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Thread: Making Sugar

  1. #11
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    Jul 2011
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    What grade of syrup works best for sugar? I'd like to try a batch.
    Whats the basic procedure after the sugar is made? Drying, sifting that kinda thing
    Thanks in advance

  2. #12
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    Mar 2009
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    Sumner, ME
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    Quote Originally Posted by MapleCamp View Post
    half gallon at a time sounds great to me, Can the KA handle it, sounds like some have tried. I can only do 16 oz at a time by hand. takes me about an hour per half gallon by hand. What attachment do you all use?
    We do 3 qts at a time by hand. I even have the wife trained and she's not exactly rugged. Use an 8 qt stainless pot and add a couple drops of oil at the start. Go to 260, take off heat and stir. Your wooden spoon needs to be rugged.

    We like to use amber as it seems to dry up quicker than dark. But I believe invert sugar has a lot to do with it, which we don't test for.

    A batch takes an hour plus to come up to temp, then stir hopefully for 15 minutes, but sometimes it takes longer. After it has cooled down we scrape it out into a bowl and start the next batch. We'll have two pots going at once, starting a batch every hour in one pot or the other. Often make 50-60 lbs in a day this way. Sift out the "crunchies" when we aren't stirring a fresh batch. One of us can do the whole procedure if we don't have distractions (kids) but usually we take turns as it can be a long day in the kitchen.

    Whats the basic procedure after the sugar is made? Drying, sifting that kinda thing
    We'll stir a couple times as it cools to keep it from clumping, then sift after a half hour or more. Some people like to sift it hot as you can press the chunks through the screen that way, but we find sifting is a lot faster once it has dried more and we have plenty of market for the crunchies anyway. Just use a stainless mesh strainer that you probably have in your kitchen. The mesh size can vary, so just go with one you like.
    Steven Abbott
    Over 900 taps on vacuum
    30" x 10' D&G Woodsaver evaporator with Steamaway
    Half acre market garden
    2 farmers in training

  3. #13
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    Mar 2011
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    Lancaster NH
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    Wow 3qts by hand would break my wrists. Some. batches are easier than others for me but 16oz at a wack is about it for me I use a dab of butter while heating and transfer to stainless bread bowl. I heat another while I stir . I got about 7 gallons of left over from last year that Im converting. Im trying to turn it into a 1 day job insted of 2 weeks.
    44 27'08/71 27'56
    300 totalish taps 250 on tube and bosworth sap sucker
    50 bucket and bags about 40-50 gallons a season
    on a 2 by 7 home made evaporator and sugar shack
    1st gen circa 1966 still learning stuff

  4. #14
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    Mar 2009
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    Sumner, ME
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    Quote Originally Posted by MapleCamp View Post
    Wow 3qts by hand would break my wrists. Some. batches are easier than others for me but 16oz at a wack is about it for me I use a dab of butter while heating and transfer to stainless bread bowl. I heat another while I stir . I got about 7 gallons of left over from last year that Im converting. Im trying to turn it into a 1 day job insted of 2 weeks.
    I would imagine it would be considerably more difficult in a bowl. Having it in a pot with a wide heavy bottom gives more stability. Through the hardest part of the stirring, we just keep chopping into the sugar and moving it in clumps, spinning the pot around as we go. Then when it really starts to dry, turn the spoon over and use the back of it to stir more thoroughly.

    I have also found that too much oil, while making it less likely to foam over on the stove, makes it stir harder. No idea why. And to be fair, if I'm doing more then a couple batches I do wear light gloves to avoid blisters. The wife always wears gloves. We've done as much as 9 gallons in a day. I can keep up with it solo, but usually she stirs at least a couple batches to give me a break. There have been other times when I've taken the kids on delivery or something and she's done 5-6 batches in a row by herself.

    It took some practice to learn the technique - we never would have considered doing this much at once when we first started. It's only in the last year that we've gone to doing two pots at once so we can do 60 lbs in a day (that's the amount our primary buyer takes each month.) I'll try to make a video when we have the next sugar day.

  5. #15
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    Thanks for the tips Abbott I am off to sugar camp for the week to put wood up and clean up everything. When I get home I will get back to sugar making. What size pan do you use. I liked the bread bowl as I could hold between my legs. Wow, 60lbs a day by hand is impressive.
    44 27'08/71 27'56
    300 totalish taps 250 on tube and bosworth sap sucker
    50 bucket and bags about 40-50 gallons a season
    on a 2 by 7 home made evaporator and sugar shack
    1st gen circa 1966 still learning stuff

  6. #16
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    Mar 2009
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    Sumner, ME
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    Quote Originally Posted by MapleCamp View Post
    Thanks for the tips Abbott I am off to sugar camp for the week to put wood up and clean up everything. When I get home I will get back to sugar making. What size pan do you use. I liked the bread bowl as I could hold between my legs. Wow, 60lbs a day by hand is impressive.
    We have an 8 qt pot that came as part of a set and we stole my mom's which is similar. I can't seem to find a new one that works as good - don't know why, but the ones I have tried foam up way too much and I have to add a lot of oil or turn the heat way down. Once the syrup is up to temp, we put it in the sink - an old single bay cast iron type - and stir it there. We scrape out and wash the pots with soap between every batch because it makes the results more consistent. Sure a small fraction of sugar is lost, but it seems to be worth it.

    Good Luck!

  7. #17
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    You mentioned a Hobart mixer for sugar. We use a table top Hobart (may be 14-18 qt bowl).
    Heat the 1+ gallon of syrup to 260F. Put into bowl. turn it on and walk away. Stop about half way through and scrape down the sides. Stir on low till fairly cool. No sifting required. Making 8 to 10 lbs.
    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

  8. #18
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    Mar 2009
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    Sumner, ME
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sugarmaker View Post
    You mentioned a Hobart mixer for sugar. We use a table top Hobart (may be 14-18 qt bowl).
    Heat the 1+ gallon of syrup to 260F. Put into bowl. turn it on and walk away. Stop about half way through and scrape down the sides. Stir on low till fairly cool. No sifting required. Making 8 to 10 lbs.
    Regards.
    Chris
    Now that's information I need as I look to get away from doing it all by hand. Just because I can doesn't mean it's the most efficient!

    What pot do you use to boil the syrup down? How long does it take to get up to density? Do you have any specs on the Hobart? Any defoamer added to the syrup? Any other tips?

    Thanks,
    Steve

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