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Thread: Jefferson County - My First Boil Ever

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
    Posts
    5,099

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    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
    Casbohm Maple and Honey
    625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
    3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
    12" SIRO Filter Press.
    2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
    One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
    Too many Cub Cadets
    Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
    1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck

    www.mapleandhoney.com

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sugarmaker View Post
    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
    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.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Florissant Missouri
    Posts
    137

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    How great is it to make one's one syrup?
    Crazy River Sap
    55 sugar maple, 15 walnut taps on plastic buckets and tubing
    Block arch on driveway

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

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    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.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

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    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.

    150215_Maple_Syrup_Boil.jpg

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Florissant Missouri
    Posts
    137

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    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.
    Crazy River Sap
    55 sugar maple, 15 walnut taps on plastic buckets and tubing
    Block arch on driveway

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

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    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.

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Florissant Missouri
    Posts
    137

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    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.
    IMG_0592.jpg
    Crazy River Sap
    55 sugar maple, 15 walnut taps on plastic buckets and tubing
    Block arch on driveway

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

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

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Caledon, Ontario
    Posts
    1,930

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    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!
    ~ Karen ~

    2012 - 10 taps, 1 turkey fryer - 169.5L sap 4.2 L syrup
    2013 - 23 taps, 2 turkey fryers - 748.5 L sap 17.56 L syrup

    2014 - 22 taps, 509 L sap 12.5 L syrup
    2015 - 28 taps, 1093.75 L sap 25.1 L syrup
    2016 - 25 taps, 1223.5 L sap 28.25 L syrup
    2017 - 21 taps, 518.5 L sap 12.7 L syrup
    2018 - 28 taps, 2 turkey fryers & Denali 3 burner propane stove - 798L sap 16.9 L syrup
    2019 - 28 taps, 1409.5L sap 40.12L syrup

    Sugar, Norway, Manitoba, Silver and Freeman Maples



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