Lancaster Co. 2016

[Sandersyrup]

Well I tapped yesterday here in Lancaster County. Trees were quick to begin the donation process. 30 gallons from 25 taps overnight. Boiling today and its HOT in the sugarshack! Hows it going in South East PA for everyone else?

[Evets]

I got a little between yesterday and today. I'll get the rest of my taps in tomorrow. Hoping to boil on Friday.

Let me know if you have extra, John.

[Dennis H.]

Sounds it is a good start to the season for you all.
Good Luck.

[Evets]

Boiled my first 50 gallons today. I haven't processed my results yet but it looks to be about a gallon+/-, which is about normal for me since I have mostly silvers tapped.

[Etown Maple Syrup]

I put some taps in sugar maples this past weekend. Ran pretty good. I put the sap in a holding tank. After all the rain in this area, I will tap all the red maples this weekend. They usually run later.

[PA TAPPER]

Tapped Jan 1st ( 143 maple taps ), Boiled 1180 gallon of maple sap by Feb 10th. Made 14.5 Gal of Maple Syrup. Tapped 134 Walnut trees Feb 13th . Boiled off 360 Gallon of maple/walnut sap together since that time. 70 more gal to boil tomorrow night. Good combined taste. Will transition to all walnut as in a week or two .

[Manatawny]

Hi, all. Just introducing myself. We lived in Lancaster Co. till a couple years ago. We're 45 min. away in Pottstown, now, but still attend our church in Akron and may move back this summer. Anyway, this is my first year sugaring--just five taps, to start, with hopes for significant expansion in future years. I put my taps in on Monday; some give me about half a gallon a day, and some give closer to a gallon. I built a little block arch, but we're still waiting for our steam pan to come in, so this morning we made a very small, experimental batch on the stove: produced just four ounces, to try.

I'd love to learn from you guys in the area!

[psparr]

I'm in Birdsboro!

[Evets]

I'm between Denver and Reamstown!

[PA TAPPER]

I'm on a farm near Lenhartsville. Northern tip of Berks County. Send me a PM if you want to stop by. Boiling one day every weekend and some weeknights.

[Sandersyrup]

We're a little south. Strasburg. We love guests and teaching the craft.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Etown Maple Syrup]

Manatawny, velcome! I think most of us started small. Then you start to buy things to make it easier as you expand and find more trees to tap. Just keep it fun and share your passion with others. I have been showing a class at the local school of 5th graders for the past five years how to make syrup. Fascinating when they drill a hole and sap comes out! Even the local micro brew made a beer from my syrup! Who would have thought? I am in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County.

[Dennis H.]

Cassell Farm that is great to hear that you are spreading you passion for making maple syrup.

I wish I had a little more room here, cause I think I would enjoy doing the same.

[Sandersyrup]

Have 60 gallons of 1.5% sap if anybody wants to rescue it before the 75° temps hit tomorrow. Make offer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Evets]

Same deal as last year?

[Manatawny]

Thanks for introducing yourselves, local folks. I'll look forward to meeting you all, eventually.

So, what do we do with these temperatures? I really don't have time to boil mid-week: I did last Monday night, and it was a 12 hour process by the time I finished and canned (44 oz. finished syrup from 20+ gallons of my sap). I've got just one steam pan on my block arch. I didn't think that I'd need more for my 5 taps, but they're actually averaging 2/3 gal. per tap per day, and I could definitely use a second pan.

Anyway:

[1] My drum of sap is going to spoil in another day or so of these temps, right? I'll have to pull another all-nighter I guess.

[2] Is the sap buddy yet? I'm not sure how to tell. How much time do we have left? Do these temps mean that we're done already?

Thanks, all!

[psparr]

You can put frozen jugs in the sap to keep it cool, but not sure if that's enough with this heatwave.
As far as buddy sap, take a little inside and boil it on the stove. It will stink.

[Manatawny]

Tuesday's sap seemed OK (not that I really know what I'm talking about), so I used it. But I'm not collecting today's (Wednesday) or any other. I'm done.

I stayed up Tuesday night and boiled everything I had left.

My first big boil a few weeks ago gave me about a 60:1 ratio, and this last one was closer to 70:1.

Nevertheless, with just five taps, starting at least a week late (we tapped on 2/22) and ending earlier than I hoped, we produced 74 oz. of finished syrup.

My first, very small experimental batch (producing just 4 oz.) was that honey colored butterscotch, which I was initially concerned about, but which, as I learned here, is actually normal early on, and desirable.

My second, larger batch, producing 40 oz., turned out as that perfect, classic amber. It's beautiful.

My last large batch, which I just finished, producing another 30 oz. is BLACK. I'm waiting for the niter to settle in the mason jars, but at this point it looks downright ugly. Is this normal? My block arch had formed some cracks since my first batch, and more smoke was getting up around the pan--is there any chance that it ruined my syrup?

Thanks for all your help! I'm very glad for this community.

[Dennis H.]

Late season syrup will naturally get darker. As you mentioned the sugar content in the sap is dropping which will take more boiling. The sap is probably getting a little cloudier too.
So with the lower sugar content and cloudier sap you will get darker syrup, not much you can do to stop it.

Sounds like you had a good time making maple syrup.

[Maplewalnut]

Although at the very end it may turn light again. My experience is that very soon after that ropey syrup will start and the sucrose turns to fructose and the smell is unforgetable!

[Sandersyrup]

Maple season is over here in Strasburg. My 3/16 lines quit. Forecast said that spring has sent winter running away with its tail between its legs. It was an ok season we made about 10 gallons mostly amber. No stinky buddy syrup this year. Last year we boiled until April! But the last 3 gallons were awful. Lol. I hope everyone had a great season!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Manatawny]

I've really appreciated all your help, guys. This has been a blast.

I mixed most of my Golden/Amber (can't tell which it is) with my Very Dark to produce a nice Dark. I did retain enough of my Golden/Amber to make one bottle of that. I'll attach a picture. 13804

So, looking to next year, I'd like to go from my 5 taps to 50 taps. I only have about 10 workable trees of my own, so I'll have to find some local landowners this summer.

My evaporation process took me 12 hours with a week's worth of sap, using one pan, from the time I lit the fire to the time I finished bottling. I'll attach a pic of my pan, too: 13805

Does this mean that if I go to 50 tap, I'd need to go to 10 pans just to maintain a 12 hour process each weekend? Should I be evaporating differently?

Also, what would be the legalities of selling a little, next year? Do I need to get licensed or something for playing at the 50 tap scale?
What about selling maple candy? Do you need a licensed kitchen for that?

Thanks, all!

[psparr]

To answer your question about boil time, yes you'd need equivalently more pans to make up the difference. The rule of thumb for evaporation rate is one gallon per hour for each square ft. of pan.
The second on selling it. I lived in Denver for years, Lancaster county-ans are nice.

[Dennis H.]

It is an addiction isn't it!

As for selling syrup, You should be inspected but you may be able to get away without if you do it all by word of mouth and keep it low key.
It really depends on your area and who is the inspector.
Costs are very small, $35 a year for the inspection and then the cost of the water test each year. Not a lot for the inspection itself, just the little things that you will need to have to be compliant.

As for time, think of what you did this season and x5. For me this was a very short season so you may be in the same situation as I was as maybe next year could be a humdinger of a season, you never know. So do not go too big that you have to wait for enough sap but as go big enough so that you won't be spending every min. boiling.