Tapped trees on Friday 1/16

[unclejohn]

Due to the forecast for warm days and nights below 32F in central mo, tapped our 112 maple trees west of Jefferson City on 1/16, very early for this area, cooked on our arch which is basically the size of 2 half-pint pans setting on concrete blocks. First harvest on sat 1/17 yielded about 30 gallons sap and finsihed in the kitchen to yield 3.5 qts of beautiful amber syrup. 1/18 harvest was slow with 15 gallons, but today after a night at 27F and afternoon at 57F, we had another 30 gallons and decided to cook. good luck to other show-me state syrup teams!

[RiverSap]

I live up on the bluffs of the Missouri River in Florissant Missouri. This is my third year for making maple syrup. I tapped 35 trees this past weekend and have collected around 10 gallons so far. I do not cook until I have collected around 100 gallons. I have a 3' divider pan that I use on a concrete block arch. This year I bought some fire brick to line it with. I will post pictures of the setup when I put it together. You are definitely off to a good start.

[skinny78]

I am going to tap mine Wednesday. The rest of this week looks good! How was the past two days John? River Sap where did you get your pan?

[RiverSap]

Skinny
I have not collected a single drop the last few days. The trees here have not been running. The daytime temperatures have in the 40s and 50s but it has not dropped below freezing at night. The next few days look better with the night time temperatures forecast to be below freezing.

I purchased my pans from http://www.cottagecraftworks.com. I bought a Maple Syrup Hobby Cooking Pan 24 X 36 http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/maple-syrup-maple-syrup-hobby-cooking-pan-p-1832.html and the Maple Syrup Hobby Warming Pan Tank http://www.cottagecraftworks.com/maple-syrup-maple-syrup-hobby-warming-pan-tank-p-1833.html. I am very happy with both of them. I am cooking on a concrete block stove and figured the pan may not be treated all that gently. I liked that the pans are made of 20 gauge 304 stainless as opposed to the 22 gauge I usually see.

[skinny78]

We tapped 118 tonight, some were running right away. Getting the sugar house ready for sap!

[unclejohn]

Matthew- we got another 15 gal sap on Tues Jan 20, 30 gal yesterday jan 22, and we wont boil these batches until after we collect tomorrow, so we should be able to make 2 gal of amber product. Fortunately the sap was good and cold during these nights, even had ice in it. I took your advice on filtering for the first time and we had great results. We couldnt believe how much scum was collected in the wool filter! Seems like although this run is very early, the trees arent yielding as much as last year when we had snow on the ground in feb. next wk forecast not looking very favorable- nights may be too warm. How are you other Missouri syrup teams doing?

[Goggleeye]

Saps been flowing so hard here in SE Missouri we can't keep up! We've had a freeze/thaw every day for the last 9 days. So far we've made 50+ gallons from 460 taps. Best start we've ever seen. Started with a nice light amber, we're almost at a dark now. Need sleep really bad. I teach and drive school bus, come home and collect until 11 pm or so, and do it all over again the next day. Wife starts the day bottling and mans the evap the rest of the day. She's a good woman! I actually might get some time at the evap Sunday afternoon.

[skinny78]

We collected 70 gallons Friday night and another 55 gallons Saturday night. It's a start but not as good as you guys down South. Hopefully this week will be better!

[RiverSap]

Goggleeye to make 50 gallons of syrup you need 2000 gallons of sap. Where do you store that much sap? If the sap keeps flowing like it has for you so far this season you will have a shot at the 200 gallons of syrup. Here in the St Louis area we have had good daytime temperatures hut at night it has not been falling below freezing at night. This past weekend we had a few decent days. Still looking for better conditions. I have not collected enough to cook up a batch yet. I tapped 35 trees this year on a tubing setup mostly.

[Goggleeye]

You're right, I've been keeping track, and I've collected somewhere around 2200 gallons at this point. I have 2 275 gallon totes elevated in the loft of the sugar house for a head tank. However, the most I'll put up there is about 450 gallons - I start getting nervous because the firebox loading area is underneath the loft! We (my wonderful wife) try to run the evaporator daily to try to prevent getting a backlog of sap. Sometimes, though, I have to store sap in an extra tote on the ground during a really heavy run.

Last year, we produced 198 gallons - so close, but the last 8-10 gallons aren't worth eating! Maybe 200 this year!

I can't believe you haven't been getting the cold nights being 100 miles further north. We do, though, live in an area that tends to drop about 5 degrees more than the surrounding areas. Hope you get those better temperatures. It'll hit at one point or another.

[Ray_Nagle]

I can't believe you haven't been getting the cold nights being 100 miles further north. We do, though, live in an area that tends to drop about 5 degrees more than the surrounding areas. Hope you get those better temperatures. It'll hit at one point or another.

I'm near St. Louis, and our low temps are always about 5 degrees below the city's. So we've been getting good freezes on most nights.

By the way, Goggleeye, are you a commercial producer? If not, you must eat maple syrup for every meal all year to go through 200 gallons.

[Goggleeye]

I'm near St. Louis, and our low temps are always about 5 degrees below the city's. So we've been getting good freezes on most nights.

