Jefferson County - My First Boil Ever

This is our first year to tap our sugar maples. We've only got six maples big enough to tap that I've identified so far (our forest is mostly oaks and hickories). I did my first boil yesterday using the sap from the first three trees we tapped--it's not much but I already consider this a victory based on the education I've gotten and the fact that we managed to create our own syrup. I learned a few things during this boil that I'll apply in the weeks ahead.

I don't know if anyone agrees, but the complexity in the flavor of our homemade syrup is striking. There's so much depth to it...just great.

Here's a video of my process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jANNWyPO-j4

Won't be long you will be building a block arch.. Beware the one partial jar needs to be either used first or refrigerated. To much air in there to stay safe. Enjoy the sugaring passion.

Great Video!

welcome to the addiction, great video. Pretty soon your operation will get much bigger and its lots of fun. Enjoy your liquid gold

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Originally Posted by ericjeeper

Won't be long you will be building a block arch.. Beware the one partial jar needs to be either used first or refrigerated. To much air in there to stay safe. Enjoy the sugaring passion.

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Thanks, Eric. I didn't even bother water-bathing that partial jar--we'll eat it this week.

That brings me to a question for all of you...I see conflicting information about whether or not to refrigerate the unopened syrup jars. I put mine in the fridge to be safe, but is there a consensus on these forums with regard to refrigeration?

As long as proper head space is achieved it should last for years in the pantry.

Welcome to the addiction as I have heard said a number of times. Not sure it is an addiction but it sure had a draw. This is my third year. The first year I tapped 6 trees and made around a quart of syrup. I cooked it in a pot on a rocket stove I made. Great video. You have some very large sugar maple trees. Next year while there are leaves still on the trees mark all the sugar maple trees for tapping for the next season, unless you can identify them without the leaves. I have gotten to the point that I can identify them without leaves for the most part. I have not collected much this year yet. I have 35 trees tapped. Hoping to collect 100 gallons or so this week and cook it down this coming weekend. I still have a few concrete blocks to buy to finish up my arch. Happy sugaring.

Thanks, RiverSap. I'd say a 100 gallons in a week is quite a bit, and must require a lot of effort to boil down. I think I've developed a knack for identifying the maples just by their bark. The smaller ones are easy, but the trick is seeing them once they get over 8 inches in diameter and their bark starts to look kinda like the oaks. I'm absolutely gonna do what you said next summer though--I'll mark any trees I missed when I scouted them this winter.

My trees have been running heavy this week. I got 1 1/2 gallons out of one of them yesterday, which was pretty exciting.

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Originally Posted by Ray_Nagle

I think I've developed a knack for identifying the maples just by their bark. The smaller ones are easy, but the trick is seeing them once they get over 8 inches in diameter and their bark starts to look kinda like the oaks. I'm absolutely gonna do what you said next summer though--I'll mark any trees I missed when I scouted them this winter.

My trees have been running heavy this week. I got 1 1/2 gallons out of one of them yesterday, which was pretty exciting.

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Yep, you're done for. That's how I started out. Now, six years later, 460 taps, and an insatiable need to tap more trees! Eventually, you'll find yourself driving slowly by other people's woodlots and spying out dense maple stands, wonder struck with maple lust.

On larger Sugar Maple trees the bark a little ways up the trunk starts to get these large flat scales or wings. Here is a link of a picture that shows it pretty well. http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/wp-cont...d_rsz_0168.jpg. In a woods like yours you should have lots of them. Sugar maple trees kind of take over in Missouri woods. They are kind of an invasive species in Missouri. The Missouri Conservation Department does not recommend planting them and even recommends removing many of them to promote the growth of Oak, Hickory and Walnut trees.

I added a photo album in the gallery section and uploaded two images of the block arch I made last year. This is my first album. Let me know if everyone can find and see the images.

Nice little setup you got there. Good luck and have fun!

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Originally Posted by RiverSap

On larger Sugar Maple trees the bark a little ways up the trunk starts to get these large flat scales or wings. Here is a link of a picture that shows it pretty well. http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/wp-cont...d_rsz_0168.jpg. In a woods like yours you should have lots of them. Sugar maple trees kind of take over in Missouri woods. They are kind of an invasive species in Missouri. The Missouri Conservation Department does not recommend planting them and even recommends removing many of them to promote the growth of Oak, Hickory and Walnut trees.

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That's probably one of the best pics I've seen of the sugar maple bark...most don't show it that well. Most of the large diameter trees in my woods are oaks. I have a lot of big hickories and a couple walnuts, but mostly oaks. I do have a ton of smaller sugar maples...probably in the 4-8 inch diameter range, but my understanding is those are too small to tap.

Because the maple is considered a nuisance tree, I've been using them mostly for firewood over the last several years. When I need firewood, I go out and find a sugar maple that's crowding the nut-bearing trees. But now that I've discovered "sugaring," I'll leave more of the maples alone (especially the ones that are on the cusp of being tap-able).

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Originally Posted by Goggleeye

Yep, you're done for. That's how I started out. Now, six years later, 460 taps, and an insatiable need to tap more trees! Eventually, you'll find yourself driving slowly by other people's woodlots and spying out dense maple stands, wonder struck with maple lust.

