First-Timer Questions (in Massachusetts)

[jmello6085]

So I just finished my first season making syrup... I consider it a success even though I only got a very small amount. I just wanted to go through the process so that next year I can ramp things up and actually have an idea of what I am doing... I wanted this year to work out the kinks, so to speak.

I just have a couple questions now that I went through it...

1. My stove top is a glass top electric stovetop and the heat is very inconsistent... the burner will turn on, then off periodically while heating. This made finishing the syrup difficult because when the burner would radiate on, the temperature would go up, and when it would turn off... the heat would fluctuate back down. It made it difficult to know when the syrup reached the right temp. Does anyone run into this? Is there a better way to know for sure when to stop boiling? Just looking for tips.

2. My syrup is very liquidy... is this normal? Should I consider boiling it more? (Again... I would base it strictly on the temperature... but with my stove top... it was hard to know for sure where it was at).

3. I used plastic food-grade buckets to collect my sap, with 2-3 foot lengths of tubing running into them. I cut an 'X' in the lid to feed the tubing into. I am pretty sure rain water was running down the outside of the tubing and into my buckets. Is this a concern? Or will the boiling process take care of it. I am sure I could remedy the problem, but if it is not a concern then I won't worry about it.

Thanks for your help.... even though I am pretty sure I picked the worst possible year to try this (with the way the winter was)... it was a lot of fun and I will definitely be continuing in the future!

[Run Forest Run!]

Hi jmello6085. I'm sure you had fun this year. I know others will chime in, but here's my take on your questions;

1. I also use a glass top stove to finish. I don't run into that problem, but perhaps that's because if I'm making several small batches I wait and finish them together. The deeper the syrup, the more accurate the temperature as fluctuations don't have the same impact when there is more liquid in the pot.

2. As a newbie ,if you think your syrup is thin, then it definitely is. Put it back on the stove and thicken it up. When the syrup starts to 'sheet' off your spoon you'll be happier with the syrup. Search this site for more info on 'sheeting'. There's lots on here about that. That will get you close enough to real syrup. Purchasing a hydrotherm or maple syrup hydrometer for next year will be very helpful.

3. Tape over those Xs on the lid of your buckets and drill some holes on the side of your buckets right near the top. Your tubing then runs into your bucket from the side. That will stop much of the rain water from getting in. You can certainly boil down the rain/sap without concern, it will just take longer to evaporate to syrup than pure sap.

[Cedar Eater]

What Karen said, plus the best kind of drill bit for drilling into plastic is called a spade bit or speedbore (http://drillsandcutters.com/1-2x6-spade-bit/) turning slowly. It gives a nice clean edge and doesn't produce a lot of shavings, but if you can't find one that's the exact diameter of the tubing, get a regular drill bit that's the exact diameter, cut the end of the tubing at an angle and twist it as you insert it. A tight fit is the best protection against rain water. Rain water is especially bad if it drizzles off the bark of the tree. It turns the sap yellow and tastes terrible.

[jmello6085]

Wow... awesome info.... thanks!

[wnybassman]

I made syrup for ten years with a thermometer but I never REALLY made syrup until I bought my first hydrometer six years ago.

I would encourage you to pick up a propane burner of some type. Turkey fryers are common, but I bought a new stainless two burner table top propane unit off Ebay for $36 which included shipping. It worked great this season!

Yep, holes on the side of the bucket pretty much solves that problem with the rain.

Welcome to the addiction!!

[Galena]

Hey jmello, I also use a glass cooktop stove and know exactly what you mean - the heat pulses on and then goes down/off, which can be really aggravating. However like Karen said, the deeper the syrup and pot you use to finish, the better, I've never had a problem finishing syrup due to heat fluctuations. FWIW I use a 2g stainless steel pot but finish no more than 1g at a time, in case there are potential boilover problems.

Now, this past year I learned a trick with my stove. Now this stove is about 11 yrs old so if yours is more recent you may not be do this, but right at the top of the dial, where it says OFF, next marking down, it says max...once the syrup is already at a safe level in the pot...I'll go to the top-sekkrit *max+* setting, as I call it. This is just a little bit past the max mark on the dial, but go too far and it simply seems to want to just switch off. Now your stove may not have this but you could always try. Maybe it's just me but I swear the burner quits that annoying pulsing on/off of heat.

Hope this helps and welcome to the crazy world o' sugaring! :-)