From Evaporator to barrel-filtering

[Jeff E]

Hi all,
I am looking for different thoughts on the process of getting syrup from the draw off into a barrel.

In the past I have always drawn off into a bucket, reheated and filtered later on. That was makeing about a gallon per hour. I will be doing mch higher volume now, about 12 gallons per hour, and am looking for thoughts on the best way to do this.

[maplwrks]

I filter right from my draw off tank, through the press, then into the barrel. I've always been against reheating syrup to "standardize", I feel that you only cook the grade out of your syrup. Most of the large producers draw off into a tank, check for density, run it through the press and pack into the barrel. Although I am not a large producer, I use the same method---just use a smaller draw off tank.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I do the same as maplwrks, I draw into a drawoff tank, check density, mix in filteraid and send to the drum... I have seen filter tanks made for cone filtering used as well, the filling valve is hooked to the press, and you have a tehrmometer for making adjustments to density/temp..

[sapman]

Mike, when using this method are you drawing/filtering fast enough for the entire barrel to keep hot enough to get a good hot pack vacuum seal? I've done it both ways, but am usually too dense and may get a little mold when using the straight to the barrel method.

Thanks,
Tim

[royalmaple]

I always draw off a couple points heavy into a delaval pail from the evap. Mix in some DE, and run it through the press. Out put of the press goes into my canner. Then once filtered and in the canner I fine tune the density. Once it is perfect I dump it into a drum.

If I have enough syrup that night I don't really have to heat up the filtered syrup much cause it is still pretty hot. Otherwise I heat it up the next day to fine tune it.

[maplwrks]

Some days I have enough to fill a barrel, some days I don't. I just open the barrel and fill it up the next day. I've never had a barrel not seal. As for canning syrup, I can everything that I am going to can for year off the evaporator. My syrup is checked for density and run it right into my canner, where my wife jugs it immediately. I don't know if I've stated it enough---I HATE REHEATING SYRUP!!! I worked for a sugarmaker for 8 years that had a 2x6 finisher and pulled all of his syrup off a point light and finished it when he had enough to fill a barrel. Countless times I would put nice MA syrup into that finisher and he would cook the grade out of it!!
Everyone does things that work well from them---I just feel that the less I handle the syrup the better. Will this method work for you? maybe.. maybe not...

[maplecrest]

as mike stated, canning all in the sugar house is the way to go. but as i grew the canning in the sugar house got out of hand. quality control became an issue. when i started drawing 50 gallons an hour, there are alot of changes that happen in an hour.i found that i had to can at the end of a boil. the first draw went into a drum. this year i have to work harder at what i want to keep to jug up at a later date. this year i have had metabolic fancy i saved i could not recan. syrup darken to the next grade while reheating. that is the problem with reheating you loose a grade if done too slow. you need to keep high end grades for repacking planning on it too darken. fancy is the hardest one. there are no do overs. you cant blend to make fancy. i have found that the first day boil, i cannot put in jugs or keep to repack later, for after a month you open it up and has that metabolic flavor. green sap! as for drumming, you can layer a drum as you fill over a series of boils.but to top a drum off should be at least 10 gallons to hot pack the top. i will fill a series of drums as a day progresses. one med,dark, depending on what is comming off.but make sure the last 10 gallons are hot pack temp to seal drum.

[mountainvan]

I draw off into a flat filter, charged with de with the first couple of gallons, lay a barrel on its side, and let the syrup go through the filter right into the barrel. Worked well for me.

[brookledge]

maplewks
Are you saying you can up all of you small containers (quarts,pints gallons,etc.)during sugaring season? If so how do you know how mant of each you will sell?

Keith

[PATheron]

Jeff- I think everyone finds a way that works well for them. This is how my dad and I do it. He draws off everything a little heavy usually into a delaval can. I told him heavy is fine just not light. Then I go dump it in my canner and check density at whatever temp it is. I have a chart that Matt or Jerry fixed me up with and whatever temp it is I just look at the chart and I know the density it should be. I usually have to go dip a little sap out of the flue pan and its just right. Then add DE and press it into a clean pail and pour into the drum. Seems to work good. Then I do like Mike and fill the drum to what ever then the last couple pails go in hot and the top sucks right down. This year I may have to figure out a way to do it a little different but I dont think so becouse I can press it pretty fast. Last year if I was boiling alone I could keep up with the pressing too but I dont think I can this year unless I make a better setup. Have to wait and see. Theron

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Keith,

I can up all my syrup in retail containers as the season goes on. I sell about 3 quarts to 1 pint and it comes out real close about every year.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I draw off a little lite and when the finisher is full I reheat and filter into the 5 Gallon buckets and into the snow bank till cool. Last 4 years got paid the top price so I cant do any better than that. If the snow is gone I set them in a water bath with the water hose running to cool them down ASAP,

[maplwrks]

I have a very complicated system of deciding how much syrup to can---It goes like this... I can 1 1/2 cases of Gallons, 1 case of 1/2 Gallons, 1/2 case of Quarts and 20 pints, THATS ALL! When they are gone, I'm out of the retail business! I do fill the odd container that a customer brings in while I'm boiling. I'm not going to can syrup in July and August, there are other things to do. I haven't developed big retail market, there are quite a few producers in the area already hammering the locals!! There was some concern with the other producers in town that I might hurt their sales because of my location, but this is not the case. I sell syrup during the season and thats about all I have syrup for. I got into this business to wholesale syrup and thats all I intend to do!

[sapman]

For several seasons I was filtering right out of the drawoff pail and into the barrel. I tried accumulating it in the 2 X 4 and reheating at the end, but stopped making fancy when doing that. Just didn't quite make the grade. But going back to filtering right off the evap. brought the grade back up.

This year I put it into the 2 X 4 again, but kept the flame on low with temps around 170 or so, then filtered the whole batch and drummed it up. Made more fancy than ever. The syrup didn't sit too long in the finisher, since I had the RO this year.

Tim

[brookledge]

Maplewrks
I didn't realize you wholesale most of your syrup. With the amount of taps you have I found it strange when you said you canned it all up during sugaring season. So with over 1,000 gallons of syrup I said to myself thats alot of containers and how do you know how many of each size.
It all makes sense now.
As for me I do a fair amount of retail and there is no way for me to figure out what I need ahead of time. So I try to keep a fair amount of containers filled of each size and then deal with the large orders on an individual basis
Keith