By the way, Goggleeye, are you a commercial producer? If not, you must eat maple syrup for every meal all year to go through 200 gallons.

To say commercial producer might be a bit of a stretch. We do, however, sell quite a bit at local farmers' markets and through word of mouth. And we do eat quite a bit of it as well! We should have our commercial (production) kitchen completed by next year.

On those temps, NOAA forecast is 33 tonight, and when I came in a few minutes ago, the ground already had a frozen layer. Probably another good sap flow tomorrow.
Have you been getting sap all these days? I tapped 5 trees with one of my classes today at about 11:30, and by 5 already had over 5 gallons of sap! Kids love it - I just don't know how I'm going to do a cooking demo at school. Guess I could use a turkey fryer.

[RiverSap]

Do you have any pictures of your setup Goggleeyes?

[Ray_Nagle]

Have you been getting sap all these days?

Pretty much. There have been a couple days when one or two trees laid an egg. But I've been getting at least some sap every day. Usually 2-3 gallons per day out of six taps.

[Goggleeye]

Do you have any pictures of your setup Goggleeyes?
Here are a few pics.1047610477104781047910480

[RiverSap]

Very nice setup. So the raw sap comes in with that white PVC pipe into a large pre-warmer pan. Then the Arch is on the left and the hot exhaust air runs horizontal under the warmer pan to the stove pipe on the right. Looks like you have quite a work crew there.

[Goggleeye]

Very nice setup. So the raw sap comes in with that white PVC pipe into a large pre-warmer pan. Then the Arch is on the left and the hot exhaust air runs horizontal under the warmer pan to the stove pipe on the right. Looks like you have quite a work crew there.

For the most part. You can see the bottom of the bulk tank in the top of the picture, the sap comes down the PVC. There is no "preheater," though. The sap runs into the float box, which flows into the back pan, which is the flue pan. It's boiling throughout the length of the flue pan despite the cold sap coming in. There's just that much heat. The flames make it all the way from under the syrup pan on the left into the stove pipe.

If I can get time, I want to make a short video summarizing the process.

[Ray_Nagle]

If I can get time, I want to make a short video summarizing the process.

I hope you do, because I have no idea about the function of all the different pans. Nice looking setup, even though I don't quite understand all the components.

[RiverSap]

Goggleeyes. So that long pan that the raw sap first flows into from the PVC pipe is a flue pan? Then from there a float controls flow from the large flue pan into the shiny pan on the left in your picture. What kind of pan is that shiny pan? From the shiny pan you draw off sap that is pretty close to syrup and then you have a finishing setup somewhere in the house? Just trying to learn how these larger setups work. Thanks for your help.

[Goggleeye]

Goggleeyes. So that long pan that the raw sap first flows into from the PVC pipe is a flue pan? Then from there a float controls flow from the large flue pan into the shiny pan on the left in your picture. What kind of pan is that shiny pan? From the shiny pan you draw off sap that is pretty close to syrup and then you have a finishing setup somewhere in the house? Just trying to learn how these larger setups work. Thanks for your help.

The float box only controls the sap coming into the flue pan. The fluid level in the flue pan and the syrup pan is the same. As evaporation occurs in the syrup pan (pan on the left), gravity brings sap from the flue pan and keeps the level constant. The syrup comes off the front pan is very close to being finished. However, we take that syrup into the kitchen to finish it at precisely the right density. Then we filter it and can it.

If you're ever towards Cape or Perryville, we're about 2 hours from you just off I-55, you'll have to check out the operation.

[skinny78]

I have a setup similar to Goggleeyes except mine is much smaller. My flue pan is a raised flue meaning the pan has ribs that are raised from the bottoms of the pan to increase surface area. The sap in my flue pan runs about 8" deep and therefore needs a float to control the level and 1" deep in my front pan. The front pan is a normal divided pan and the syrup is concentrated in the last section, when the temperature hits my set point the auto draw off opens. Check out my photobucket for more pictures.



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[randomseeker]

Googleeye, it looks to me like you are stinging 5/16 tubing, is that correct? How many trees to you connect on each run? This is my second year with gravity tubing and my first doing it with good tension on the 5/16 line. I am planning on about 20 trees per line and I have about a 2% slope in the line. The ground itself is dead level as it is a red bush in wetland. Do you have any words of wisdom?

[Goggleeye]

Googleeye, it looks to me like you are stinging 5/16 tubing, is that correct? How many trees to you connect on each run? This is my second year with gravity tubing and my first doing it with good tension on the 5/16 line. I am planning on about 20 trees per line and I have about a 2% slope in the line. The ground itself is dead level as it is a red bush in wetland. Do you have any words of wisdom?
Buckets and slave labor (kids)?! I thought I had it bad. I don't know what I'd do if I was in the flat lands. All of my runs have at least a little slope to work with, and I have anywhere from 5 to 35 taps on a run, and collect into 55 gal barrels. As long as you could get the lines in with a bit of a slope, it should work, though. Just start as high as you can on your 1st tree and go from there, keeping that line TIGHT. How far apart are your trees, and what are you collecting in to? Reason I ask is that 20 trees per line wouldn't give you much drop unless they're real close. I use semi-rigid line, but you may want to go with rigid so you can string it a little tighter. I don't have much more to offer. Hope whatever you try works.

