How To Make Maple Syrup At Home 10 Steps To Success... Looking for feedback!

[I Luv Stainless]

I put together this page about a year ago and have been updating it lately. I would love to get some feedback from beginners and/or pros on any aspect of the page. Thank you! -Mit

http://www.mainesugarworks.com/10-steps-to-make-maple-syrup.html

[OldManMaple]

You might want to change the picture of the repurposed laundry detergent bucket your using for your filter rig. If thats what it is. If not I'll stand corrected. As an educational page you would want to stress food grade everything.

[ericjeeper]

Overall I found it to be a pretty good write up. In number 10, You mentioned adding water to thin it back down to proper density. Actually you need to add sap.. To keep it pure.

[happy thoughts]

Looks good overall with nice pics. I did find the white text hard to read and a little tiring on the eyes so I didn't read all of it. The darker text on a lighter background used on some of your other pages is much more readable. The use of the plastic bucket for filtering may not be a good practice to encourage. I don't think those types of buckets are rated for the high temps of syrup coming off your evaporator. But again, overall a very nice job with attractive pages. And it looks like plenty of info there to not only help someone get started but give them the confidence to try in the first place. Best of luck this season:)

[govner4]

great page very helpful!

[I Luv Stainless]

Good call on the laundry detergent bucket, maybe I could photoshop the label off as it is the only photo I have of that old rig. I did not had any issues with the strength of the 5 gallon bucket filter holder, but I should have used a food grade plastic. It is an old photo as I have had a filter press for 5-6 years now, I don’t miss dealing with filter bags!

Adding sap to thin the batch is good practice, thanks.

My wife is bothered by the light text on a dark background too, I’ll switch it around when I get a chance.

Great feedback, keep it coming, thanks!

[Sandersyrup]

Just a comment about maple trees. I tap 4 Reds, 5 Norway maples and some silvers. The sugar content is very low but it pays to boil because the finished product has completely different flavor, rich maple with a nutty and buttery which I like better than sugar maple syrup which is much sweeter with less flavor tasting to me.

I've often wondered why producers who get a run of low sugar sap don't kettle cook this stuff over an open fire and give it an "artisan" label instead of tossing it out. Smoky kettle cooked surup, It's truly a quintessential maple syrup experience

I would also buy strictly red maple syrup under an artisan label too.

[I Luv Stainless]

Changes updated based on your feedback, thanks folks! http://www.mainesugarworks.com/10-steps-to-make-maple-syrup.html

[happy thoughts]

Changes updated based on your feedback, thanks folks! http://www.mainesugarworks.com/10-steps-to-make-maple-syrup.html

perfect! :)

[West Mountain Maple]

I would also not make the suggestion to use a garbage can, never seen a food grade one

[maple maniac65]

[QUOTE=ericjeeper;203426]Overall I found it to be a pretty good write up. In number 10, You mentioned adding water to thin it back down to proper density. Actually you need to add sap.. To keep it pure.[/QUOT


How do you thin syrup that was put up heavy if you are canning in the summer time?