2019 Missouri Tapping Season

[RiverSap]

Bottling today. Walnut first. Will post a few pics when I am done.

[RiverSap]

goggleeye I was doing some research on RO for maple syrup. It looks like you can obtain a Brix of around 20 with a fairly simple setup. That means say you start with 1000 gallons of pure sap at 3 Brix which is typical of what comes out of the tree. If you run it through a RO unit and you only get 6 Brix you end up with 500 gallons to boil in stead of the 1000 gallons and you get the same qmount of syrup. If you run the RO farther and get to 12 Brix which is easily obtainable you end up with250 gallons to boil instead of that 1000 gallons. If you run it to say 20 Brix that would be less than 200 gallons to boil. It looks like you can get units that can process 500 gallons a day for around $500. If you daizy chain a number of modules together it looks like you can get to that 20 Brix fairly easily. Like anything once you get into it the final cost might move up. Any way that is my two cents.

[unclejohn]

Hey River, please post a photo of the walnut syrup when you can. Regarding RO, we have been considering it with 200 taps, just to reduce firewood consumption. There is the cost of the RO unit, but then you need to buy tanks, a pump, and more fittings/hoses, etc. And it may require more regular monitoring to make sure pressure across the membrane is OK, that there are no leaks that could damage the RO system, etc. We are busy, so we like to stoke the fire, fill the pans and go off and do other stuff. Having an RO might require more attention than we are ready to give. For our syrup, I just don't think it is compatible with our schedule. There is lots of firewood available and it can be cut when we want to.

[skinny78]

I have been using my RO from MES and it is doing great. Sure saves a lot of work! My manual suggest to not go over 8% to reduce membrane fouling. You can recirculate on the same tank and bring it up altogether, no need to have multiple units in my opinion. I do a single pass and it just keeps up with the evaporator, taking roughly 2% sap this year to 4%.

[brochtrupjd]

One thing my instruction book did not mention is how to clean the RO for the end of the season. I have a 25 400 membrane I believe.FwC9SPCGSR6ww9aFQ6C5ng.jpgFwC9SPCGSR6ww9aFQ6C5ng.jpg

[skinny78]

I do a soap wash at the end of the season and that is it. Who built your unit?

[Goggleeye]

Finished bottling the last of the syrup tonight. Total for the year was 188 gallons on about 500 taps. I'll count 'em when I pull 'em. The last canning batch gave a fruity flavor - something I have never experienced before. Not what I would call desirable, but not bad, either. Overall, it was a very good season, the sap came in very handleable amounts, so we were able to get it all processed while it was still fresh. Now for the woods clean-up so I'm ready for turkey season!

[OmannMaple]

Last of syrup bottled this weekend. 5.5 gal of syrup from 240 gal sap. Can't say I like cold weather but the late cold spell did freeze sap in storage buckets and concentrated the sap to close to 3%. Sure helped on the boil time. A most sucessful season.

[unclejohn]

Hey omann... Can u post some photos of your trees and evaporator? I grew up in w.g. South of the univ by i-44. Now live in columbia. Where are your trees? John

[buckeye gold]

Now for the woods clean-up so I'm ready for turkey season!

Now there's a man with his priorities in line. I'm in Ohio instead of Missouri, but I'm all in on turkey season and Saugeye/Walleye fishing for the spring with some mushroom hunting thrown in. I usually hunt 2-3 states, but I've never hunted Missouri.

Here's a chuckle.....I shot one of my 3/16th laterals last spring shooting a gobbler