First syrup of 2019??

[unclejohn]

I tapped about 120 of our trees on Jan 14-16, and the despite the gloomy days with lows in 20's and highs in mid 30's, the trees ran like crazy. We harvested 166 gallons from these trees on Jan 16-18, and they stopped running when the arctic cold came into mid Missouri on Saturday.

So we cut a dead oak and split it, and boiled over the weekend in bitter cold (no sugar shack), throwing a log or two in during commercials during the Chiefs/Patriots game. (Brady/Belichick, your dynasty will end soon.) Today we finished in the kitchen the most beautiful golden buttery flavored syrup, and got 17 quarts. Maybe the first boil of any size in the US in 2019?

Now the arctic blast has left, and tomorrow could be in the 40's with rain, then another arctic blast. Will check our bush tomorrow to see if there is any liquid that can be harvested. Our long range forecast into February indicates temps way below normal. In past years we have had good flows intermittently from mid Jan through Feb.

FYI there are quite a few hobbyist producers in Missouri, mostly located in the hills around tributaries of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, most in the eastern and southeastern part of the state. I think the largest producers have about 900 trees and sell at farmers markets etc. Despite the small size of these operations, some have tubing, some have RO, and I have even seen a Canadian-made arch that boils off 40 gals/hr, in southeast MO. I'm trying to build a network of MO producers, so if you know any, please have them check in to the Missouri tapping 2019 blog on MT.

Good luck to all of you up north and northeast; your run is coming. John

[SpokaneMaple]

"first boil of any size in the US in 2019?"

Hey John,

I think my 2 cups of Norway Maple Syrup boiled on January 5th and additional 2 cups boiled on January 12th beats you by a little bit, lol. But then again I am WAY out here in Washington state just dinking around with a single tap. I can't seem to figure out how this maple tree is averaging 5-6 gallons of sap per week! Is that normal for you guys? There is absolutely zero people I know anywhere near me I can ask questions of, so I'm just trying to get an idea of what to expect and whether I'm "doing it right".

Adam

[unclejohn]

Adam, you are on the best website for finding help. See if you can find a few more trees around you to make it more worthwhile to boil sap and get a quantity of syrup you can preserve and enjoy all year. In the right conditions, our trees, 12" DBH (that's diameter at breast height) can yield several gallons per day. You will find that the sap flow is dependent on temperatures at night and day, barometric pressure, soil moisture conditions, tree location, amount of sunlight it gets, and probably other factors the PhD's can discuss. So its a gamble. I have some trees produce drips faster than my heartbeat, and only 10 feet away another tree does nothing. Something to keep in mind, sap can spoil. So if you have to store it between boils, treat it like milk. And after you have boiled up to the correct density (or up to the correct temperature) depending on your measuring preference, use a good filter. There is bacteria, sugar sand, and other foreign compounds in sap that you need to eliminate to make a clear product.

I recommend you lurk around all the discussion topics on MapleTrader to learn more. One thing for sure, once you get into this hobby, you want to expand and increase your sap production anyway you can. Spokane may not get weather that is conducive to regular sap flow, but keep going! Also suggest you go to YouTube for many good videos on tapping maple trees. John

[SpokaneMaple]

Thanks John,

Totally agree! I've been guzzling research and YouTube for the last 3 months. I got the tap kit at Christmas and we've had 3 weeks of 25-45 degree weather since. The Norways in my vicinity are all around 25-27" DBH. I just have the one tap in the single tree for now because I'm honestly a little intimidated of getting in over my head in sap. Just trying to figure out the rhythm from scratch. I'll post a pic of my Wk 2 batch of syrup later tonight. I used a fabric cheese cloth to strain the sugar sand and it appeared to work really well. No sight of sand in the final jar that I can see.

Cheers!

Adam

[Skeller001]

after you have boiled up to the correct density (or up to the correct temperature) depending on your measuring preference, use a good filter. There is bacteria, sugar sand, and other foreign compounds in sap that you need to eliminate to make a clear product. John

John, do you have a recommendation for us novices on how we can filter properly?

Steve

[Thegreg20]

I wanna tap so badly but forecast isn't looking to good for the next 10 days in Massachusetts. 2 days of flow isn't worth destroying my little production that I do with 20 taps. Plus I still need to get my cheap RO system put back together.

[unclejohn]

For filtering it depends on what volume of syrup you are making and what kind of finishing process you use. I would go to the MapleTrader discussion about bottling syrup, and look at photos of what producers use.

we use the conical wool filter, with the Pelon inner filter, which we change periodically as we are bottling. You can buy these filters from the syrup supply houses on the internet. But it requires a frame to hang the filter. Good luck! John

[maple flats]

Back when I made my first syrup, just for our family use, we filtered using a double washed, then well rinsed tee shirt, folded so it made 4 layers. That did OK. Later, when I first started commercially I bought a synthetic cone filter and a few prefilters. That year I only made 10.5 gal but it taught me the cone was not a good choice, too slow. The next 2 years I used a flat filter with 5 pre-filters on top, removing the top one as it plugged, and then the next as needed.
If you stay real small, like 15-20 taps, a cone will work OK. Look up Bascom Maple or any other maple equipment supplier and order 1 filter and at least 3 or more pre-filters.
On this site, look uo "getting the most using a cone filter".
Tapping, on a tree over 20" you can put 2 taps in. Just grow in the number of taps until you find how many you can process. If you need to save sap a few days, keep it cold. Think of it like milk, if it gets warm it spoils faster.

[SpokaneMaple]

This is what round 2 looked like after filtering through 2- layer cheese cloth in conical strainer. Lol.
20190111_190157.jpg