hollowed log and hot rocks

[hardermaple]

I'm still in the minor leagues, (helping a friend sugar). But i did get bit by the bug, bad. Been reading a lot about sugaring, and i thought it would be fun to try it the old way. The realy old way. Next season I'm going to have a beginning of the season get together where I will have a hollowed out log, lots of rocks, a big fire, and some fresh sap. I've got a few friends who are curious like me who said they will help. I will post results and pics. Anyone interested is more than welcome to come by. I know it's 10 months away, but like i said, i got bit bad. And my wife, ( the warden )approves of my sugaring dreams to be operational in the future. Has anyone tried this recently? If so, let me know. Thank you. Jacob

[KenWP]

Remember to use dry rocks as some wet rocks when heated expolde. The indians were also knowen to use natural RO by skimming the ice off of the sap
every day before heating it. Once the white men showed up with metal pots the rock and log system went the way of the dodo bird quick.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Make sure there food grade rocks..............WE ARE WATCHING.....................I dont think the indians made maple syrup as we think of it they made a sweet sap that was then dried. this is my prediction as the sap gets hot and you remove the rocks with thicker sap on them and put them back in the fire they will burn, stink and you wont get the ash off and you will end up with a hollow log with a grey soup that ants wont even like. BUT please keep us posted I love to see others prove that Im not the only crazy person out there.

[Fred Henderson]

Take that big fire you are going to make and put it under an open cast iron kettle. Support the kettle with a tripod. This way you can eat the syrup without fear of getting some dreaded disease. While you are doing all of this be sure that you are having as much fun as possible. All work and no play makes for a dull day.

[hardermaple]

Getting some great feedback. Thank you very much. I will try to use food grade rocks:lol: I think maybe what i can do is lay some logs paralell in the fire and put the rocks on those so they don't get ash on them. After they have been in the sap, rinse them in a bucket or birch bark barrell, then back on the logs. It will be difficult for the first few hours or so. This will of course be home only consumption, if there's enough. And i'm sure with all the great info. and pointers i'm getting,we'll get it right the first time. And if not, we'll try again. No matter what happens, it'll be fun. We're always having fires in our fire pit ( a few a week ) and this gives us something cool to try. thanks again. Jacob

[KenWP]

The indians also made a cooking container out of a animal skin or stomach and birch bark that they did the hot rocks in. You can boil in a birch bark container over a fire as the birch bark will not burn below the level of the liquid inside. I can see somebody searching the country side for food grade rocks. Wonder where the stamp is on them.
how are you going to lay logs in a fire with out them burning and creating more ash with these rocks sitting on it. Maybe you might have to make up a metal frame to hold them in the fire.

[Fred Henderson]

After you consume what you made you nor any of your family or friends maybe around next year to make any changes. Syrup has been made many ways in many different places. Just remember that this is food you are making so keep it clean. This is not a heavily regulated industry yet but with method like yours it soon could become just like the dairy farms.

[Mark]

Rocks? I never did believe that theory, I would have to see it to believe it.

[hardermaple]

Hello. There's no proof that sap was boiled down like this.(hollowed log and hot rocks). I've read a few books on sugaring and all have said it was done like this untill indians came up with better methods, and when they traded for kettles with the early settlers they stopped using their old methods. And when i'm done, I'll be able to say that it CAN or can't be done. It's obvious i'm not going to sell, or even make enough to sell to the public. It's probably going to take a long time to even get 1/4 cup syrup. can't wait till next season.

[Revi]

They probably used clay pots. They were into the ceramic period for many years before the Europeans came. If you keep a clay pot simmering you can boil off maple syrup in it.

[PerryW]

I have been in a sweat lodge that was heated by rocks which were put in a campfire.

I was always amazed that just a half-dozen 20 pound rocks would heat up the sweat lodge way hotter than any sauna I have ever been in.

And yes. Watch out for exploding rocks.

[Brent]

this is going to be tougher than you think

Ya gotta find a local beaver to know where to get food grade logs too !:D

[Fred Henderson]

I really think that Hardmaple bumped his head a a hollow log to come up with something like this. For one piece of history it wasn't a hollow log that my ancestors used it was a hollowed out gourd.

