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Thread: Backyard syrup enthusiasts

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Farmington Maine area 44.6* N
    Posts
    62

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mvhomesteader View Post

    Does anyone have a suggestion(s) for cleaning the black sugar coating off stainless steel pans? This is the stuff that, at least for me, accumulates as the boil wears on, particularly near the end from the steam. I let them soak overnight and use a fine sandpaper which works OK, but would love something requiring less elbow grease. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
    Have good luck with Bar Keepers Friend. Specifically designed for SS, non abrasive but works better than anything else we have tried. Check the cleaning
    section at the grocery store.
    I notice my preheater steamer pan gets some scorching because it sits down in the fire pit whereas my big pan sitting on top doesn't get scorched.
    Good luck with the big boil and clean up.
    Last edited by woodsy; 03-29-2018 at 05:22 PM.
    Backyard Sugarin' since 1991
    Concrete block wood burner
    24 taps on gallon jugs
    2' x 2' x 6" SS pan
    5 gal. SS steamer pan for preheating
    89 Arctic Cat Panther sap hauler

    Making a few gallons syrup most years.
    Maple Baked Beans
    Maple Oat Sourdough Bread
    Maple Wine

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Farmington Maine area 44.6* N
    Posts
    62

    Default

    Final boil: I gave the flat sheet Orlon another try with a couple layers of new cotton t shirt pre filter material
    and was happy with the clarity. There was a lot of gunk from this boil. Filtered once from the big pan about 214* entering the finishing pot
    and then filtered again when it hit syrup temp . My last batch with just cotton t shirt material was not quite as clear but acceptable IMO.

    P1080060.jpg
    Backyard Sugarin' since 1991
    Concrete block wood burner
    24 taps on gallon jugs
    2' x 2' x 6" SS pan
    5 gal. SS steamer pan for preheating
    89 Arctic Cat Panther sap hauler

    Making a few gallons syrup most years.
    Maple Baked Beans
    Maple Oat Sourdough Bread
    Maple Wine

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

    Default

    Grand finale for the season today starting at 9 and bottled by 6. I ran 65 gallons through the pans and my wife and I bottled 5.5 quarts, so a final sugar content of 2.1% ish. Looking at the taps that have been pulled I see very little sap run.

    So at the conclusion of the third season we bottled 7 gallons, our most ever, boiling 285 gallons of sap for an average sugar of almost 2.5%. The new stove arrangement worked better than I had hoped. We had intended to do only 2-3 boils this year as there was a lot of other things on the table, but the efficiency of the stove made it palatable to do a few more boils. Since the sap ran great in March I always had a ready supply for a weekly boil of 50 or so gallons. I am satisfied with the season, ready to tackle some house projects, and look forward to doing it again next year. I'm sure there will be some improvements, such as excavating the area around the stove and backfilling with crushed gravel to eliminate the mud bath, perhaps a stove door on a hinge, revamped wood pile (affectionately known as the sap and crap pile), etc.

    I kept a bunch of volume records for the 13 trees tapped (15 total taps, two had 2) which was interesting though I probably wouldn't bother next year. Of interest, the three best flow days of occurred after the big snow storms-2 in March, 1 late February. I tapped most trees 2/13 and started collecting sap 2/15. Several trees were clear winners but one produced over 30 gallons of sap, a nice sugar maple 18"-20" on a rock wall between a field and orchard. Brix levels began mostly 2.8 to 3.4, but dropped steadily as March progressed.

    So wash buckets, pull the last few taps, clean up, and enjoy April 1. Good luck to all who are still in the game!
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Farmington Maine area 44.6* N
    Posts
    62

    Default

    Nice haul of syrup for 15 taps homesteader. Those big and healthy maples can really
    put out some sap, not that I have but a few like that.
    Backyard Sugarin' since 1991
    Concrete block wood burner
    24 taps on gallon jugs
    2' x 2' x 6" SS pan
    5 gal. SS steamer pan for preheating
    89 Arctic Cat Panther sap hauler

    Making a few gallons syrup most years.
    Maple Baked Beans
    Maple Oat Sourdough Bread
    Maple Wine

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Fort Plain, NY, Montgomery County
    Posts
    661

    Default Upstate NY back yarder

    Pulled taps on 2 maples that slowed up. Have 3 taps in the sugar maple that is still running. Dripping good clear sap. Ron will be boiling in the a.m. So 6 taps this year and so far 14 pints golden from 94 gallons sap at 2%. Not bad. Put the cone filter in a coffee urn and worked perfectly. Boiling on the fish fryer. I'm so happy he's had this to do. I stand in our front yard looking around and I'm still stunned that we're living here on this little corner lot in this little village. The memories of the privacy and beauty of our farm comes back in waves to really flatten us at times. Enjoy the last days of the sap run

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    1

    Default Gorham - Back Yarder

    Gorham back yarder here.

    This is our second year boiling sap. The first year was when the kids were little - 1998'ish, and kettle syrup over a fire pit. At that time we burned what seemed like a cord of wood and got 1 pint of smoke flavored syrup!

    The kids are mostly grown now and for this season we've gone "All in" with a WF Mason 2x4 XL that sits in 12x16 shed. We tapped 50 trees using drop tubes into buckets and collected sap with a 1997 ski-doo. Finished on propane, bottled into mason jars, and ended the season with 9.75 gallons of syrup.

    Iv'e got a list of things to improve on for next year. The first priority is better bulk sap storage and a big roof cupola to vent steam. Coolers and buckets buried in snow worked for storage but it's a lot of sap shuffling on big boil days. Hoping to handle the steam issue with a 2'x6' cupola before next season.

    Overall, we're pleased with the season and i'm very impressed with the WF Mason 2x4. Looking forward to next season already!

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