First post + first batch of syrup

[KJamesJR]

Hi everyone!

I've been snooping around these forums for a while now getting all the information I can on sugaring. I'm a new member. I'm also new to sugaring. This is my first year.

Last summer I closed on a property in NH. I have just under four acres of land and come to find... PLENTY of sugar maples. It all started this past summer during our house warming party when my father took notice of the big "mama maple" in my back yard. I say back yard because that's where most of the grass is. I call it mama maple because she sits by herself, is about 19" in diameter with a huge crown of foliage. A lot of little saplings spring up around her. I said to my father "that's a great looking tree right?" And he said "you should tap it". So that's how the story starts. Didn't think much of what he said then until late February when on my way home from work I witness folks putting buckets out. Then I thought to myself "I should tap it!".

Ended up tapping just seven trees in the following weeks. First I tapped the big maple and a few days later boiled about two gallons of sap. Got less than 1/4 cup of syrup or so. We ate it the same night. it was good. The next week had a few more taps out. Boiled down about 5 gallons on the grill... Which was a mistake because it took on a smoky, bitter flavor it was also quite dark. Ended up tossing it out. Decided the grill wasn't going to cut it. Now where did I put all those old cinderblocks?? One day my daughter was running around the back yard. Her little foot seemingly sunk into the ground, she fell and cried. Turns out there was an old barn there circa 1970's that collapsed and the block foundation was left behind buried in the soil. I dug them all out.

The first real batch came when I boiled down just about 10 gallons and got a pint and a half. I kept the pint and sending my mother the other half. I boiled them on the repurposed cinderblocks and a couple buffet pans from Costco. This batch was GOOD. Nice light color, buttery tasting. At this point I had also purchased a maple cone filter and a hydrometer. I kept telling myself it was all just an experiment. I think my wife knew otherwise. So three weeks go by before my next boil. Little to know sap flow. Plus a huge snow storm in April... Went out to boil. Yes. Tonight as the blizzard tapered off (and was done shoveling) I boiled down about 15 gallons. Filled 36oz worth of glass jars for friends and family. ALSO noticed the sap was flowing again today. This batch was darker than the last but as it cools it looks like it's starting to lighten up. Not sure what grade it is. I've been filling those Sugarhill jugs, so this time I actually get to SEE what it looks like which is nice.

Mind you, I use the term "real batch" very loosely. I know there's folks out there doing 200 gallons of sap. This year was just a trial and I didn't want to put more taps in then I could handle. It was a little brutal... Mostly the smoke blowing in my face. Probably didn't help, the fact I build the little arch in the wrong direction. The chimney was built on the north side. I was literally standing down wind every time. Also brich wood make some mean smoke I've noticed. Next year will be different. I'm definitely erecting some kind of three sided shelter with an actual roof. I'll expand the arch with a few more blocks and I'll be checking craigslist for a semi cheap used pan with a draw off valve. I'm also going to get off using milk jugs to collect sap. I cleaned the heck out of them but every insect that decided to come out this winter was able to find the little opening I made for the spile. So I had to keep cleaning them. Next year I'm going to food grade 5 gallon buckets with a lid. I'll do a drop line (right terminology??) into them with those plastic taps.

Anyways... Thought I'd introduce myself, share my experience with starting to sugar and share a little bit of my growth plan. I look forward to learning more from this community and look forward to talking to some of ya. I'll post a pic of my recent batch below.

16308

Part of tonight's batch. 12oz Going to my neighbor for plowing me out a few times this past winter. Picture taken just after I bottled it. What grade would you call it?

[EDIT] Not sure why the picture came out sideways. I didn't upload it like that.

[Run Forest Run!]

Welcome KJ! I did raise an eyebrow at the thought that something from the 70's was 'old', but I'll let that one slide. :lol:

It's always nice to hear the stories from new maple syrup makers. There is no doubt that you'll be ramped up for next year. BTW, you could likely have salvaged the batch that you made on the BBQ, so please check in with the members here before you ever throw out a batch. It likely would have been excellent to make maple nuts with.

You're a lucky guy to have a new property with sugar maples on it - in fact any maple will do, not just sugars. Have a great remainder of the 2017 season and I'm looking forward to hearing about your upgrades next year. Try to keep it under 1000 taps for 2018. No sense going overboard. lol

[KJamesJR]

Welcome KJ! I did raise an eyebrow at the thought that something from the 70's was 'old', but I'll let that one slide. :lol:

It's always nice to hear the stories from new maple syrup makers. There is no doubt that you'll be ramped up for next year. BTW, you could likely have salvaged the batch that you made on the BBQ, so please check in with the members here before you ever throw out a batch. It likely would have been excellent to make maple nuts with.

