That sugar looks great. I made myself some last year and loved it. With the tap expansion this year I want to make sugar again and try maple butter.
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That sugar looks great. I made myself some last year and loved it. With the tap expansion this year I want to make sugar again and try maple butter.
This is the video my wife used to make the maple sugar. It explains it quite well, although does not give the time periods for some of the steps.
https://youtu.be/cfZxs0rBffY
Instead of making the sweet liquid from the sugar on the edges of the pot like the cook did, she just out the pot into the oven for a brief time at 200° and the sugar on the edges became crusty and she was able to easily scrap it off and process it like the other sugar.
Today I will be making a new concrete door, I see that the other one is starting to crack. I will have a metal door next year. When I say make, is I drill two holes with a masonry bit into a patio stone, then add two handles.
I am also going to move wood around in the shelter to make some of it more accessible and replace it will full tarp walls, which will be removable.
I am also going to shovel off some snow from next year’s evaporator wood pile. I may only have four or five boils left, but likely only have wood beside the evaporator at best for three boils. This coming week I should have some good flow days, but the following week may not get cold enough at night to recharge the trees.
My next learning question is how many days can the sweet sit in the pan with temps above zero. As an example if I have four or five days in a row with temps above freezing during the night, do you call it quits?
Yes, this time of year you're going to have this problem. If you still think you might get some runs and don't want to drain the pan just quite yet, I typically just bring the pan to a boil every other day for 10 minutes or so. If it gets real mild you might do a daily boil. Of course you have to have sap. If you don't, water works fine too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
Thanks for the advice.Quote:
Originally Posted by bigschuss
The long range forecast is looking warmer with night time lows above zero. I am hoping it will change, if not I might only have two possibly three boils left. Way too early to end and I will come up short of my goals, but we will see what actually happens. They have trouble, forecasting the next day. If it does end early, it will validate my early tapping though.
I did make a new door with a spare set of door handles. I moved the wood from behind the evaporator to a more accessible place to the right of it. I hung up the heat shield and hung a tarp to close off the rear. The evaporator is all set to start with paper kindling and logs at the ready for a light. Tuesday I am hoping will be my longest and most productive boil, but I will need a decent sap flow tomorrow to have enough sap for a long boil.
Sap left to right batch #1 to batch #7, and batch #1 and batch #7.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0df-...mXa7pMBLv-7trg
https://share.icloud.com/photos/03fJ...cgBNpMRljUHn7g
https://share.icloud.com/photos/057A...g2Lv4b7Z0uFwQA
Just as a note, the line that I tapped on December 27th is still running as well as the ones I tapped on February 15. This is a subjective observation, based on how fast the drips or streams come out of the lines.
Crazy day with a few unplanned things taking up the day and shortening my planned leisurely sap transfer and collection day. I got home at 6:40 pm and raced to transfer and collect the sap. It was my largest collection of the season, 106 gallons. I finished in the moon light just before 9.
Tomorrow I will start boiling around 9 am, with the temp just below freezing. I have 156 gallons to boil and I will try and boil as much as that as I can. There will be only two more boils after this one.
I have collected 94% of the sap I personally collected last year. I was given 110 gallons last year at the end of the year. Counting that I have collected 83% of last years sap.
I am hoping for a long boil tomorrow, resulting in a good syrup haul. I have a long ways to catch up to last year’s total. Hopefully I will have my first multiple draw off boil.
Gary, I would draw off much slower. Just a small stream instead of opening it right up. When you open it fast, your float floods the pan with raw sap and it ruins your gradient. It's like starting all over. If the temperature rises above 7 don't sweat it, it's less time to finish it later.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Z/MAN
Thanks today I did just that, about three hours in, I just let it trickle out, then a couple hours later I let it trickle out and I stop it when the level in my big collection pot got to the level my finishing pot could handle. I drained the collection pot and there was still syrup ready to come out, so I trickled some more out until I saw the temperature drop, but after that it never came close to being syrup, before I shut down.
I just about used all of the wood surrounding the evaporator. I will have to cut into my supp,y meant for next year’s season. I have three boils left I figure.
I have enough sap to boil tomorrow, but it will be a lousy weather day. I see a boil Thursday, Saturday and the last one on Monday.
My line I tapped on December 27 is still running well. It just needs to last a week and it will have lasted the entire season from December 27 until April 10.
I will be boiling tomorrow, my third last boil. Today I was getting everything ready I could, for tomorrow’s boil with the exception of bringing a new supply of wood, because of the rain and thunderstorms today.
While cleaning out the ashes I discovered that the new, very heavy metal grate I got this spring, is slowly getting destroyed by the heat of the evaporator. It may just last the last the three boils.
