped my first tree...two taps...and the sap was running well.So..I tapped 3 more.By the following Monday..I was about out of storage space with over 20 gallons...I couldnt believe how much I had...heh.This was actually working!!!I had to come up with a way to boil...ya...this wasnt thought out very well....a "spur of the moment" thing.Looking at the biggest pots I had...I realized...I needed something bigger then just a pot on the stove.Not to mention steam issues indoors...again...thank god for the info on this site :D. Luckily...I had something from one of my other hobbies.....Brewing.Now....I know you want flat pans...as much exposure to air as possible...but...all I had was a stainless steel half barrel with the top cut out...great for brewing...not so good for sugarin...but it would have to do.So I went about building an arch out of brick...and began my boiling adventure.I boiled 8 hours on Monday,the 14th,called it quits for the night.Went out in the morning to add more sap and continue..but....when I looked at my progress...and got a whif of what I had boiled down....something was wrong.It smelled like a **** house fire.Well...I started thinking about what the hell went wrong.it looked cloudy ,like mud water...and just smelled bad.The wood.I live in the city...and being a "spur of the moment" thing...I got wood from where ever I could get it quick.The cemetary.it was wood that had been laying around for a few years...rotting on the ground.Smelled like crap when I was burning it...but I didnt think it would matter...it makes heat right??wrong :(The arch I built was very open...alot bigger than my barrel...and...as I boiled...smoke and ash made its way into the barrel...and the sap took on that swampy musty stench...not to mention all the ash that collected in the bottom of the barrel.So...I dumped it and started over...by first rebuilding the arch.I tightened" it up around the barrel,which reduced the ash circulating in the air and it made a world of differance directing the heat...it burned so much more efficiently...I was using half the wood I used the day before.I also put a screen over the top in an attempt to keep out ash...dont know if it did much as the steam would prolly just wet the ash collected and make it drip into the barrel...but..it surley wouldnt hurt I figured.So away I went...I boiled for 3 days.Yes...it took forever with a barrel....but wow....it smelled so sweet and amazing....now I knew I was on the right track.Using decent wood prolly helped a little too :DThrough the week I collected another 40 to 45 gallons...boiled it down to just under 2 gallons outside....then brought it in to finish it off in the house.All seemed to be going well!Now...as I said before....this was "spur of the moment"...with a total of about $6.00 dollars invested...I figured since I have a really nice thermometer from brewing...Ill just finish it off by temp and see what comes out.I get my sap goin on the stove...and another pot of water to check the boiling point of water...
put my thermometer in ......wait for 20 minutes....
the **** thing is only reading 202 degree's....thermometer is broke :(
Ok...now what the hell do I do....cant use my brewing hydrometer...
"Sigh"...
So I turn to Mapletrader for some kind of hint as to what characteristics it might have when done
APRONING!!!
Ok...I know this takes practice....and not something for a newbie...but its all I had.
So...I went with it.I cooked it down....and I think Im close....its dark,prolly from cooling and reboiling over 3 days time,but wow...it tastes amazing!
The thing is.....and I know you all know the feeling...."I dont know if I "REALLY" have syrup.I ended up with about 3/4th's of a gallon of syrup...think I cooked it down a little too much as I had about 45 gallons of sap into it.Guess Ill just wait and see if those sugar crystals show up...hehe.
guess whats on the top of my list to buy for next year???heh.
went to a Maple Syrup demonstration yesterday...nice sugar house and all.Bought some of their syrup and compared with mine.Theirs was a nice fancy light...good stuff.I made pancakes this morning...and did a "taste test" with the family...not telling which mine was.Believe it or not...they picked mine as the better tasting.Guess I did something right...lol.mine is darker...with the more robust maple flavor...and thicker...like I said...I think I boiled it down too much so it was a bit sweeter too.But...for the first time without any of the proper equipment....Im pretty satisfied with what I got.Now...the planing begins...need to get up to the land and see what we have for tree's.....hoping they are sugar maples...60 acres worth could be interesting
this is my first year....my first week and a half to be exact.....
and Ive decided to share my experiance...its always fun reading a newbie's first account of of a new hobbie....remembering your own first trial and errors,frustrations,and victories......and as a newbie...its all so exciting...so here goes...
