Really New!

[jfrano]

This may be the wrong forum. Anyway, I have one Maple tree on my property with a 35" diameter. So the other day I was triming a few branches and guess what, I had sap running all over the driveway and cars. Was amazed at how much of the stuff was running!! Was neat to just catch the sap as it dripped and taste the sweetness. Being one who loves Maple Syrup...I thought hmmmm why not give it a whirl. So I sealed up the trimmed branches and started doing some investigating on the whole process. I think I have a good handle on a basic level of what I need to do.

Any suggestions of methods of collecting the sap and methods of boiling without all the equipment that most of you guys have would be helpful. Also how long will sap keep(say in a refrigerator), before it needs to be boiled?

Thanks
Joe :idea:

[Salmoneye]

You can usually pick up good used buckets for a couple bucks a piece and old metal taps are usually in the .75¢-$1.00 range...You can then use a cordless drill with a 9/16 bit and drill 2 inches into your maples...Get your turkey fryer out of the garage and have at it...

Takes appx 40 gallons sap to make one gallon syrup and figure about 1 quart of finished syrup per tap per year...

Sap can keep for days in a big (clean) galvanized trashcan if it is kept below 40 degrees...

WARNING This is how you will start...Next year you will have a corner set up in the garage with a barrel stove/evaporator...The year after you will be in the new all metal yard shed...The year after that you will be looking for a new house with a whole hillside of maples...

I can tell just from the way you described the dripping sap from the cut branches...

[Roadking]

I think you will be happier if you use a 7/16 drill for the taps.

[mapleman3]

Joe 8O Run Away!!! don't let the maple bug suck you in as it did to so many of us!!! :lol: :lol:
Its a great hobby, I second what Salmoneye said...I know of a guy up the road that every year he taps just this one big maple in fron of his house.. he probably makes a gallon total, just enough for himself!! small is good, and a turkey fryer does work great, may cost abit for the fuel, but nice n clean burning!! pick up the book "backyard sugaring" it's a great starer book!!

and enjoy!! it's a blast

[Salmoneye]

Roadking is of course correct...

I rapped the wrong key when I wrote 9/16...That should definately be 7/16 bit...

:oops:

[jfrano]

Thanks all!

Man! I had to keep going to Home Depot and buying 5 gallon cans. I finally wised up and got a 30gal container! Can you ever take too much sap from a tree?

Tomorrow will be my first attempt at evaporating.
Since I don't have one pot/pan to hold ALL the sap. What’s my best bet? I have three burners. Should I have three pots boiling and then pour one into the other as the level lowers sufficiently. Should I then continue this process until I've boiled off the water and the remaining syrup fits into one pan?

Should I keep the flame at the highest possible level when boiling?

Joe

[Salmoneye]

YES

To all those questions...sorta

Multiple pots pouring 'forward' to one end pot that you will make syrup in...You only need enough flame to keep th eboil going though...More heat does not really help one the pot is at a rolling boil...

[jfrano]

Yes!!!! Hmmmmmm that pancake and corned beef hash breakfast tasted wonderful today!!

I ended up with somewhat less than half a gallon of a light amber syrup!
Wonder if it’s the old tree that I used (35in diameter).

In any case, no major disasters. Lessons learned. The whole process took 12 hours...including bottling. I was using a Coleman stove and my barbeque. I took the grates off the barbeque and provided a nice large area, boiling seemed quick. I can see I need larger surface areas in my pans to speed the evaporation. Had the hatch on my truck open, the Rolling Stones playing and the Gin and tonics were flowing...was feeling pretty good! Neighbors...where like...what is Joe up to now!!

In any case, a few questions comments:
- The temperature never did reach 219, not sure if it was a thermometer issue, was 217 maybe 218. Boiling seemed less than 212...so I'm thinking the thermometer was 1 degree off or so. In any case what are the shortfalls of not achieving the 219?
- Does anyone know a good source for used sugaring equipment? I would imagine after all the sap has been processed for the season allot of used equipment hits the market.
- A sap question. It’s difficult for me to process every 2-3 days. If I keep the sap near freezing in storage, will it keep for 10-14 days? I read something about heating the sap to 180 degrees and then storing. Is this the way to go, since it kills any bacteria? and do I need to keep chilled after heating in this case? How long will the sap store for if processed in this manner.

Sorry for the run on
Thanks...thanks...thanks to all!!
Jersey Joe

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

As far as the temp, water seldom boils at 212 degrees. One way to be accurate is to check the boiling point of water a little while before you are ready to check the syrup. Water normally boils for me around 205 or 206, but for some reason yesterday I made candy and it boiled at 210. It can change a degree or two from morning till night, so check is as close to finishing the syrup as possible.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

As far as storing sap, if you can keep a large amount of ice in the sap and keep it out of sunlight, it will keep for a week or two early in the season. Late in the season, it will spoil much quicker because of the higher bacteria count.

As far as heating it, if you would bring it to a rolling boil for a few minutes, it will pasterize it and help it to keep better also as long as you keep it as cold as possible.

And yes, there is usually a good deal of used equipment floating around after the season, so be on the lookout and watch the maple trader because there are already items being posted and will be more, but they go fast! :D