I am not sure what to do for next year. I will check will my metal guy if there is a steel that would hold up better than what I had this year.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/03d0...g31zBA6mmAgj4Q
I wonder if I am boiling too hot, my fire certainly consumes the wood, and the firebox is very hot, but I thought that was the goal.
Monday will be my last boil and Tuesday I will pull my taps.
There are several threads on grates. The most common is to use angle iron in the V position as this allows the ash to fill and insulate it. I have unistrut in mine and is the same as when I put it in 12 years ago. I suded to have 304 stainless sheets protecting my insulation but the heat burned it out in less than 2 years so I know my fire is hot. The unistrut is galvanized and so far unaffected by the heat.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
I have been using 1.5"x1.5"x3/16" angle iron in the "V V V V V" configuration for the past 4 seasons with no issues. They are easily removable and replaceable if needed but i havent had to.Quote:
Originally Posted by Super Sapper
Thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by The Heldeberg Sapper
The top of the V points up?
My last boil for the first time I had brown bubbles that I would call syrup bubbles in the last channel. They never got out of control and I just thought it meant I was getting close to making syrup.
In today’s boil that is on going, they appeared again almost right away and this time around 63 Brix they started to get higher in the channel. When I add wood and the front of the pan momentarily cools they back off a little, but came back.
It is not for lack of defoamer.
I ended up drawing off at 63 Brix to resolve the problem.
There are still some bubbles in the channel after the drawoff, but not out of control.
Any suggestions?
Yes, VVVV up. Here is a link to Smokey Lake for an example for a grate.
https://www.smokylakemaple.com/product/steel-grates/
Bryan
No the point goes down. I just welded some 1/2" long pieces of 2x2/1/8" angle together in a VVVVV pattern and then the 1.5" sits inside of it for the spacing. I tired uploading a photo but it wont let me right now.
If its bubbling up like crazy and defoamer wont touch it, then its a build up of niter and you need to drain and clean your pan. I avoided doing cleaning for too long and ended up caking on an 1/16" layer of niter that was starting to burn in spots and was a pain to clean. Never happened to me before but we had a lot of niter this year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
Thanks and rats, just two boils left.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Heldeberg Sapper
I am in the middle of a boil, should I shut it down?
My instincts say yes shut her down, so I have stopped adding wood and have left the door open to cool down faster.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
Better safe than sorry. I kept boiling on mine for probably 8 hrs total when it was foaming up (had never happened before) and i regretted it immensely haha.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
swingpure are you referring to foam or bubbles near the draw off. there is a difference ?
I cannot thank you enough for your prompt advice. I did shut it down as soon as I read your first post. All four channels had nitre buildup, but the fourth channel had a lot of nitre buildup and that is why that one was foaming up as you suggested. I was going to take a picture of how bad it was, but decided some embarrassing things you do not show. Fortunately there was no scorching.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Heldeberg Sapper
I was able to get it all 99% clean. I will work on 100% clean after the season ends on Monday.
Next year I will have to get ahead of it and have a routine schedule for cleaning the pan. Today I had to undo a number of things because I stopped mid boil. I lot of extra moving of firewood and sap, that would not have happened if I had cleaned it on an off day.
I still have three boils left as I still had a lot of sap unboiled today, that I will boil tomorrow. I have to leave time to collect for Saturday’s boil.
Two interesting things from today:
I cleaned the bottom of the pan as well. I had my buddy helping me and we first rubbed the bottom of the pan on the snow. It removed about 80% of the carbon. The power washer got 99% of the rest.
I had to steal from my wood supply that was meant for next season’s boil. The wood had one year of seasoning, but I try to have two, but I am using it a year early. I also realized that I did not split it quite as fine as I did this year’s supply.
The combination of not being seasoned as much and being slightly larger, meant it burnt slower. Now my boil was not as hot and the boil rate was a little slower, but not a hec of lot less. I had no rocket roar and I used a he of a lot less wood.My fire interval I changed from 10 minutes to 13 minutes as a result of the slower burning. It sure was more of a leisurely pace.
I did have a draw off before the nitre problem and made 8 L of syrup.
I guess it was foam, the bubbles were smaller than syrup bubbles and they were tight together. I know what to look for now. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by nhdog
I forget, swingpure, did you get a reversible pan? If so, a good way to avoid having to drain and clean the pan when you have only a couple boils left is to switch sides before it gets that bad.
GO
Thanks, I can make that!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgreisch
Did you use any kind of special steel or just regular cold steel?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Heldeberg Sapper
Thanks
Yes, I did. I can trade places with the float box and draw off valve.Quote:
Originally Posted by berkshires
My pan comes with couplers with gaskets to connect the float box and the drawoff valve to the pan and you don’t get the gasket perfect, you can have a leak and the only way to fix the leak is to partially drain the pan.
Also the way I set up my head tank it does not work for the way this pan works. I had expected it to be set up differently. Next year I will have to set things up so I can move my head tank to either side of the pan. I also have to trust that I can connect the couplers with the gaskets in the correct position. I would have rather had it so the accessories just threaded on.
