I processed my first batch. Ended up with just shy of 2 pints. One jar is clear (it's beautiful!!!!!), but the other one is cloudy. Same batch...what did I do wrong? Also, neither of the jars self-sealing (I make apple butter and am used to the jars sealing on their own .)
Hobbyist
2018: Finally decided to get in the game
I "blame"the Maple Sugar festival at Rockwood Reservations for my new obsession.
got 4.5 gallons of beautiful amber delicious syrup from the first 140gallons of sap. then saturday pm i collected another 30 gallons of sap and with the cold snap it will keep well till the next boil. due to recent warmer days the ants are visiting the buckets.
regarding bucket sources, also visit your grocery store bakery- if the decorate c akes they throw away lots of icing buckets.
skinny - this is my first year using some sap sacks hanging on a small pvc pipe section that mounts on the spile. found the idea on a youtube video. so far i like the sacks, well see if the varmints bother them as much as the buckets.
rslun- if syrup is cloudy maybe you need to buy some of the filter material- i believe its called pellon. most of us use a conical pellon filter liner inside a conical wool filter but for small volumes like yours maybe a small piece of pellon in a colander would work. check the websites of the syrup supply houses for filter material.
2020: 220 trees, most smaller than 20" diameter, made 25 gallons
remote location in western Cole County
5/16" plastic spiles, drain into plastic buckets or sapsaks
haul sap out of woods using atv & trailer
wood-fired pans on concrete blocks
one Leader Half Pint 24 x 33" plus 24 x 30 ss pan from a junkyard
cook batch process then finish in the kitchen;
we dont sell our syrup; its for family & friends
see website www.mosyrup.com
Rslun, I often run small batches and get some that are cloudy. I just let them sit for a day or two in a mason jar, and the cloudiness settles to the bottom. I then draw off the top portion with a syringe or turkey baster. The cloudy portion still tastes just fine to me. I just don't like to give it away.
2016: 5 taps. 5 gal of sap. 1 pint of syrup. Hooked on syrup making!
2017: 12 taps. 50 gal of sap. 1 gal of syrup. 1 cup of brown sugar. Turkey fryer evaporator
2018: 25 taps. 120 gal of sap. 3 gal of syrup. 2 burner propane evaporator. Bought a Brix meter.
2019: Planning to tap 25 trees. Building a concrete block evaporator.
I use 7/16" aluminum spiles connected to 3/4" plastic tubing and draining into covered 5 gal buckets.
Walnut tapping update: I have gotten about 9 gallons of sap so far (tapped 10 trees on 1/19) I boiled down 6 gallons today and got 24 oz syrup. It is sweet and nutty and delicious! I didn't filter it though and I probably should have.
The weather is still going to be nice the next couple weeks, so hopefully I'll get another batch or two!
27458908_10101447419911515_9195509021367601062_n.jpg
Hobbyist! My first year... not maples, but walnuts! I have ten taps on ten trees (tapped on Jan 19th) outside of Topeka, KS.
I've collected 26 gal so far from my 12 taps before temps fell again. I have about 1/2 gal of finished syrup. I had forgotten just how good fresh syrup is. How is everyone else doing?
2016: 5 taps. 5 gal of sap. 1 pint of syrup. Hooked on syrup making!
2017: 12 taps. 50 gal of sap. 1 gal of syrup. 1 cup of brown sugar. Turkey fryer evaporator
2018: 25 taps. 120 gal of sap. 3 gal of syrup. 2 burner propane evaporator. Bought a Brix meter.
2019: Planning to tap 25 trees. Building a concrete block evaporator.
I use 7/16" aluminum spiles connected to 3/4" plastic tubing and draining into covered 5 gal buckets.
nice going Maple Creek. No doubt you will have more trees and taps next year. In our 2nd boil we got another 5.5 gallons of great tasting syrup from 140 gallons of sap. Before this cold snap hit we harvested another 100 gallons of sap, and we're keeping it cold until the sap runs again. Trees are asleep now, but they might run on Thursday if it is sunny, and next week looks promising. john
2020: 220 trees, most smaller than 20" diameter, made 25 gallons
remote location in western Cole County
5/16" plastic spiles, drain into plastic buckets or sapsaks
haul sap out of woods using atv & trailer
wood-fired pans on concrete blocks
one Leader Half Pint 24 x 33" plus 24 x 30 ss pan from a junkyard
cook batch process then finish in the kitchen;
we dont sell our syrup; its for family & friends
see website www.mosyrup.com
WOW,,,, 5.5 gallons of great tasting syrup from 140 gallons of sap. ....About 25 to 1????
2012 200 taps on buckets,,, Built me a 2' X 11' arch,,, hope to put most on tubing next year.
2011 100 taps on buckets, 30x 60 flat pan
2009 63 taps on buckets,,,, 30x60 flat pan
We got some trees tapped last night, 112 taps so far and just in time to catch the run today. Hopefully, we will be sweetening the pans tonight!
Matthew
Highly modified Leader Half Pint with Smoky Lake 2 x 4 Raised Flue
14' Grain Bin Sugar House
152 taps on 3/16 tubing
MES Dolly 100 RO
Homemade filter/canning tank with an electric water jacket
Kubota RTV 1100
http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/j...Maple%20Syrup/
tapped my usual 50 this morning and there dripping away. next week should be a good one if the weather holds true to forecast. new this year is a float box and head tank hopefully a little less work keeeping the pan full.
John
50+ taps mix of sugar maples, blacks and reds
Home built oil tank evaporator airtight w/Auf blower
2x4 flat continuous flow pan
Steam pan filter bottler
Honda big red and 6gal containers for sap collection
55gal blue barrels for storage
Looking to build sugar shack for equipment storage
Hi Johnnyf and Skinny.... glad you got 'em tapped. Next week looks like good flow conditions. Today the trees weren't making much; still kinda chilled from the previous 2 cold nights. We've started a boil of 80 gallons of sap and will add tomorrow's collection to the boil.
Sugarbush Ridge- maybe I counted our totes wrong but I think it was a 25:1 ratio on the 2nd batch. I hope you have the time to make some syrup, but I know you are dealing with some challenges. Your nearby syrupman Goggleeye north of Jackson MO has been busy, I wonder if he has time to post and give us an update. John
2020: 220 trees, most smaller than 20" diameter, made 25 gallons
remote location in western Cole County
5/16" plastic spiles, drain into plastic buckets or sapsaks
haul sap out of woods using atv & trailer
wood-fired pans on concrete blocks
one Leader Half Pint 24 x 33" plus 24 x 30 ss pan from a junkyard
cook batch process then finish in the kitchen;
we dont sell our syrup; its for family & friends
see website www.mosyrup.com
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