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To get to 460 taps, I'm gonna have to buy some more land. Or start tapping utility poles.

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Originally Posted by flhr10

Nice little setup you got there. Good luck and have fun!

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Hey, thanks, I am having fun! I see you're in Ohio...our first exposure to making maple syrup actually was when we lived in Dayton. We went to a commercial syrup farm during a weekend when they were letting people come in and see their boil shacks. Ever since, the urge to do this has been lingering in the back of my mind.

I love the video, great job and thanks for sharing it with all of us.

Terry

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Originally Posted by Ray_Nagle

I do have a ton of smaller sugar maples...probably in the 4-8 inch diameter range, but my understanding is those are too small to tap.

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I've been tapping some 7-8 inch trees if they have a good crown. Maybe even a couple six inchers, did it with the thought of not caring if I lost them. Doesn't seem to hurt them a bit. Several years have gone by since I tapped some smaller trees, and they have grown just as rapidly as those I didn't tap. I think with our longer growing season here in MO they have time to catch up on their sugar production.

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Originally Posted by Goggleeye

I've been tapping some 7-8 inch trees if they have a good crown. Maybe even a couple six inchers, did it with the thought of not caring if I lost them. Doesn't seem to hurt them a bit. Several years have gone by since I tapped some smaller trees, and they have grown just as rapidly as those I didn't tap. I think with our longer growing season here in MO they have time to catch up on their sugar production.

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Great to know this, thanks.

Did my 2nd boil last night. Turned 11.3 gallons of sap into 42 ounces of syrup, for about a 34-to-1 ratio. The process took about 14 hours from start to finish.

Sap is flowing again this afternoon here in eastern Missouri after subzero temps shut the trees down for a couple days.

Also, for anyone in this area, Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood is having their annual Sugar Maple Festival tomorrow.

Ray,
Good job making syrup!
Couple of things that might make it easier.
You can tap the trees lower if you want. easier to handle the buckets.
You dont need to filter the sap. Doesn't hurt but just a step most folks don't do.
You should filter the syrup when done to removed sugarsand (niter) Just makes a more clear end product.
Look for a digital candy thermometer in tenths of a degree. Those round candy thermometers are not very accurate. But you did a nice job calibrating it and took the syrup to the correct temp. When you get good you can make syrup without the thermometer using sheeting or aproning as my dad called it.
Warm your finished syrup to 180 F then can and seal, eliminate the water bath step.

Nice job and great documentation! Good to see sap boil again! I need to get out there and "get ready".
Regards,
Chris

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Originally Posted by Sugarmaker

Ray,
Good job making syrup!
Couple of things that might make it easier.
You can tap the trees lower if you want. easier to handle the buckets.
You dont need to filter the sap. Doesn't hurt but just a step most folks don't do.
You should filter the syrup when done to removed sugarsand (niter) Just makes a more clear end product.
Look for a digital candy thermometer in tenths of a degree. Those round candy thermometers are not very accurate. But you did a nice job calibrating it and took the syrup to the correct temp. When you get good you can make syrup without the thermometer using sheeting or aproning as my dad called it.
Warm your finished syrup to 180 F then can and seal, eliminate the water bath step.

Nice job and great documentation! Good to see sap boil again! I need to get out there and "get ready".
Regards,
Chris

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Thanks, Chris. I just ordered a digital candy thermometer based on your recommendation, and I'm planning to boil again today, so I'll give a couple of your suggestions a try.

How great is it to make one's one syrup?

It's pretty good, to be sure. I just need to improve my boiling speed. It took me, no kidding, 26 hours to fully process 17 1/4 gallons this weekend. The resulting syrup is the best batch I've made so far, but I think I've gotta get a bigger pan to get it evaporated quicker.

Since I made the video several weeks ago, I changed my setup slightly. It's a 15" x 15" pan cooking over blocks. It's still slow, but faster than using the pot on my grill.

Attachment 10671

Ray
The concrete block setup with the 15" X 15" pan should increase your evaporation considerably. 26 hours to evaporate off 17 plus gallons is a pretty slow rate for a pan that size. The whole pan should have a strong rolling boil all of the time with steam pouring out. You can help things out a bit by rigging up a chimney and closing off the area where you insert the wood. Look at my setup. My door is a couple of concrete blocks. The bottom one I turn on its side so that air is pulled in and exits out the chimney. Your chimney could be something like a few concrete blocks lined up to make kind of an exit point. At this stage you are just learning so that next year you can up your game. Hopefully we get a few more weeks of sap flow after the deep freeze.

Okay, I'm gonna get some cinder blocks this weekend to try and improve the stove then. Looks like we're gonna be below freezing for a while, so there's time to readjust things before I need to boil again.

My first batch. Came out well. Looking forward to when things thaw out so I can get a second batch started. This late winter freeze has things on hold for now. Everything I have is frozen solid. I hope we still have a few weeks of good sap running after this freeze is over.
Attachment 10734

Wow, nice haul! How many degrees to you heat to? Or do you just go by the consistency of the syrup?