Just normal steel stock. The key to this is that the inside of the V fills up with ash and helps insulate it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
Glad to hear you got it cleaned up. I used to be able to go all season with only on cleaning but this year i had a lot of niter build up. I think you should plan on cleaning pans at least twice during the season or if you notice it starting to foam up a lot plan on cleaning it before the next boil. Once you get a lot of hours on the rig you'll know when a cleaning will be necessary.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
A good uneventful boil on Friday excluding the frozen valve on the feed tank, solved by a heating pad. I boiled all of my available sap, had one draw off. I though I might have another, but likely needed another 10 gallons of sap to get there.
It is still amazing me that the wood that I am using now, that is larger and less seasoned, seems to be a better match for my evaporator. It still boils well, but does not get super hot. Hec, even my wooden door handles are hanging in there and I am using less wood.
Two boils left, Sunday and Monday, then pull the taps Tuesday. I was going to boil Saturday, but I only have 56 gallons to boil and having a day off sounds good.
I collected 122 gallons of sap yesterday and today and will try and boil it all tomorrow. If successful it will be my largest one time boil.
I think only two boils left, unless Monday has a surprise flow. For sure after Monday the season is over. It is a good thing the season is ending, my fire grate is rapidly disintegrating, I will put some patches on top to make to the end.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0dc7...Jrey0_r0vlBJ7g
I brought over two more trailer fulls of wood from my next year’s supply. When I start splitting to replenish my supply I will make them wrist size, but large wrist size, I like the slightly less hot fire.
I now have collected 123% of the sap I personally collected last year and 109% of the sap I had total last year, with one and possibility two more collection days. Hopefully that will equate to more syrup than last year.
Yesterday, Saturday, was the first day that the lines I tapped on March 1, outperformed the lines I tapped on a December 27 and Feb 15. The March 1 lines have every advantage, with new lines and fittings and being on a much steeper slope. They might get a little less sunlight, but essentially all of the slopes face east.
I have no doubt that if I had tapped everything on March 1, from that point on, they likely would have produced more, but I know that today, the last day of flow, sap will be streaming out of the old tap lines. I think that is pretty remarkable especially since they have never been high flow trees.
I boiled the 122 gallons of sap I had planned and maybe a little more. My best ever in a single day. I had three drawoffs, which is also a first. It all when without incident.
I collected over 90 gallons this evening for my final boil tomorrow. I likely will collect another 20 to 30 in the morning before starting the boil. At the end I will get the sap down as low as I safely can, then will draw if off and finish that.
I have set my personal best in sap collected and syrup made. Final numbers tomorrow.
I am all finished collecting. Today I have 131 gallons to boil, which will be a new record for a single day boil for me.
I collected 1153.2 gallons /4365.4 L, which is more than I collected or boiled last year. I credit early tapping for making that goal as our season is shutting down a week earlier than last year. My expected syrup from that is around 109 L based on a 40:1 ratio, but I will far exceed that because of my high sugar content in my sap. How much more I will not know until I finish it all tomorrow.
After the boil and after it cools down, I still have to take the sweet off the pan for the final time and finish that.
My gallons per tap were down this year from 7.9 to 6.4 gallons per tap.
Lots of cleanup to do and after that I will take my time to review the season, what went right, what went wrong and things I will do different next year.
Spring has truly arrived her. The ice on the lake might be out in a week’s time and the race to get all of the wood cut, split and stacked prior to the blackflies showing starts immediately after clean up. I already have three trees down to cut up and haul home plus over 40” logs already cut to split and stack.
Soon I will let the pan boil down from the 2” level for the final pull off of the sweet. Is going for the one inch level ideal?
Do I have to pull it off as soon as it cools or can I do it tomorrow morning?
Thanks
At the end of last season I was pooped and I thought I would downsize and make it more hobby friendly. Then I got the okay to tap what I thought was a dream slope and I went all in. I am a little pooped at the end of this season, but I know this time not to make any decisions while I am tired.
By some metrics I had a very successful season, I collected my most sap ever (1153 gallons) and made my most syrup ever (128 L). The changes I made to my cinder block evaporator and associated equipment all worked well and I was able to boil at an amazing 13 gph on the cinder block evaporator, with a 2x4 divided pan and I think that is pretty darn good. Last year I had so much smoke at times you could not see in the shelter and this year there was zero smoke. My syrup tastes fantastic if I say so myself.
It wasn’t all roses and there are definitely a few changes I have to make next year if I am going to do a similar number of taps with the same equipment. An easy one is to fix is the door. I actually still like the concrete door, it is simple and inexpensive, I just need to find better handles that don’t burn up. Someone suggested here that I look for wood stove door handles.