Making maple syrup is something my father and I have talked about for years...we have land in the U.P. of Michigan most of which is what we think are sugar maples...and we are always talking about what "could" be done with the land...other than hunting.Making syrup has come up year after year...but....we never "really" persued it.Well.....that all kind of changed as of March 10,2011.A freind has been tapping tree's for years..just as a little hobby...and after work that thursday,he stopped at a local nature center to pick up a few taps.Last year he brought to my attention that along the front edge of the cemetary I live next too all the tree's were Sugar Maples...12 big beautiful 100+ year old Maples.So when we were picking up taps that day I decided I was going to give it a shot...so I picked up two taps.As soon as I got home....I started searching for info on the subject...and found this site...and read for many hours...as Im kind of anal about doing things "The right way".The next day I tapped my first tree...two taps...and the sap was running well.So..I tapped 3 more.By the following Monday..I was about out of storage space with over 20 gallons...I couldnt believe how much I had...heh.This was actually working!!!I had to come up with a way to boil...ya...this wasnt thought out very well....a "spur of the moment" thing.Looking at the biggest pots I had...I realized...I needed something bigger then just a pot on the stove.Not to mention steam issues indoors...again...thank god for the info on this site :D. Luckily...I had something from one of my other hobbies.....Brewing.Now....I know you want flat pans...as much exposure to air as possible...but...all I had was a stainless steel half barrel with the top cut out...great for brewing...not so good for sugarin...but it would have to do.So I went about building an arch out of brick...and began my boiling adventure.I boiled 8 hours on Monday,the 14th,called it quits for the night.Went out in the morning to add more sap and continue..but....when I looked at my progress...and got a whif of what I had boiled down....something was wrong.It smelled like a **** house fire.Well...I started thinking about what the hell went wrong.it looked cloudy ,like mud water...and just smelled bad.The wood.I live in the city...and being a "spur of the moment" thing...I got wood from where ever I could get it quick.The cemetary.it was wood that had been laying around for a few years...rotting on the ground.Smelled like crap when I was burning it...but I didnt think it would matter...it makes heat right??wrong :(The arch I built was very open...alot bigger than my barrel...and...as I boiled...smoke and ash made its way into the barrel...and the sap took on that swampy musty stench...not to mention all the ash that collected in the bottom of the barrel.So...I dumped it and started over...by first rebuilding the arch.I tightened" it up around the barrel,which reduced the ash circulating in the air and it made a world of differance directing the heat...it burned so much more efficiently...I was using half the wood I used the day before.I also put a screen over the top in an attempt to keep out ash...dont know if it did much as the steam would prolly just wet the ash collected and make it drip into the barrel...but..it surley wouldnt hurt I figured.So away I went...I boiled for 3 days.Yes...it took forever with a barrel....but wow....it smelled so sweet and amazing....now I knew I was on the right track.Using decent wood prolly helped a little too :DThrough the week I collected another 40 to 45 gallons...boiled it down to just under 2 gallons outside....then brought it in to finish it off in the house.All seemed to be going well!Now...as I said before....this was "spur of the moment"...with a total of about $6.00 dollars invested...I figured since I have a really nice thermometer from brewing...Ill just finish it off by temp and see what comes out.I get my sap goin on the stove...and another pot of water to check the boiling point of water...
put my thermometer in ......wait for 20 minutes....
the **** thing is only reading 202 degree's....thermometer is broke :(
Ok...now what the hell do I do....cant use my brewing hydrometer...
"Sigh"...
So I turn to Mapletrader for some kind of hint as to what characteristics it might have when done
APRONING!!!
Ok...I know this takes practice....and not something for a newbie...but its all I had.
So...I went with it.I cooked it down....and I think Im close....its dark,prolly from cooling and reboiling over 3 days time,but wow...it tastes amazing!
The thing is.....and I know you all know the feeling...."I dont know if I "REALLY" have syrup.I ended up with about 3/4th's of a gallon of syrup...think I cooked it down a little too much as I had about 45 gallons of sap into it.Guess Ill just wait and see if those sugar crystals show up...hehe.
guess whats on the top of my list to buy for next year???heh.
went to a Maple Syrup demonstration yesterday...nice sugar house and all.Bought some of their syrup and compared with mine.Theirs was a nice fancy light...good stuff.I made pancakes this morning...and did a "taste test" with the family...not telling which mine was.Believe it or not...they picked mine as the better tasting.Guess I did something right...lol.mine is darker...with the more robust maple flavor...and thicker...like I said...I think I boiled it down too much so it was a bit sweeter too.But...for the first time without any of the proper equipment....Im pretty satisfied with what I got.Now...the planing begins...need to get up to the land and see what we have for tree's.....hoping they are sugar maples...60 acres worth could be interesting