You're a lucky guy to have a new property with sugar maples on it - in fact any maple will do, not just sugars. Have a great remainder of the 2017 season and I'm looking forward to hearing about your upgrades next year. Try to keep it under 1000 taps for 2018. No sense going overboard. lol

Well I know that in the 70's the barn collapsed and was removed. It may have been well over 100 years old for all I know. I'm surprised the blocks didn't explode. They were in the ground for who knows how long. Unlike todays blocks, they actually have gravel cemented into them. I'll check them for cracks before I repurpose them for next year. Didn't notice any cracks today as I tried to re-level them.

The BBQ'd syrup was totally not good lol. I think a lot of the charcoal flavor I usually BBQ with got absorbed into the syrup. I tossed it because for the little amount I had it probably wasn't worth saving.

I don't think I'll have any where close to 1000 taps lol. I have a lot of trees. I think the most I can tap next year is around 50. Maybe 100 or so in the following years as the little ones grow. I've yet to get out there and start note taking but there's quite a bit. I noticed the three sugars I tapped near the brook were serious producers. Big mama actually didn't put out much this year. Not sure why... She's healthy. I've been clearing a lot of the woods out. I've yet to make it "to the back" of the property but I didn't see very many red maples. There are however a lot of red oak... big ones, birch and various pines. I'm trying my best to establish, or re-establish a sugar bush. Almost looks like someone sustained one many years ago. My house and the property are about 250 years old and sometimes I wonder given what's growing out there.

[Galena]

Well I know that in the 70's the barn collapsed and was removed. It may have been well over 100 years old for all I know. I'm surprised the blocks didn't explode. They were in the ground for who knows how long. Unlike todays blocks, they actually have gravel cemented into them. I'll check them for cracks before I repurpose them for next year. Didn't notice any cracks today as I tried to re-level them.

The BBQ'd syrup was totally not good lol. I think a lot of the charcoal flavor I usually BBQ with got absorbed into the syrup. I tossed it because for the little amount I had it probably wasn't worth saving.

I don't think I'll have any where close to 1000 taps lol. I have a lot of trees. I think the most I can tap next year is around 50. Maybe 100 or so in the following years as the little ones grow. I've yet to get out there and start note taking but there's quite a bit. I noticed the three sugars I tapped near the brook were serious producers. Big mama actually didn't put out much this year. Not sure why... She's healthy. I've been clearing a lot of the woods out. I've yet to make it "to the back" of the property but I didn't see very many red maples. There are however a lot of red oak... big ones, birch and various pines. I'm trying my best to establish, or re-establish a sugar bush. Almost looks like someone sustained one many years ago. My house and the property are about 250 years old and sometimes I wonder given what's growing out there.

Wow, you sure don't do things by halves! Welcome to the craziness and frustration made even more so this year by the weather most of us have been having. Re the big mama maple...more than once I've seen a huge sugar maple that has clearly been tapped in the past, only to be told that it hardly produces at all. Remember a big tree will take that much longer to thaw out and start kickin butt. Can you post a pic of it? I know my biggest tree - some 8 ft around or so - is usually one of the last ones to start really going but when it goes, it goes. Sounds like you've already learned a lot here, just keep on doing so and sharing the results with us! And fwiw I'd call that batch medium :-)

[Russell Lampron]

Welcome to the forum and to this habit forming hobby. Did you come to Loudon on maple weekend? If so did you stop at Red Roof Maples? I had a visitor stop by that had a story like yours that introduced himself and I don't remember his name.

I'm glad that you're having fun with your new hobby because that's what it's all about. Your syrup looks like amber, rich by the new grading system.

[KJamesJR]

Wow, you sure don't do things by halves! Welcome to the craziness and frustration made even more so this year by the weather most of us have been having. Re the big mama maple...more than once I've seen a huge sugar maple that has clearly been tapped in the past, only to be told that it hardly produces at all. Remember a big tree will take that much longer to thaw out and start kickin butt. Can you post a pic of it? I know my biggest tree - some 8 ft around or so - is usually one of the last ones to start really going but when it goes, it goes. Sounds like you've already learned a lot here, just keep on doing so and sharing the results with us! And fwiw I'd call that batch medium :-)

Here's the mama maple. It may not be the biggest on the property. I've spotted another in the distance but yet to confirm what species it is yet. As soon as I work my way back there I'll know for sure. Looks like it's actually producing today. Only 10 am and looks like there's a gallon of sap there already.

