Frustrating first boil

[Lance]

Just got home from the sugarhouse, first boil of the year and I'm frustrated to the max. I'm doing a lot of things different this year and I thought I'd finally be able to make some light syrup. Had the 2x6 fired up and burning like a nailer but it took forever - 6 1/2 hrs. - to draw off first syrup and it was darn near as dark as blackstrap molasses. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong or what needs to change to get syrup through that evaporator any quicker.

I split my wood finer this year but it seemed that whatever benefit I got from the finer wood was offset by having to fire more often. I was firing about every 5-6 min. and every time the boil would drop and the thermometer would lose 5 degress or more. Just about the time the boil picked back up again, it was time to fire and go through the cycle again. I'm running about an inch deep and don't really want to go much shallower for now.

I did notice some gaps - between the front and back pans, the front of the front pan, etc. I've got a piece of ceramic blanket I'm gonna plug 'em with. How much can I expect performance to improve by doing so?

Any advice, suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

[WF MASON]

I many places the sap has been up and down the trees since early January , you might not make any light this year ,in most of the east ,snow has been gone a long time now. Got a call from a guy in New York yesterday telling me the same thing. I don't think your alone when it comes to making dark this year.

[maple flats]

I haven't canned any yet but have a few gal in the canner. Looks like mine is going to be darker at leasy the first batch and looks a little redish hue to it. I think maybe the sap has gotten into the tubing and started bacteria and micro organisims in the tubing but has not flowed to flush out enough. The temps have had long warm spells which compounds this. In years past I have sometimes seen the first batch be a little darker and come right back with light if the season has a few good runs at that time. I haven't graded mine yet but I think it will be med for the first batch canned. I will do my 3rd boil tonight to finish off the sap to date because forcast looks like no flow for a few days then with daytime highs forcast as below freezing. Often times that proves wrong so I will play it by ear.

[lew]

I have seen years when the first run made commercial syrup. The sap was crystal clear, my pans were spotless and the RO was new. WE shut down, cleaned everything and started up again just to make commercial. After that run it turned around and we made nice light syrup. Heard the same story from several producers that year. Sometimes you just get what you get and there is nothing you can do about it. This yearour first boil was this past Saturday. WE made a mid medium Sat. and Sunday when we cleaned up what was left in the tanks we were making a borderline Dark. Same for others around us. So if you'r making medium, you're in the same boat. Good cold weather and better temps for us sugarmakers expected later in the week. The light amber will come. WE will be emptying our pans and starting over again in anticipation of making light syrup.

[tappin&sappin]

The syrup I have made this year (about 1.3 gallons) has not exactly been light either. I wouldn't say it is dark, but it does have a red hue to it I guess. Thought maybe it was something I was doing wrong (ie boiling too long?), but sounds like it may just be the weather affecting the sap quality.

I agree with you Lance, sometimes it can be frustrating. I have had to stop, take a deep breath and remember I'm doing this because it's fun :!: After which I figure as long as it tastes good and the family likes it, why worry?

Have fun!

Jake

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

8O 8O I guess that is one good thing about being this far south as I never worry about making anything above light or medium the first part of the season. Can't imagine making commercial. I may have to boil off 50 or more gallons to make a gallon of syrup, but I have never had to deal with those kind of issues. 8O 8O I guess it could happen, but I won't hold my breath as I have never seen anything like that or heard of it until I hit the trader a few years ago. :?

[mapleman3]

of the 30+ gallons I made so far this week 14 have been very light, it turned Med. Thur-Fri, yesterdays medium was looking lighter, so with the cooler weather coming who knows.. last year I made more medium and dark than alot of others.. dunno....

[Jim Brown]

We have made about 6 gallon so far this year(not a record crop by no means) and all has been on the light side of medium.

Lance. What level of liquid are you carring in your arch? that may have a bearing on how long the syrup is in the rig and also increase the color.

[mapleman3]

Brandon, you haven't made commercial yet because you havn't boiled till the end of the season yet. :wink: wait till the buds come out.. you'll make it then,,, I should talk I havn't either :wink: :D I may see this year if I'm not burnt out by then

[Brent]

up here, 30 miles NW of Toronto we got a bit, I mean a real small bit of very light, then over the weekend it started to darken and what we got last like looks like blackstrap. Nearly hit record high temps over the weekend. The ground is still frozen hard.

Let's hope things lighten up.

[VA maple guy]

The first gallon i made this year was dark, it then went to light / medium for six or seven gallons, then back to dark, and finished the season as B.
Gerry

[brookledge]

Lance
Like everbody said warm weather and temps staying above freezing only means dark syrup. Tonight I droped another grade now I'm making DkA hopefully after a good freeze and cooler temps I go back up to medium at least.
Otherwise it sounds like you are doing everything right. Be patient and you will get lighter syrup at some point. I know that I have spent hours cleaning things hopeing that when I boiled again it would be lighter and that never happened. It's frustrating sometimes but thats farming.
Keith

[Sugarmaker]

Lance,
I would not worry about the wood or your boil. Make sure you process ASAP or keep it cool till you do boil.
I would look towards the sap quality, which could be weather related type of trees or end of season?
We have had much better luck making light syrup since we went to stainless pans and storage tanks.
Last year we could not and did not make any light syrup. The year before was 50 % light.
So far this year we are split between Light and Med. (50 gallons total) The warm weather caused it to go to med. All sap was clear up until last night we gathered 200 gallons of cloudy sap that will be saved and boiled for our open house Tour and Taste this weekend. It will be dark A or B.


Good Luck and may your syrup change to light.

Regards,
Chris

[SteveD]

Lance...

At least you have some sap to make syrup with....we are only 20 miles from you and we can't put together enough sap together to bother boiling!

Hoping that this week's cooling temps will restart our trees. What little syrup we've made so far has been between fancy and med. A.

Steve

[Johnny Cuervo]

I made 3.5 gal so far and all is med or dark. Usually its mostly light with some medium. I make 1-2 gallons at a time cleaning all sap containers and pan after every boil. I think with more normal temps it should lighten up a bit, but over all its going to be a dark year.

[markcasper]

Like a few others have said on here, syrup lightness is mostlly related to weather conditions. The lay of your land and trees and how much sunshine the tubing gets is a big factor in determining grade. The fresher the sap, the lighter the color. If it sits around for longer than a day, you might as well forget about it making light amber if its been collected with tubing. I have had bag gathered sap for almost a week before, though it was kept cold and it still made light amber.

I just had my first cooking yesterday and 75% was high dark amber, the last was medium. Some of the sap was a week old and the newest sap was 2 days old. I diddled with vacuum last week as i was tapping, therefore had no time to boil. To put it plainly, if i hadn't gotten the vacuum systyms up and running good, I doubt i would have had half the sap that i did have. So i don't really care if I got some darker syrup, at least I had the sap to make it period. Mark