Eastern Ontario 2018

[Galena]

Anyhow after last years tapping and boiling experience I'm now even more intrigued about it all, if not already hooked. Wishing all a good tapping season.

And thanks for all your posts everyone. This newb is learning heaps.

Hehe, funny how that happens :-) Feel free to ask any questions. Whereabouts are you located? That way you can get some idea as to how things are in relation to sugar makers near you.

[Vandy]

Steam was rising in Delta last night on way to hockey in Athens with my son.

Going to tap sat..

[Maplelane1]

Hi Galena - I'm in Douro Dummer TWP, just 10 min northeast of Lakefield.

Question:
Our syrup last year had a slight smokey flavour and I chalk that up to the makeshift evaporator we used with pans resting on cinder blocks over an open flame. That said, can the smokey flavour be 'filtered' out?

Had planned to tap today but held off because the overnight temp was -7 and the high today barely reached 0. Maybe tomorrow but for sure this weekend.

[Galena]

Hi Galena - I'm in Douro Dummer TWP, just 10 min northeast of Lakefield.

Question:
Our syrup last year had a slight smokey flavour and I chalk that up to the makeshift evaporator we used with pans resting on cinder blocks over an open flame. That said, can the smokey flavour be 'filtered' out?

Had planned to tap today but held off because the overnight temp was -7 and the high today barely reached 0. Maybe tomorrow but for sure this weekend.

This weekend should be perfect, but go with what your local longterm forecast says. I don't even know where your area is will have to google it.

So you made smokey syrup - dang! I'm always trying to make my syrup smokey! You've already answered your own question in terms of how you made it, albeit accidentally :-) And I very much doubt that it can be filtered out. Trying to contain the fire somehow should help - my own evaporator is a tiny old cast-iron woodstove with two removable burner pans in the top. Smoke goes out via a chimney and doesn't get in the sap.

Generally us small hobbysists use the evaporator to get the bulk of the sap boiled off, then finish on a stove with a controllable heat source. So I'll wait til I've got about 1g of nearup - sap that's been boiled way down but still not quite syrup - get out my ol' faithful finishing pot set to work. Get a really good digital candy thermometer - I pd $30 for one from Hendrix, a restaurant-supply store. It's a syrup saver.

Hope this helps!

[Maplelane1]

Hope this helps!

Yes, it does.

[Galena]

Hey, didn't you say that batch went moldy? Surely you're not trying to filter smokey flavour out of moldy syrup, are you? Just be aware that the mold could be botulism. Invest in a good hydrotherm and cup so you can accurately measure the density of your syrup this year.

[Maplelane1]

It went moldy after a few months of storage - we threw the lot out. We do a lot of canning with sealer jars (pickles etc.) so my guess is we didn't do a good job of sterilizing the jars we used nor did we pasteurize properly. Will make changes this year for sure.

Re filtering the smokey flavor out: I meant can the smokey flavor be filtered out at time of bottling, not after. I use a block arch but didn't install a flue so it was quite smokey around the pans - which i'm assuming is how the smokey flavor was infused in the syrup. Will install a flue this year and hopefully that reduces the smokey flavor. I mean, it had a unique flavor but not 'pure' maple syrup.

We finished the syrup the same way, and used a thermometer to know when it was done. Prior to the batch going bad the syrup was quite good. It's all a learning process. Hence the excitement about this year: try anew !!

[Galena]

Yes, a thermometer comes in handy to ensure that you're finishing it at the right temp....But did you use a hydrotherm to check the density? It has to be as close to that red line as much as possible, like within 2 hashmarks either way, if not bang on. That is much more important.

In terms of storing in glass, you have to ensure that the jar is heated to 185 degrees for 10 min. And the syrup (assuming you're doing it straight from cold) has to be heated to no less than 185, and NO MORE THAN 190. Otherwise you'll end up with nitre, aka sugar sand, forming in the bottom. I generally bring it up to heat over medium, certainly don't crank it to high. Make sure you use new lids if doing Mason jars and that the collars are either new or not corroded. If using jugs, use only new lids, and of course they have to be heated to temp too.

BTW at what temp did you finish your syrup? And the smokey flavour is completely infused in the syrup, no way to get rid of it. Enjoy it! Or send it to me! ;-)

[JeffB]

Wowzers!!! Fly back in from Mexico to find Maple Season is about to start ! I better get to work this weekend.

Maplelane...all cinder block arches will give syrup a hint of Smokey essencese. There really no way to get away from it or remove it ... unless u go to a sealed arch and pan set up.

Do yourself a favour Maplelane ..buy new syrup bottles and lids it saves a lot of time and effort eliminating the sterilization process.
Bottle syrup at minimum185° and no more then 200° max..put the cap on ..lay bottles on their side. At 185° or more will sterilize the lid and create a vacuum seal .
I package all my syrup this way and have never had mold..

[Maplelane1]

Thank you both for the tips!

I didn't bottle at 185. Once the sap was finished I removed from heat then prepared the jars... Clearly a mistake. I won't do that this year. I also did not use a hydrotherm... Do i need one? I mean, if I tell my wife I have to buy something a stranger on-line told me to she'll give me that look.