Maybe someone can tell me why my pictures keep uploading sideways...

[mspina14]

Congrats on your first syrup! Looks great.

There is definitely something about making a good product from scratch with your own hands and brain that has an addictive quality to it.

But, considering all the bad things one can be addicted to, this is a good one!

I'd be interested to hear how your old cement blocks with the gravel in them stand up to the heat from boiling. I know the new ones tend to crack after about a season or so of exposure to high heat

All the best in your sugaring adventures.

Mark

[KJamesJR]

Welcome to the forum and to this habit forming hobby. Did you come to Loudon on maple weekend? If so did you stop at Red Roof Maples? I had a visitor stop by that had a story like yours that introduced himself and I don't remember his name.

I'm glad that you're having fun with your new hobby because that's what it's all about. Your syrup looks like amber, rich by the new grading system.

The only sugar house I've been able to make it to this year was Sunnyside Maple in Loudon.

The syrup from last night is a lot darker than it has been, but it's also still cloudy after bottling. I ran it through a filter twice... don't know if I should give it to my neighbor now or what 😕

[Run Forest Run!]

KJ, about your milk jug collection system - you don't need to give up on those. In addition to plastic sap buckets with lids I also use jugs. I hang mine differently than you do, and I have a limited number of creatures in mine. I'll see if I've got a photo of how I do it, if not I'll take one and post it. I get fewer critters in the jugs than the buckets.

[maple flats]

What are you using to filter the syrup? It may be a pre-filter and not a filter. If it's a syrup filter it might have been wrung to help dry, that is a no no. The filter is about 1/8" thick and when washed (hot water only, and squeeze it to get excess water out, if wrung the fibers are broken and the filter is junk. Properly squeezing a filter then hand to dry, a filter will last many years. If you are not using an official syrup filter you might not be able to get clear syrup. It will still taste good. Realize that you should pack syrup at 180-190 F OR you can keep it in the fridge or freezer if packed under 180.
Generally to filter using either a cone filter or flat filter made for syrup, you will want to use 2 or 3 minimum up to maybe 5 prefilters on top of the filter. As a pre-filter slows to flow, gently dump the remaining syrup into the next pre-filter under that one and repeat as needed. Using the pre-filters helps the filter by removing a large portion of the niter before it gets to the filter, thus getting to filter more before having to stop and clean the filter. Have the syrup well above 190 to filter and do what is needed to help keep it hot, hot syrup filters better than at lower temperatures.
Have fun, that's the most important part.

[KJamesJR]

Congrats on your first syrup! Looks great.

There is definitely something about making a good product from scratch with your own hands and brain that has an addictive quality to it.

But, considering all the bad things one can be addicted to, this is a good one!

I'd be interested to hear how your old cement blocks with the gravel in them stand up to the heat from boiling. I know the new ones tend to crack after about a season or so of exposure to high heat

All the best in your sugaring adventures.

Mark

So far they're holding up great. Some of them have horsehair plaster or something. I just put those sides facing out.

[KJamesJR]

What are you using to filter the syrup? It may be a pre-filter and not a filter. If it's a syrup filter it might have been wrung to help dry, that is a no no. The filter is about 1/8" thick and when washed (hot water only, and squeeze it to get excess water out, if wrung the fibers are broken and the filter is junk. Properly squeezing a filter then hand to dry, a filter will last many years. If you are not using an official syrup filter you might not be able to get clear syrup. It will still taste good. Realize that you should pack syrup at 180-190 F OR you can keep it in the fridge or freezer if packed under 180.
Generally to filter using either a cone filter or flat filter made for syrup, you will want to use 2 or 3 minimum up to maybe 5 prefilters on top of the filter. As a pre-filter slows to flow, gently dump the remaining syrup into the next pre-filter under that one and repeat as needed. Using the pre-filters helps the filter by removing a large portion of the niter before it gets to the filter, thus getting to filter more before having to stop and clean the filter. Have the syrup well above 190 to filter and do what is needed to help keep it hot, hot syrup filters better than at lower temperatures.
Have fun, that's the most important part.

I'm pretty sure it's just a prefilter. Large cone made out of coffee filter like material. I read a lot of small guys lose a lot of syrup because those 1/8" filters absorb a lot of it so I didn't purchase one. This year my batches are too small to lose any extra. After the work put in every last drop counts!

