Question on Use of Sweet?

[pete3046]

I’m new to backyard sugaring and believe I’ve collected some low sugar content sap. I have 2x4 Smoky Lake hybrid, 30” divided flue section and 18” divided syrup pans which I used for the first time yesterday and have a question regarding use of my sweet. I boiled off around 120gal of sap yesterday and still did not have syrup in the final syrup pan. It was getting late and since I was out of sap, I chased the sweet through with fresh water and then drew off 10gals of sweet because I’m boiling outside and may not get back to boiling until next weekend. As a result I have the following questions.

1. Will the sweet be ok in containers in a cool place until next weekend?
2. I was going to then fill the flue section with fresh sap and then backfill the sweet from the syrup pans to get a better start than yesterday. Does this make sense?


Thanks!
Pete

[DrTimPerkins]

Don't bother "chasing the sweet". There is little to be gained on a smallish pan and boiling raw sap by doing that. You'd be better off just boiling down to the lowest level you're comfortable with (1" or so) to reduce the amount of liquid you have to deal with.

In response to your specific questions.
1. Depends upon the temperature and upon the sugar level of the sweet. The denser it is and the colder you can keep it the better. Refrigerator (or even freezer) would be best, but buried in snow will often work. No telling for sure, but if you have to, bring it to a boil for a few minutes in the middle of the week. If it goes ropey, toss it.
2. Yes.

[pete3046]

Thank you Dr Tim.

I was considering the run down method but decided I didn’t want to boil down the liquid height even though my wife was pushing me to do it! If I did allow the liquid to boil down, I may have also made some syrup!

[DrTimPerkins]

Just watch it really closely when you do that, and have an "oh sh_t" bucket of water nearby.

[GramaCindy]

I always keep an Oh Sh-t bucket of sap nearby. Has saved me many times.

[DrTimPerkins]

Another way you can reduce the volume of sweet to store after you run out of sap (if your front/back pans are divided) is to plug or shut off the backpan, drain the backpan sweet into a bucket and pour it into the front pan. Then fill the backpan with water to boil. Boil down the sweet in the frontpan until it is very low or until it is syrup density, then drain. This is how we finish out the season each year. No chasing sweet with water and we don't waste a drop of syrup.

[fisheatingbagel]

I use a 2x5 Smoky Lake hybrid also, and sometimes I will "force" syrup to be made in the front pan by plugging the syrup pan. I recommend doing this only when the fire has burned down quite a bit, so the front pan is boiling slowly. Watch the thermometer carefully, and be prepared to pull the plug if the front pan gets too low. And of course keep a bucket of sap handy!
After you draw, you can keep going by removing the plug and start "vigorous" firing again, or you can shut it down.

I made my own plugs using silicon lab grade plugs from Amazon, and making a handle of copper rod.

[DrTimPerkins]

I recommend doing this only when the fire has burned down quite a bit, so the front pan is boiling slowly. Watch the thermometer carefully, and be prepared to pull the plug if the front pan gets too low. And of course keep a bucket of sap handy!

Yes, you don't want to walk away even for just a minute during any of these procedures. There is a rather fine line between syrup and black smoking char.

[pete3046]

I use a 2x5 Smoky Lake hybrid also, and sometimes I will "force" syrup to be made in the front pan by plugging the syrup pan. I recommend doing this only when the fire has burned down quite a bit, so the front pan is boiling slowly. Watch the thermometer carefully, and be prepared to pull the plug if the front pan gets too low. And of course keep a bucket of sap handy!
After you draw, you can keep going by removing the plug and start "vigorous" firing again, or you can shut it down.

I made my own plugs using silicon lab grade plugs from Amazon, and making a handle of copper rod.

Thanks for that input Fish! I was thinking about this type of approach as well. The old pan I have, a 1982 tin Leader Vermont pan, is very similar to the hybrid pan and it included plugs for that same reason, and also to redirect the flow to draw off from the left or the right.
Pete