eustis22
03-15-2016, 08:32 AM
I am seeing a marked difference between how much syrup I expect to get and what I am actually putting up and I can't see where my disconnect is. I collected 325 gallons of, at worst, 1.5%. Even at 100:1 I should expect at least 3 gallons of finished syrup from that but I suspect at best I will put up 1+ gallons.
Here's the background....for starters I draw off by temp vs density (I have not yet mastered the hydrometer at the evaporator trick) and, based on the temp of my finished syrup last night, was probably drawing off about 2 degrees too low (thermometer said 219, I think it was 217). Still and all, I ended up with about 10 gallons of concentrate that I wil finish on my kitchen stove. I think so far the two batches I've finished have been boiled down to about half their original amount before they got to 59 brix (and 221+ via the thermometer so now I have a approximation of how much it is off). Then I filter into a coffee urn using two prefilters and a woolen filter. This year I've had to change the first filter a lot more often. Then once I've gotten all the finished I can get, I reheat to 180-185 and jar it up.
Of the four gallons I started the finish process with I've ended up with approx 72 ozs of syrup. I have approx 6 more gallons to finish. Last year I collected about the same amount of sap but finished with over 4 gallons using the same system. Outside of drawing too early and not using the hydrometer at the evaporator, where might I be misplacing the difference?
Here's the background....for starters I draw off by temp vs density (I have not yet mastered the hydrometer at the evaporator trick) and, based on the temp of my finished syrup last night, was probably drawing off about 2 degrees too low (thermometer said 219, I think it was 217). Still and all, I ended up with about 10 gallons of concentrate that I wil finish on my kitchen stove. I think so far the two batches I've finished have been boiled down to about half their original amount before they got to 59 brix (and 221+ via the thermometer so now I have a approximation of how much it is off). Then I filter into a coffee urn using two prefilters and a woolen filter. This year I've had to change the first filter a lot more often. Then once I've gotten all the finished I can get, I reheat to 180-185 and jar it up.
Of the four gallons I started the finish process with I've ended up with approx 72 ozs of syrup. I have approx 6 more gallons to finish. Last year I collected about the same amount of sap but finished with over 4 gallons using the same system. Outside of drawing too early and not using the hydrometer at the evaporator, where might I be misplacing the difference?