I've found two different types of filter. There's a synthetic and a wool. The synthetics look like they're made from polyester which I have a very mild skin allergy to. It's manageable, but which performs better?

[KJamesJR]

KJ, about your milk jug collection system - you don't need to give up on those. In addition to plastic sap buckets with lids I also use jugs. I hang mine differently than you do, and I have a limited number of creatures in mine. I'll see if I've got a photo of how I do it, if not I'll take one and post it. I get fewer critters in the jugs than the buckets.

I'd be interested to see what other people are using. Big mama has already put out two gallons of sap. Most it's ever done! I filled a five gallon bucket already and beat the bugs. Or most of them.

Not sure how the quality of this sap is going to be but I think next weekend will be my last boil. Might be the biggest batch yet! 🤞

[Galena]

In terms of filters, as I finish batches at 2-5l each, I go with plain old white coffee filters, clothespegged into plastic funnels. When they clogged up with nitre - and as an aside I have never had so much darn nitre in a batch before, and yet even more to deal with - you just get another funnel/coffee filter ready put in the mouth of the jar, set the old one atop and then use a sharp knife or skewer to poke out the bottom of the old filter. Then you can unpeg the old filter and chuck it (or as I do, keep for fire starters as sugar is very flammable). One caveat if you go this route: use WOODEN clothespegs. Boil them in distilled water and let air-dry prior to use. Otherwise it sounds like you're all good to go for the remainder of this season! :-)

[KJamesJR]

In terms of filters, as I finish batches at 2-5l each, I go with plain old white coffee filters, clothespegged into plastic funnels. When they clogged up with nitre - and as an aside I have never had so much darn nitre in a batch before, and yet even more to deal with - you just get another funnel/coffee filter ready put in the mouth of the jar, set the old one atop and then use a sharp knife or skewer to poke out the bottom of the old filter. Then you can unpeg the old filter and chuck it (or as I do, keep for fire starters as sugar is very flammable). One caveat if you go this route: use WOODEN clothespegs. Boil them in distilled water and let air-dry prior to use. Otherwise it sounds like you're all good to go for the remainder of this season! :-)

Looks like I'm making a trip to the store to pick up a pack of coffee filters.

Bonus... Nieghbor came to talk to me as I was collecting sap. Said I could tap all his trees on the other side of the brook. Looks like I might actually stand to have a little production coming next year.

[spud]

Your hooked my friend. Next year you will be posting photos of your new sugar house and new 2x4 evaporator. Haha

Spud

[Galena]

Your hooked my friend. Next year you will be posting photos of your new sugar house and new 2x4 evaporator. Haha

Spud Hehe probably could happen! Awesome that your friend willing to let you tap his trees. Hopefully you can get em trained up so they can help with all the hard work next year :-)

[Rangdale]

Nice!! Congrats on entering the craziness of this addicting hobby!! If you only have a small batch to filter you may want to just let it settle out in the jars as you do tend to loose a fair bit in the final filters. At least I seem to anyway!

[Galena]

Nice!! Congrats on entering the craziness of this addicting hobby!! If you only have a small batch to filter you may want to just let it settle out in the jars as you do tend to loose a fair bit in the final filters. At least I seem to anyway!

Yep, I do that too...my most recent batch has an unbelievable amount of nitre in it, after having filtered it 3x already there is STILL nitre in the syrup....and I don't poke or prod at the filters or do anything to try and force the syrup through, cause then you most definitely will end up with nitre in the syrup. Also this is the reason why I use coffee filters, they don't eat all your sap like those felt ones do.

[saphound]

I was doing that too but this year it was just taking too long to settle. First batch had very fine wispy clouds of niter that just stayed suspended. After a week I wanted to get it in the canning jars so when I got done filtering and bottling my second batch I reheated that first batch from my gallon settling jar and filtered it also. Worked well last year..not so much this year... weird. And now I still see a little still in there but nothing like it was. Eventually what got through will settle, might take months tho, who knows.

[KJamesJR]

I was doing that too but this year it was just taking too long to settle. First batch had very fine wispy clouds of niter that just stayed suspended. After a week I wanted to get it in the canning jars so when I got done filtering and bottling my second batch I reheated that first batch from my gallon settling jar and filtered it also. Worked well last year..not so much this year... weird. And now I still see a little still in there but nothing like it was. Eventually what got through will settle, might take months tho, who knows.

