Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[tcross]

what causes the odor from the steam when boiling if it's not due to the tree budding? i am curious to know because i can't think of what else would cause the steam to smell. when the smell first popped up, i was boiling fresh sap that was still coming in. it tasted normal and was crystal clear. bulk tank and feed tank were both cleaned that morning and evaporator cleaned the evening prior. like i mentioned before, my syrup still tasted just fine, but the odor from the steam started to increase rapidly after the first hour ... hour and a half so we quit before i ruined the batch and wasted wood. it's never happened to me before, so it would be kind of nice to know what the cause was. if that's even possible.

[maple flats]

Do you have any other than reds tapped? I believe sugars will make buddy syrup, they do not stop their sap flow like Reds do, and maybe silvers don't stop either.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

Pulled the plug this morning. Made 500 gallons off of 1700 taps. Not an excellent year but one I am happy with.

[tcross]

i have a mix of red's, silver and sugar. if i had to guess i'd say 50% sugar, 5% silver and 45% red. out of 220 taps. i know the sugar maples are not the suspect... they're not even showing budding signs yet. perhaps the few silvers i have are the culprit? not really a huge deal... i'm pretty content with this years production considering the weather patterns we had up here.

[blissville maples]

TC....I chased the issue last year as year prior to that is was horrible, I couldn't even stand to be in the sugarhouse!! Last year I pulled all reds two weeks early and that didn't help, I then contribute it to the nasty poly tanks that had sap for 10-11 weeks in them building yeast etc. as I have not gone stainless, my releaser sit on top so I usually only rinse them once or twice.

This year I tapped end of February, went until last weekend and didn't come across the odor at all, actually the last few boils smelt pleasant. I do believe it's from the sap quality from sitting in the tanks. And I collect at least daily, so I also believe the bacteria changes the sap quality quite quickly, hoping to upgrade tanks so they are easier to clean.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

Blissville, I had the same issue last year and upgrade to stainless tanks this year. Easier to clean and sap doesn't heat up as quickly and helped quality quite a bit.

[wiam]

Made another 25 tonight. DR. Very heavy maple taste no off flavor. Still running lightly. Going to try again tomorrow....

[Mead Maple]

Made another 25 tonight. DR. Very heavy maple taste no off flavor. Still running lightly. Going to try again tomorrow....

Wow go wiam! I saw 72 on the interstate going from Middlesex to Barre. Spent the day felling trees at work and couldn’t figure out why we sweat so bad all day long until I got in the truck to head home and saw the temperature!!


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[wdchuck]

Made another 25 tonight. DR. Very heavy maple taste no off flavor. Still running lightly. Going to try again tomorrow....

.....and we're giving it another go over here as well! Sap has been coming in since Wed nights light freeze- fairly clear, but the syrup is still good quality. Until it takes a major turn for the worse, I'm still in it. Plan to boil this sfternoon and should make another 30 gals'

[spud]

That is nice you guys are still in it. I hope you make a bunch more. Good luck.

Spud