Not sure where I went wrong?

[sap seeker]

Boiled off about 33 gal. of sap yesterday, brought inside last night to finish this morning. Brought it up to 219 or a little beyond, let cool to 180-190 to start putting in canning jars. Immediately i noticed a lot of "stuff" in the syrup and not dripping though the paper prefilter well. Assumed I might have taken it a little too far so I dumped it back into the pot and added a little tap water to dilute. Took it back up to 219 but seemed a little thin to me. Drips off the spatula instead of "aproning" off. Decided to just leave it until tonight when I get him, reheat to 180--190 and try to bottle again. My gut tells me to trust the thermometer. There is about the right amount of syrup in the pot for starting with 33 gal. of sap.

Does this sound like a good plan at this point? Any thoughts or words of wisdom is appreciated.:cool:

[325abn]

When ever you boil the syrup you will creat more niter. Why did you add tap water?

[sap seeker]

When ever you boil the syrup you will creat more niter. Why did you add tap water?

Because I didn't have any sap left and had read this was a doable solution to thinning it as I assume the stuff floating was sugar sand. By letting it sit today hoping it settles to the bottom of the pot. Won't bring back to boiling temp., just enough to filter again and bottle. Rookie here if you couldn't tell.:D Just hate to waste 10-12 hours worth of effort.

[PerryW]

The stuff in the filter is Nitre or Sugar Sand. There can be lots of it in a batch. In the nine gallons of syrup I just made, there was probably a quart or more of nitre that accumulated in the prefilters.

Filtering can be difficult for small batches because the syrup does not stay hot enough to pass. Try to keep things hot by enclosing the filter (to insulate it). You can also dump out the syrup that doesn't pass through and lett it sit for a few days and the nitre will eventually settle to the bottom.

Check you thermometer by immersing it in boiling water. Then add 7 degrees for the correct temperature for syrup for your altitude & air pressure.

[sap seeker]

Got it figured out, bad cheap WalMart thermometer. Re-heated and re-filtered, looks pretty good. Thank you guys. A little less than 3 quarts from 33 gallons so leads me to believe not quite as good sugar content this year.

[vtsnowedin]

To reinforce what PerryW said. Water was boiling at 208deg. here Saturday and 209deg. on Sunday. I'm at 1700 feet of elevation so that isn't as weird as it seems. Brand new digital thermometer but I don't have a standard to compare it to but it doesn't matter. What matters is that you check your boiling point of water (the fresh sap not RO'd where it comes into the flue pan will do) at least once a day or more often if a weather front is moving through and add your seven degrees to it. And then use that to tell you when to start testing with the hydrometer. Just assuming 219 is good will get you in trouble.

[danno]

My hydrometer does not read read syrup until the thermo. on my evap reads 221. If I did not have a hydrometer, I'd rely on aproning over a thermometer.

[BarrelBoiler]

at a published average of 40/45 gal-1gal ratio, 33gal-3/4 gal is about right

[sap seeker]

at a published average of 40/45 gal-1gal ratio, 33gal-3/4 gal is about right

Thanks B.B. - seemed about right given what I've heard about suger content being a little lower this year. I think last year we were a little better, maybe like 36-38 gal. per.

I'm going to take the guess work out and buy a hydrometer and cup, I've lost all confidence now in those cheap candy thermometers. Sucks to work on something 12 hours and not have it come out the way you want it.:D

[maple flats]

You will have a very hard time using a candy thermometer to read syrup. Most are not real accurate and the scale is generally not fine enough. I use dial thermometers in the evap but use an Accu-cup and digital therm. to get accurate readings for syrup. I like to go slightly hotter than needed, filter it and then add distilled water to dilute for density. I found this faster and used less than 1 gal distilled for 125 gal syrup last year. I like to leave my syrup 1/2 point more dense than required.

[Mike in NY]

Thanks B.B. - seemed about right given what I've heard about suger content being a little lower this year. I think last year we were a little better, maybe like 36-38 gal. per.

I'm going to take the guess work out and buy a hydrometer and cup, I've lost all confidence now in those cheap candy thermometers. Sucks to work on something 12 hours and not have it come out the way you want it.:D

just what I was going to sugest. thermometer will get you close but hydrometer tells you when you are really there
the more you make the less you need it, just keeps ya honest

[wildacres]

Regarding thermometers - I;ve gone through two cheap ($25) digitial therm's in two seasons. Neither seemed to be happy when i made sugar
and had this hot goop up to 263 dgrees...

I see Bascom's has one for $75, when and if I ever get any syrup to sell, I may spring for one and see what I get for the extra $50!

[rustyinmaine]

i had the same problem. I used 2 different therm. Digital and candy. they both read within a degree of each other I boiled water (208)and added the 7 degrees and even went a little hotter with sap (219), than ran it through a filter twice and it is still cloudy. It is my first boil ever so I can't say I'm upset or pleased, but it is a start. Any tips.

[Mac_Muz]

Last year I was given a science industrail thermometer, it has a fancy name and is programed to rear from -100 below 0 to +400, not that we could surive either very well. It is just that I could not program this thing, and had the engineer that gave it me do it. What it is fors is turning off and on heating elements in vacuum ovens. I consider it supper accurate and it counts in 1/10ths.

I am under 800ft, and Tuesday visable boil was 208 here in Tamworth. I am a little guy, and just about made syrup on ther barrel stove, which I don't want to do ever!

I filter the sap coming off the barrle stove with a wool filter and 2 paper lines, and the stuff was black this time. I mean jet black. I never saw that before, so I have no idea why the sugar sand was black.

Then I had apx 2 gallons to finish on the kitchen stove, and I filter that at 216.7 the same way, the wool filter and 2 paper liners, and for the last time.

From there when I see 218, I test with a spoon for the apron, and get the jars ready, which have been boiling for that last 10 minutes.

When the temp hits 218.5 I begin filling jars, with my wife tightening the lids since i can't find gloves to fit, and still be able to feel the jars right.

My jars have no visable sugar sand. This grade b is extra dark compared to a 2007 color kit, but it tastes great. 1 gallon 1 pint from apx 50 gallons of sap.

Paper companies may have an old thermometer for free for the asking, I think they are called RTD. Mine is a box about 1.5 square on the face, maybe 3 inchs long and has a 110 acv wire to plug in the wall and a white isulated wire ending in a probe. I think the isulation is a teflon.

This can be set up many ways, but the only use I have is for doing this. My Boss has another in his shop to see what the weather is out side.

I will ask and see if he has any more, and if he does, Sap Seeker it will be yours. free of course, but you will either need to come here, or tell me what your address is..I should have a answer with in 24 hours...

[Haynes Forest Products]

Mac Why are you bottling at such a high temp? I used to get the black death in my prefilters back when I prefilterd:mad: I think its some kind of oil from the defoamer I was using and I say WAS using I dont use food grade axel grease:) anymore