stressed trees and dark syrup

[lew]

Does any anybody know if there is a correlation between stresseed trees and dark syrup? We have not been able to make light amber in 3 years. We have been defoliated by catepillars and or late frosts for 3 + years. are the trees somehow giving me more invert sugars, thus darkening my syrup. I cleaned up all my pans after the last warm spell and started with beautiful, crystal clear sap and am still making dark amber. Usually we make about 1/4 to 1/3 light for the year.

[michiganfarmer2]

Ive never completey understood all the things that cause syrup color. I know that my wife and dad run the sap much deeper than I do in the evaporator, and their syrup is darker. I was running the pans at about an iinch and a half deep sunday, and the syrup was lighter than the grading kit. I got home last night after my wife and dad had deepened the sap and ran the evaporator all day. Their syrup was about medium amber.

My thought is mine wasnt being boiled as long, but I just dont know

[adk1]

have you checked the brix of the sap? more boiling = darker syrup

[lew]

I don't believe pan depth is an issue. We run our flue pan at 3/4" and finishing pan at 1". We draw off about 22 gallons per hour. Also I don't believe sugar content is an issue. We boil 8-9%. obviously we have an RO. we do have very low sugar coming from the trees, 1.2 right now. I have tried recirculating sap back to the main storage tank and then concentrating to 8%, made dark+ syrup. Tried just cranking the concentrate way down to make 8%, still made dark syrup. All crystal clear sap. Very frustrating

[michiganfarmer2]

I was thinking that pan depth might affect the time the sap is boiled, but if you are running concentrate then it isnt being boiled very long anyway.

Hmmm, sorry I couldnt help. I have no clue obviously,lol.