Maple Syrup and Boy Scouts

[Evella]

I have about 30 Boy Scouts coming this weekend to see the process of making syrup. I would like to show them the entire process but I only have about 2 hours to show them and would like then to see the finishing and filtering. My question is can I add finished syrup to sap with out harming the end result?

[ecolbeck]

Are you asking if it's possible to add finished syrup to the sap in the pan so that it reboils back to syrup so that you can draw it off and filter it while the group watches? If that's the case, I don't really see any reason why you couldn't do that. It will certainly darken the grade of the original syrup although that's probably not an issue. Not sure what you have for an evaporator but I would pour the finished syrup into the final section nearest the drawoff. Sounds like a fun experience!

[johnallin]

Start boiling a day, or so beforehand and stop when you're close - or at syrup.
While they're there, you can get take it the rest of the way and they'll see the whole process.
Adding finished syrup to sap is going to drop the sugar content by a lot...unless you only have a very small amount of sap in the pan.
If you're pan is ready to draw off when you fire up the arch, it will still take 15-20 minutes to get that up to boil and temp, giving you the rest of the time to filter etc.

Just a thougt.

[Evella]

Thanks for the help! I know it’s a strange request because in the last 5 years I have been doing this there would never be a reason to even do anything close. The idea is to let them see the whole process and let them leave with a small bottle that they helped make. I use a 2x4 flat pan as my main evaporator on a block arch. I also have a small wood stove that I converted into a small evaporator and was going to add the syrup to that one to show them end the result. I can’t afford to not boil on the big evaporator as I have about 100 gallons to boil on Saturday.

[maple flats]

The way I've done it is to have some ready to filter, and have the evaporator going full tilt with draws coming as needed. My draws are by auto draw. I then have syrup in my finisher, heated to filter and some in my draw off tank. While I'm boiling, I explain the process and the auto draw opens and closes as it's ready. I then pump the syrup in my finisher thru the filter press at proper temperature, then we draw some syrup into a container and once it cools enough, just before they leave we give out small samples.
It doesn't need to be the same syrup that's being drawn that goes thru all of the steps. You just explain it. The biggest thing for them will be the aroma in the sugarhouse and the taste test. Surprisingly some will think the syrup comes from the tree as finished syrup.

[Woodsrover]

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are coming to my place next weekend too. Good times.

[TapTapTap]

I'm surprised it makes sense to have the scouts visit right now. In Vermont, sugarhouses are allowed to be open at 50% capacity, which is defined as one visitor per 200 sf of building. For me that means just a couple of visitors and would make it very challenging to instruct a larger group in those small increments. I'm hoping for a little more relaxation on the rules in the coming weeks so we can be more open to bigger groups towards the end of the season. Of course the season is just beginning up here.

[Evella]

I might have been clear making maple syrup is a hobby for me and my kids. My sons troop was looking for something to do outdoors and I do not have a sugar shack(yet). So there are some groups coming spaced out in half hour increments and my family is helping with the groups to show the process

[maple flats]

Just use the appropriate safety protocol.

[Evella]

I will thank you for your concern. I actually work for the state and department tasked with enforcement of the COVID protocols