Originally Posted by
sticknstring
Newbie here and maybe this isn't where I should post this, but I am in Cumberland county PA, so figgered I would search info out from my keystone state brethren.
Brand new to this maple syrup makin gig. Like, helped my buddy boil some sap down outside on a turkey fryer setup to the point where he was almost finished with some syrup in a pot on the stove. I tasted some out of that pot on a spoon and it was pretty dang good. Couldn't believe how good it was. That is the entirety of my experience on the whole syrup thing. Fast forward...... Just ordered a 20 tap kit off amazon, excited to get into this thing and make some syrup with my 4 and 7 year old girls. Now, I have been reading up a little bit, a lot on here, about the whole process of this and there is a ton of info, though no reading on the internet can come close to actually doing it. I am hoping to start though as far ahead, or probably more appropriately as little behind as possible. I realize its a ton of work for a little yield, though that yield will be worth a million dollars when we are covering the mickey mouse pancakes with it!
My questions are unlimited, but lets start with these few...
1) As far as the first collection, I am really starting from nothing here as I don't even have trees in mind yet to tap. My research has told me that I want to tap just sugar maples if possible to be working with sap that has a higher sugar content leading to less cooking time or at the very least more yield for work done. I've read about the hydrometers or whatever that measure the sugar content. Is that something worth putting money out for to just mess around a little with this stuff, or is there another way to test which trees may be giving off better sap, say by tasting the sap and focusing more on the trees that may have a sweeter taste?
2) With my buddy, he collected the sap in food grade buckets and stored until he was ready to cook down. Then used a propane turkey fryer. I have a propane turkey fryer, however, I am hoping to keep the cost down on whatever I can, so I am hoping I can set up to do the bulk of the cooking down on a wood campfire. I have an existing stone campfire ring and the materials to "choke it down" and set up the pot on to cook down. Feeding firewood will be much cheaper than running through propane tanks. In regards to this, how do you want the sap...boiling, rolling easy or just simmering? I would assume a good solid roll?
3) How do you know when it is finished? I read somewhere about a pound of syrup should weigh 11 lbs, so a cup should be around .6875 lbs or just shy of 7 oz? Or do you just go until it tastes the way you want it?
4) Bonus question for now... Is bark ID the best way to tell a sugar maple right now? Ive looked at a lot of pictures of the bark, and I think I spied me a bunch of decent sized sugar maples on a property down the road from my house, but its owned by the township, so I don't think I can work out anything on them. I do have access to a decent amount of woods that I have permission to hunt, I just need to put boots to the ground and find em....
Thanks for any help, your time is much appreciated
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