I love your enthusiasm Ray - you sure didn't wait long to start upgrading your set-up! Your video was very entertaining and I'm certain that you are going to have a springtime to remember. For those of us still frozen solid, watching you southerners get the season started is a breath of fresh, warm, air. Have a GREAT season! :D

Thanks, Karen. If it makes you feel any better, it's been a deep freeze here for the last few weeks, so there's been almost no flow.

hi to all mo sapsuckers... this cold snap is hopefully winters last gasp and the sap will flow by next weekend. I thought i might help you identify maples when they have no leaves. i have been told that maples, ash, and dogwood are the only trees in missouri woods that have twigs opposite each other on the minor branches. you can easily identify dogwood- its a smaller tree and has big buds in the winter where the flower will form, and ash has a very identifiable bark, that has ridges that can form an "x" pattern or resemble alligator skin. i hope this helps. john

It was a good haul and I used it this weekend on some pancakes. Mmmmmmm tasty. I do use a thermometer when I cook. It is an old fashion mercury one. When I did my calibration water boiled at 212. I bring the last few gallons from the pans on the arch into the kitchen and finish it on the stove. I do watch the thermometer and it rose to around 220 deg F at the time I stopped and filtered it and bottled. But that said what I use to determine when the syrup is done is a hydrometer. The Hydrometer comes with a narrow stainless steel cup that you fill with the hot syrup and float the hydrometer in it. When it floats up to to the red line marked on it that corresponds to finished syrup. At that point I filter and bottle. I will take a picture of what I have and post it when I get time.

I actually have a syrup hydrometer. I haven't used it yet because I read that for small batches it's best to just use a thermometer. But I'll give it a try next time.

Get everything setup and ready for this weekend. The weather is looking like a good sap run starting on Friday. My problem right now is I have 50 gallons or so of sap frozen in buckets and containers. It all needs to come together for one more good batch of 100 plug gallons of sap.

So I'm an idiot. The reason it was taking me so insanely long to boil down sap was because I had lined the bottom of my pans with aluminum foil. I was trying to make cleanup easier, but I guess the foil was insulating the pans. I boiled last night and started having the same problem, decided to try removing the foil, and the sap instantly started boil hard. So lesson learned.

This most recent batch of sap was the highest sugar content yet. I'm guessing I'll do one more boil, but I'm not sure how much longer the trees are going to run since it's not freezing at night anymore.

Attachment 11060Attachment 11061

I would not have thought foil on the bottom would have made that much of a difference. Yes we live and learn. That setup looks good. Yes the season has ended. I would stop collecting sap. Your taps may still run but there will not be any sugar content. After the buds form which if you look up into the tree you will definitely see buds, the sap starts containing only starch and not sugar from what I have read. I cooked up my last batch Sunday. I had about 80 gallons. I still have to do the finishing and bottling in on the stove in the kitchen. That is a task for later this week. I started taking out all of my taps and collecting up the tubing and buckets. I still have lots of year end clean up to do. I have included a few pictures of my setup on the driveway. I took a few side view pics so you can see how I set the concrete blocks on the side so air is pulled in down low. All in all it has been a very enjoyable and productive season for me. I hope you and everyone here in Missouri had a similar experience.

Hey Ray. One trick that a fellow Maple Trader taught me is that if you rub a layer of soap on the bottom of your pan before you put it over the fire it really cuts down the clean-up time dramatically. Use a bar of soap, not the liquid kind, and I know you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!

Hey Ray. One trick that a fellow Maple Trader taught me is that if you rub a layer of soap on the bottom of your pan before you put it over the fire it really cuts down the clean-up time dramatically. Use a bar of soap, not the liquid kind, and I know you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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Thanks for the tip, Karen. I'm gonna give it a try. The pictures in your signature are amazing, by the way. That syrup is so pretty.

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Originally Posted by RiverSap

I would not have thought foil on the bottom would have made that much of a difference. Yes we live and learn. That setup looks good. Yes the season has ended. I would stop collecting sap. Your taps may still run but there will not be any sugar content. After the buds form which if you look up into the tree you will definitely see buds, the sap starts containing only starch and not sugar from what I have read. I cooked up my last batch Sunday. I had about 80 gallons. I still have to do the finishing and bottling in on the stove in the kitchen. That is a task for later this week. I started taking out all of my taps and collecting up the tubing and buckets. I still have lots of year end clean up to do. I have included a few pictures of my setup on the driveway. I took a few side view pics so you can see how I set the concrete blocks on the side so air is pulled in down low. All in all it has been a very enjoyable and productive season for me. I hope you and everyone here in Missouri had a similar experience.

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Noted about the sap collection. I'd read that we should keep collecting until the buds break, which I haven't seen yet. (They do have buds, but those formed last fall.) But I hate to collect a bunch of starch water and have it boil down to nothing, so I'll call it quits. Your setup is really nice...I even like the cover so you can boil even if it's raining (would've been helpful last weekend).

I still have to clean my pan. I will have to try that soap idea next year. Thanks Karen. Has anyone tried to use a pressure washer to clean off the pans? I am thinking of giving that a try.