[RiverSap]

Pay close attention to how you string the lines. Basically in your situation you are running lateral lines with no mainline. A mainline is usually a larger tubing like 3/4 inches. Lateral lines run from tree to tree to tree and then into the mainline. Here is a link to a diagram one of the moderators made on the forum a little while ago that I stumbled upon that shows how to run lateral lines. http://mapletrader.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=10489&d=1422479169. The moderator did clarify that in the yes column that the right string is incorrect. The tubing should wrap around the tree like on the left lateral. Also run the complete lateral from tree to tree to tree keeping good tension. There are these end fittings called "end it rings" that you use at the last tree in a lateral to keep tension on the whole lateral. You attach the end of the lateral to the nipple opposite the ring and then wrap the tubing around the tree and route it through the ring. Then run the tubing to the rest of the trees in the lateral. Use the slide on the last tree to tighten the whole lateral. See the picture. The drop line attaches to the other nipple. After you have the whole lateral in place go back and put in the drop lines using the "T" connectors at each tree. The drop lines should be something like 30 inches long and should not have any tension on them and they should attach to the "T" at the nipple that is at a right angle to the other two. Also do not attach laterals together. Each lateral should go directly into a collection container. I am no expert. What I wrote there is what I have learned so far. Good, luck.

[RiverSap]

Very nice set up Skinny. I went to your photobucket images and looked through them. How did you make that home made float on your previous setup. My setup is exactly like that only I do not have a float. I would like to make one like the one in your picture.

[skinny78]

I have made several floats, some by welding up a box of very light stainless and the round one was soldered. Not an easy task and on my new setup I see that the floats are made with a hollow stem that let the float expand and contract with the heat, that solves a big problem with making a perfectly sealed float. I also found the a float in the boiling sap will sometimes be held up by the boiling or foam so it is best to use a float box and then you can use about any kind of float as it will never get hot. The float box does need to be where the sap is added or else it will fill up with junk and get very dirty. Just make it like my current setup is and you will be good to go!

[RiverSap]

Float box will be a task for next year.

[unclejohn]

skinny, ray, riversap, goggleeye, things are going well near jeff city. we dont collect every day, only when we've had good conditions and before it might spoil. collection on sat feb 7, we got a lot of ice in the buckets and pitched most of the ice. weve collected 435 gallons so far since jan 16 and made 10 gal syrup. its getting darker and richer flavor with each batch. looks like presidents day weekend will bring some good flow days. these 60 deg days after a frosty night have been great! goggle, you might be the most southern producer on the continent? i've never heard of maple syrup from ark, tenn, ga, al, but maybe there are. will try to schedule a visit to you after sugar season if thats ok? john

[RiverSap]

I had my first boil this past Sunday. I cooked down about 85 gallons of sap to around two gallons of finished syrup. It is really good to get in that first boil of the season. I had a couple of buddies over for part of the time. They brought beer. Beer is always welcome during an all day boil. It does make collecting the buckets on the steep Missouri river bluffs a bit more challenging. Goggleeyes I would like to come and see your operation as well. Let me know when a good time would be. I posted a few pictures in my photo album area.

[Goggleeye]

goggle, you might be the most southern producer on the continent? i've never heard of maple syrup from ark, tenn, ga, al, but maybe there are. will try to schedule a visit to you after sugar season if thats ok? john

There are a few in KY & TN that are farther south, and a couple more here in MO, but not many. I know we're supposed to be at the southern end of the range here, especially in the southern part of MO, but I've averaged over 1 quart of syrup per tap every year but 1, and this year we've already produced 1 qt per tap - hoping (at least I am, not so much my wife who is locked in the sugarhouse:)) to get 1/2 gal per tap! We should be at about 125 gallons of syrup by days end.
My problem is wood. We ran out of seasoned wood at about the 100 gallon mark. Now I'm out looking for every dead standing tree on the farm!
John - We'd love to have you visit. We don't have anything that grand (The wife nixed the idea of a Force 5.), but we like it, and it works for us!

Mark

[RiverSap]

Around my place wood is always an issue. We have bonfires three or four times a year where we burn two plus cords of wood for each one. I also keep a fireplace insert going all Fall, winter and Spring to assist in heating the house. Then there is maple syrup cooking. What you need is a network of friends, and neighbors keeping an eye out for wood for you. You still have quite a bit of cooking to do to get to your 200 gallons of syrup. The last thing you want is to run out in the middle of cooking. Good luck in your wood hunting.

[Goggleeye]

Been able to find enough fairly dry wood from tops and standing snags. We should finish up this week as temps look to stay above freezing. Before this last run, we gave the pans a complete cleaning and started again with fresh sap. Back to light and medium syrup. Hardly made any dark and almost no grade B this year, and last year all we could get is dark. Amazing variability nature brings us.

[RiverSap]

Did you get to 200 gallons of syrup goggleeye? What festivals do you go to around the St Louis area? I would like to see you at one and buy some of your syrup?