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Thread: 2019 sap sugar content

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
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    Scio Twp
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    Default 2019 sap sugar content

    This is just my second year making maple syrup. I tried it last year just to see if I could do it. I ended up with about 2 pints of syrup (which was my goal), and my ratio of sap to syrup was about 33:1. This year, I decided to collect 10 gallons of sap, and ended up with 3.75 pints. That's a ratio of 21.3:1. I told a coworker (who used to peoduce maple syrup commercially) and he lent me his sap hydrometer. The sugar content was 3.9%. I'm not sure if the sugar content remains constant during the season or if it changes, but what I measured was sap collected 4 days after my initial 10 gallons. My single sugar maple is in the midsle of my yard and gets full sun from about noon until 5, and I'm sure that makes a difference. I am curious to know what others have found this year regarding sugar content of sap and sap:syrup ratios.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    mason Mi.
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    81

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    Our sugar has been really good this year. Some road trees over 4% woods averaged over 3%. We have boiled over 20,000 gallons of sap, and made over 700 gallons of syrup. Looks like a good week this week.
    Over 100 years of family syrup making, still learning

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
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    Scio Twp
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    Thanks for the information. In your experience, does the sugar content vary through the season? In other words, is the highest sugar content typically at the start or at the end of the season? Just curious.

  4. #4
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    Feb 2013
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    mason Mi.
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    The sugar will drop off then the season will be over. Our sugar has dropped abit. We will be over 1000 gallons of syrup made today.
    Over 100 years of family syrup making, still learning

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Kent City, Michigan
    Posts
    34

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    It will vary - This year I started off with 3.2%, my highest was a couple days at 3.6% and had dropped slowly to 2.4% over 2 weeks before I stopped. I have a mix of mostly box elders, with a few silver and sugar maples. I've been as high as 4% previous years and stopped when it dropped to 2 - 2.2%

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Scio Twp
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    Thank you both for the additional info. Knowing that the sugar content may rise slightly after the sap starts running and then tapers off will help with next year's collection.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    West Michigan
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    49

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    Quote Originally Posted by Shirlsaw63 View Post
    It will vary - This year I started off with 3.2%, my highest was a couple days at 3.6% and had dropped slowly to 2.4% over 2 weeks before I stopped. I have a mix of mostly box elders, with a few silver and sugar maples. I've been as high as 4% previous years and stopped when it dropped to 2 - 2.2%
    When/what date did you stop this year? Was the drop in sugar content the reason you stopped then or were other factors like buddy taste or tree buds that you considered in when to stop?

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