Southeast Missouri First time ever .... I'm hooked!

[Amodestfarmerswife]

Ok so we are officially hooked!! So much
fun and the syrup turned out awesome:)
Now for a couple of questions;

what's the bestWay to filter on small scale? We tried coffee filter,
New dish rag, cheesecloth. I have ordered a filter
Cone, but have not received it yet.

Evaporater pan that doesn't cost an arm and leg?
We using large stock pots, 10 gallon batches and it's
An all day process.

I'm going to try and attach some pics... Our
Syrup has turned out really light colored.
From reading I know this might be considered
"Light Fancy" will this darken as we continue
To collect sap these next few weeks? Can we
Expect a dark syrup color as we go?880788068805

[Sugarmaker]

Welcome,
Order some pre filters too. Small batches will take time to strain. Put syrup into filter as hot as possible. Your syrup looks to be light in color. It may get darker as the season progresses. Its all about the weather and sap quality.
All kinds of pans out there. Get a nice stainless pan 304 type, 18 gage thick with welded seams at least 8 to 9 inches deep. Depending on the number of taps will dictate the size. I would start with 24 inch x 36 inch. also have handles and a draw off port 3/4 inch, added so you can remove the syrup safely.

Hate to break the news but this is a all day process! Bigger pan, you add more taps ......... Just keep it to a all day project not a all night project too:)
Regards,
Chris

[skinny78]

Glad to hear you are enjoying syrup making! I am in Holts Summit, just North of Jefferson City. I have an extra 24" X 33" pan that I would sell if you just need a pan. It is made of very light gauge stainless so it has very good heat transfer. You want a pan that is very thin. You are welcome to come see my operation and see how we have been sugaring here in Missouri since 2006.

[Groves]

If you're still selling your pan, let me know. I'm down here in Springfield. We've been using steam table pans for the last 7 years.

[RiverSap]

You might try looking on Craigslist for steam table pans like groves has been using as a good start to inexpensive pans. You will need to build some kind of concrete block arch to set the pans on to cook. You will also need a good amount of wood to burn. I am still collecting sap and hope to do my first cook this year soon.

[skinny78]

I sold both of my pans and got a set of Smoky Lake pans last year, they are awesome.

[KelsoSapper]

I got hooked a couple of years ago. Last year I used stock pots over an old combine wheel to boil with wood. That took forever and the syrup really had a lot of smoke flavor in it. This year I made a boiler similar to some of the small hobby setups you can buy. I bought the stainless, cut it to size with my circular saw, and bent it using some 2x4s, c-clamps and a couple of door hinges as a sheet metal brake to make a 24"x30" pan. I then took it to a welder to have it tig welded. He charged me $40 for welding everything including the fitting for the drain. It cost less than $150 for the finished pan. The arch has about $150 worth of metal in it. I got used blanket insulation from a towboat when they replaced it with new. The door for the arch was $30 on season clearance at Menards. One of the most expensive things that I bought was the fire brick. Part of them were bought at Menards on season clearance for $9 per box(6 bricks each box). I wish I had bought all of them then. The rest were $18 per box. Spent about $175 on them, but it was well worth it. I used about 1/4 the wood this year that I used last year. With a fan blowing into the bottom of the fire, I boiled at about 5 gallon per hour. That is a big improvement over last year.