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Thread: First Year Maple sap collector

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Posts
    215

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    Overnight is fine. Our sap sits outside sometimes for a day in 50 and 60 degree temps
    Dave Barker
    2014 30 taps, steam tray pans
    2015 ~100 taps, in conjunction with University of Louisville
    2x5 Smoky Lake hybrid pan
    2022 150 taps

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    35

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    Thank you!

    I sat the buckets outside overnight, and they were thawed enough for me to boil.

    I am a bit disappointed in my batch though. I did everything like I did last time. My first batch has a butterscotch flavor, with a little bit of a smoky kick.

    I made a half-gallon of syrup on my second batch. The taste is throwing me off though. The initial taste is very sweet, butterscotch/vanilla flavor. But it has a strange aftertaste, almost an alcohol taste to it. I have no idea what I may have done or what would cause that. I tested the syrup when I was finishing boiling with my hyrdrometer, and it was well within the range of syrup. Anybody have anything similar happen?

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    35

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    Maybe it is best described as maple whisky flavor. I finally found another post where someone had described something similar. At least I do not feel alone .

    Today should be a really good run - then back to the rain. I am about ready for another boil.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
    Posts
    5,099

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    Check the smell of the steam as your getting close to syrup. Sap can have problems with metabolic flavors to various degrees that you have no control over. (this can be from mild to mr. YUK!) That said double check all your systems for flavor gremlins that you can control.
    Good luck with your season. Keep boiling!
    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

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
    Posts
    5,099

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    Went back and looked at previous threads and pictures.
    Good helpers you got there !
    I would not lower the arch yet. Looks about right to me.
    On frozen sap. The ice generally doesn't have much sugar content so set it aside and just boil the concentrated sap from the center of the ice block. (get a long stem sap hydrometer or a sap refractometor to check.
    Your not doing anything wrong on filtering. Once the filter stops letting syrup through you might as well dump that syrup back in the pan heat it, rinse the filter and start with hot syrup.
    Keep boiling!
    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

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    35

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    Thanks for the reply. My problem is that I store 5-gallon buckets in the freezer, the ice in the picture is really about 9/10 of the sap from one bucket. It wasn't a soft freeze, the whole bucket was frozen (I just sat it outside the night before to let it thaw some).

    I smell / taste the sap throughout the boiling process. The odd part was even down to the finishing, I never tasted the off taste. It has made me quite paranoid. I ordered a new finishing filter / prefilters.

    I have been boiling with stainless buffet steam pans. Two boils in, they have some burn marks all over the inside of the pans (some worse than others). I am having a difficult time cleaning them. Trying water and vinegar, but some of them are not coming off. Would this pose any risk to any off flavor of syrup?

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Green County Kentucky
    Posts
    188

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    Net splitter
    Do you need any sap? I’ve got more than I plan on boiling in the next few days. I could probably fix you up with about 100 gallons. If you want any this weekend, let me know. I’m a little over an hour away in Green County.
    Sorghum Producer
    60 Bee Hives
    200 Acres of Ky hills
    225 Taps on Gravity
    2018 - Lapierre 2X8 Storm
    1963 Military M37 Sap Hauler
    and if things get tough...M35A2
    youtube videos

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    203

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    If I were closer , id take you up on the extra sap!

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Wow what an offer! This being my first year, I am not able to store more than around 40 gallons at a time - and I am at full capacity myself. I also am using an outside arch, so I probably will not get to boil until this rain we are about to get stops.

    I do appreciate you offering that though, very generous - so thank you.

    Afretired - do you sale maple syrup? I would love to try some other syrup from KY - I have yet to taste any syrup made locally from this area, other than my own.

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