[PATheron]

Get the myth busters to do it! Take your fire pit and set the heating stones on the grate that you use to cook stuff on then they wont get dirty. Youll have the fire under them heating them up and theyll stay nice and food grade. Then set them in the log full of sap and have the next ones warming up. Should work good. Just keep alternating them so you can fire your log evaperator real steady and quality product in no time. Let us know the gph figures. Theee( thats not a bad idea at all)rooon

[KenWP]

I have seen stew made with a bison stomach and rocks. Course I am from the west and these were plains Aboringinals. Hardly had trees let alone maples.

[Brent]

I'm thinking this would be fun for next year.

Where do you send your rocks to get tested for lead.

[Dave Y]

Hardermaple,
I was on the Pa Maple tour a couple of years ago. We stopped at Folk festival in Springs Pa. If I a am not mistaken they had an exhibiter makeing sugar using the method you want to try. Check with emerricksmaple he is from that neck of the woods. he may have more info on it.

[hardermaple]

I'm pretty sure i could send the rocks to N.A.S.A. to get them checked for lead. Then with the "lead free" certificate they give me, it's on to the food and drug administration to get the rocks labeled "food grade". Hard Maple told me that there was a couple maple museums in vermont and new hampshire that he thinks has a few hollowed logs. I'll have to make it a point this summer/fall to get to some of them and see what they look like. Theeeeeron asked me to keep people informed about GPH. Any guesses anyone. i'm thinking maybe .000000000139467 G/H:o I would like to keep this first try as authentic as possible. So I can't put the rocks on a metal grate over the fire on this try, because i don't think the indians would have had metal grates, yet. This is an experiment. And yes, it will be tough. One thing I learned in the Marines, Never give up! thank you. Jacob

[Dill]

You could really charge a premium for this stuff. Indian style or Great spirit syrup. There is some bozo on VT clist selling "unfiltered organic, "hand" gathered with buckets" syrup for 25 a qt.
I'm guessing this stuff could be 50/qt. But I don't think its possible or it would take forever.

[Brent]

You've got a tiger by the tail here.

"Gitche Manitou" Syrup.

(correct spelling according to Wiki, from the Anishinaabe tribe, and here I thought he was the Huron tribe God )

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You guys quit giving him such a hard time. I think it is a great idea and it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Im have this image of a one eyed Indian sitting around the camp fire telling his buddy that has a hollow log next to a pile of rocks sitting in the fire. I WOULD'NT DO THAT......Really Im all for this idea I think Ytube is the way to go.

[Bucket Head]

I have seen sap boiled with the hot rocks and dugout container. And you thought your boiling sessions were long!!

The Farmer's Museum in Cooperstown, NY demonstrates it each spring. They have "Sugaring Off Sunday" each Sunday during March.

They also do the birch bark containers, clay pots, iron kettle method, and a modern stainless flat pan over cement blocks. The maples on the grounds are tapped with a variety of antique spiles and buckets- everything from hand carved spiles to modern steel sap pails.

They also have a pancake breakfast each Sun.

I could'nt tell you if the birchbark containers were food grade or not...

Steve

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

When I was young and they would kill hogs, they would help heat the barrel of water by heating pieces of steel like a piece or railroad steel in the fire and dropping it into the water which was used to scald the dead pig to scrape the skin. The steam would sure fly when that piece of hot steel hit the water.

[Justin Turco]

I think this is great idea. I have thought about it a lot over the years and I really think...I might NOT believe this is how it was done. It just seems it would be hard to get much evaporation to occur. But as one of you guys said they may have just made "sweet sap". I'll bet that is exactly what they did.

Here is question, just like you can boil water in a birchbark pot, I would think you could make a hollowed out log and set it in the fire. It would get thin but wouldn't burn through.

But the rocks in the hollowed out log, yes...I too would like to see that on Youtube. Do it as best you can, the way the indians might have done it. No metal grates or anything like that.

Just one thing!....be ready....plan ahead....if you don't start with a big enough log.....you'll be wanting a bigger one next year. This is something you need to be thinking about now before you commit to a log that is too small. Maybe those things most people call "dug out canoes" were actually evaporators. Big food grade rocks scattered around.

Finally, consider this sight....Can you imagine what the maple trees looked like in the woods they sugared. I've been in woods like that in the Northeast Kingdom. (A large stand of old growth yellow birch.) Gone now. They truely looked prehistoric. (150 to say 225 growth rings)

Hardermaple....again this is a pretty cool idea.