That's exactly what it is! Really wispy stuff just hanging around. There's no chunks or "sand" to speak of. It's more like a cloud. I'm wondering if filtering it hot has anything to contribute. Maybe the pores in the filter are expanding letting the really fine stuff out. Maybe I should filter it cold then bring it up to 180 degrees in the bottle to sterilize it???

[KJamesJR]

Hehe probably could happen! Awesome that your friend willing to let you tap his trees. Hopefully you can get em trained up so they can help with all the hard work next year :-)

He's a senior citizen. Told me he used to do it but got to be too much work. I'll defiantly share more of the spoils with him if he lets me tap his trees.

[KJamesJR]

Your hooked my friend. Next year you will be posting photos of your new sugar house and new 2x4 evaporator. Haha

Spud

Already putting aside timbers for a new sugar shack. Although in this case it will probably be a temporary sugar "shanty". As for the evaporator... I think I have a budget pan picked out but will still be firing in blocks for now.

[Run Forest Run!]

He's a senior citizen. Told me he used to do it but got to be too much work. I'll defiantly share more of the spoils with him if he lets me tap his trees.

KJ, I think you mean that you'll definitely share the syrup with your neighbour. You don't seem like a "defiantly" sort of fellow. ;)

Don't worry about the wispy niter floating in your syrup. It will eventually settle to the bottom of the bottle and you can pour off the clear syrup after that.

[saphound]

That's exactly what it is! Really wispy stuff just hanging around. There's no chunks or "sand" to speak of. It's more like a cloud. I'm wondering if filtering it hot has anything to contribute. Maybe the pores in the filter are expanding letting the really fine stuff out. Maybe I should filter it cold then bring it up to 180 degrees in the bottle to sterilize it???

You pretty much have to filter it hot. Cold syrup just won't go through the filter(s)...it'll just sit there forever...even if it was already filtered once. Hard enough to get hot syrup to go through. I broke a rule that I've read not to do but I did it anyway, I couldn't help myself, lol. When it got to the final filter, there was maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons just sitting there not going through because it had cooled down so I squeezed it though with my hand ...kinda like squeezing a cows udder. I probably forced a little fine niter through when I did that.

[KJamesJR]

Pulled my taps today (all 7 of them). Finished my last batch today as well. Came out lighter than my previous batch. Still pretty cloudy though.

I tapped the last week of February and to this day ended with three quarts of maple syrup. Not sure if that's average, below or above. I did lose some sap here and there. Used milk jugs don't exactly like to stay on the trees when the winds blowing. Lots of things I'm going to do differently next year. Might run a few yards of tubing. I'll be poking around here for more information.

Until next year!

[berkshires]

I tapped the last week of February and to this day ended with three quarts of maple syrup. Not sure if that's average, below or above.

Most folks would say that average on buckets is around a quart of syrup per tap. I sure didn't hit that my first year syruping, but I had a hell of a good time and learned a lot!

Gabe

[KJamesJR]

Most folks would say that average on buckets is around a quart of syrup per tap. I sure didn't hit that my first year syruping, but I had a hell of a good time and learned a lot!

Gabe

So I made less than 50% of what should have been expected? :cry:

I guess this year was just a bad year for sap flow. The weather in this area was kind of wacky. I tossed a lot of sap. during warm snaps back in March the sap was running kind of brown-ish... so I dumped it out.

[Run Forest Run!]

So I made less than 50% of what should have been expected? :cry:


You did GREAT! That's all I got too. It was the 'season', not your 'seasoning'.

[KJamesJR]

Okay so I pulled my taps last weekend. Went out today to make sure nothing was clogged in there. Come to find out, there were hundreds of tiny little black bugs swarming the tap holes on my big maple. I didn't check the rest. They're really really small. About 1/8 the size of a common variety carpenter ant. Look like little beetles and the squish pretty easy. Leave a black powder kinda thing if you squish them.

Anyone know what these might be?

[berkshires]

So I made less than 50% of what should have been expected? :cry:

I guess this year was just a bad year for sap flow. The weather in this area was kind of wacky. I tossed a lot of sap. during warm snaps back in March the sap was running kind of brown-ish... so I dumped it out.

Having to dump sap is definitely hard. My first season I had to dump a batch of sap that I let get away from me. But like I said, first year you do a lot of learning, and still get syrup out of the experience, so what's wrong with that?! This was my second season, and I got almost twice the syrup/tap, despite my sap being much weaker (80% of the sugar) than last year.

Cheers,

Gabe