I would give myself a C- for my divided pan performance. Even though I made all of the possible syrup I could from it, I never maintained my sweet very well. A few times I had multiple draws, but most time I had one, almost like batch boiling.
I ended up with a nitre problem, cleaned it and two boils later had a nitre problem again. I have to change my setup next year so I can reverse the flow. I also have to be confident that the gaskets will not leak when I make the change from the float box to the drawoff valve.
I give myself an F for not trying the RO at all. I never got overwhelmed with the sap, which is one reason why I did not, the other reason is I did not want the extra hassle, but I used humongous quantities of wood this year, maybe 10 to 12 facecords, which is getting close to what I use to heat my home all year. That is unsustainable. I will have to find away next year to incorporate the RO. (Not knowing if it even works or not.)
I was very pleased with my shelter. It cleared the steam well and kept me and the evaporator dry.
I have touched base with the landowner on the steep hill. I will know in a weeks time, but it is looking good I will be able to tap there again next year. I will add a fourth line, but I will also drop some shorter lines and all of the pails.
To be honest if the landowner had said no, or insisted I remove the lines, I was going to really downsize, perhaps sell my evaporator, float box and base stack and just buy a barrel evaporator and be totally happy with making 30 L of syrup. There was something alluring when I saw the low event boiling of my neighbour’s and their choice of just tapping for 7-10 days and quit when they get to about 28 L of syrup.
There were times this year with the early smaller runs that I thought steam pans would have been better to deal with the amount of sap I had. I also learned that turkey fryers work well, and have respect for them.
Not next year, but one year I will settle down and have a lot fewer taps and will be happy just to make 25 to 30 L of syrup.
Just a question, I made 15.5 L (4 gallons) of syrup from the sweet from the pan at the end. Is this a normal amount?
Edit: I forgot to mention that the heat of the fire virtually consumed my entire brand new heavy duty grate. I will be making a new one with the V’s as suggested.
I also forgot to add the 2 L I made on New Year’s day, so all totaled I made 130 L of syrup.
Overall sounds like a pretty successful 2023!
wow thats a lot of syrup, but thats also a lot of wood. People have asked me if I would sell them some syrup and I always say (no, but you can have some). If I wanted to make extra money I would just sell my firewood. At the crazy price of $150 a facecord its going for here in North Bay. Last year I stopped making maple syrup at 32L simple because I didnt want to burn anymore wood.(burned around 3face cord) That seemed plenty to give a bunch away and keep lots for myself. I intended on doing the same this year, but I went to florida in the heart of the season and then came back and got sick. I managed to make 4L before I left, so at least I have something.
Hopefully the smaller firebox I will have next year will have a significant change to the amount of wood I used.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brien
I also likely will not sell any. My kids will get 10 L each and extended family another 10L. Royalties for using neighbour’s trees will be another 21 L and rewarding people who helped me, such as doing welding and putting the roof and stack on, another 10 L. So that is 51 L right there. Then we give a bunch to friends and I also give my fellow volunteer board members syrup.
So in the end, I still have enough syrup to meet my needs.
I can see a day in 3 or 4 years, where I do a major downsize, have less than 50 taps, just on my property and maybe have a barrel evaporator.
Finally finished cleaning all of my barrels and tanks, pans and some lines.
I am not sure if the pan is supposed to look like new when you’re done cleaning or not. Mine looked a lot better, but it did not look like new. I just used white vinegar and elbow grease to clean it.
The lines on the hill, I just let them hang like Proctor does and soon I will connect them up to the holder on the fittings. The ones that were on my property and my adjacent neighbour’s, I connected my garden hose to the lines using a barbed fitting and pumped water through the lines and drops. They are now hanging again and I will connect them up later as well. I figure pumping water through them is one step better than simply letting them hang.
One thing I missed with my wrap up is I give myself a C in sap transfer, mainly because every gallon of sap ended up in a five gallon pail and I lifted every pail head high, while standing one step up on a ladder, to dump the sap into the head tank. That was a lot of lifting and hauling.
Without getting into the food grade issue what so ever, I had two new pumps to use this year. One was a sump pump with stainless steel components. It was a little awkward and did not pump near as fast as I expected. I then tried a bilge pump that had a 1 1/8 hose attached. Both pumps were powered by a quick connect cord that was powered from my ATV, but could also have been powered by my truck.
The bilge pump was light and very handy and pumped really quickly. I liked it, but it only had a nine foot hose with it so at one collection area I could pump into pails on my ATV trailer, but the other two locations I pumped directly into pails that I had to either carry up or down steep hills to get to the ATV trailer.
Next year no pails. I will have a longer hose and will pump directly into a 35 gallon tank on my ATV or possibly the bed of my truck, and then will transfer it to a 55 gallon barrel by my 35 gallon feed tank or at times directly into the feed tank. No more pails.