My plan

[Swingpure]

I have yet to tap a tree or boil an ounce of sap, but I have the bug bad. I have read many, many articles on it, watched many you tube videos and have chatted up local syrup makers. I have been posting about my cinder block evaporator build and almost have it dialed in after it’s third test. Still some tweaks to do.

This is my plan after hauling down the sap from the trees. I will have the ability to store about 120 gallons of sap. Right now I will be tapping 36 trees, that may go up. For the most part I will be collecting the sap and boiling.

I will filter the raw sap into the storage containers. (2 45 gallon covered drums and 5 gallon pails. All food grade.

The sap will be stored outdoors, covered in snow banks. When I get 60 gallons stored, or after two days being stored, I will start boiling.

I will boil it to close to syrup, but stop before it does. I will pour it, while it is still hot, through a wet filter into a pail. I will keep that pail in a snowbank until I am ready to finish it.

I received my finishing pot today, it is magnetic stainless steel and I will heat the nearup on an induction range. I will test it with a candy thermometer, hydrotherm and a refractometer. My goal is to get it to between 67 and 67.5 Brix. When it is done, I will filter it once more into a pail and store it in a snowbank until I am ready to bottle it. (I will use the same pot and induction range to boil some sap, while I am evaporating.)

On September 8th, I pick up a brew kettle with a ball valve and thermometer. When it comes time for bottling, will slowly reheat the syrup while stirring and when it reaches between 185 and 190 degrees, I will fill preheat jars and bottles, cap them and then turn them upside down for five seconds. Then I am done, other than cleaning up.


Is there any major mistakes to my plan?

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[aamyotte]

One observation of your plan is the snowbank. I did the same this past spring with my 45 gallon storage tank set in the snowbank. The rains and quick melt this spring made my snow melt fast. That coupled with 15 to 20 degree Celsius days I had to switch to an alternate method to keep my sap cool. I made sap cubes by putting sap in ice cream container and throwing them in the freezer overnight. In the morning I would put 3 or 4 sap cubes in the barrel then make new ones. This kept my sap safe for the few days until the boil.
From my understanding this past spring was not very good from a sap yield perspective.

[Swingpure]

I made sap cubes by putting sap in ice cream container and throwing them in the freezer overnight. In the morning I would put 3 or 4 sap cubes in the barrel then make new ones. This kept my sap safe for the few days until the boil.
From my understanding this past spring was not very good from a sap yield perspective.

Clever idea, thank you.

Yes last spring was certainly different.

[Sugar Bear]

I will boil it to close to syrup, but stop before it does. I will pour it, while it is still hot, through a wet filter into a pail. I will keep that pail in a snowbank until I am ready to finish it.
Attachment 22483
Attachment 22484

I do this but use a stainless steel pot ( minimum 16 quart pot ) rather then a pail. Not sure what the pail is??? I keep the stainless steel pot stored in a refrigerator inside. That way I don't have to worry about critters getting into it.

If I have more to add to it within a few days I add it. Sometimes I have two steel pots going at one time.

I usually don't let it go more then 2 or 3 days before I take it to syrup on propane in those same pot/pots.

Then it goes into 1/2 gallon mason jars.

Settles nearly all sugar sand to the bottom after a few weeks.

Can be pored off effectively for reheating and rebottling if need be.

[Swingpure]

I do this but use a stainless steel pot ( minimum 16 quart pot ) rather then a pail. Not sure what the pail is??? I keep the stainless steel pot stored in a refrigerator inside. That way I don't have to worry about critters getting into it..

The “pail” was just going to be a 5 gallon plastic food grade pail with a lid on it. I do have one 16 qt stainless steel pot that I was going to use for some supplemental boiling and finishing. I guess getting a second one would be a better vessel to store it in and when it got full, I know it would be time to finish it. Fridge space is always an issue, but I do have a second fridge in the bunkie (sleeping cabin) that I likely could use.

Thanks

[berkshires]

Personally speaking, I like to finish and bottle every batch, or at most every two batches. Otherwise all your syrup is going to be a blend. Which may be fine with you, but I like the variety I get from different batches. Even if you don't want to bottle each batch, I still don't see the point of finishing each batch unless you're going to bottle it. When you get it exactly to syrup, bottle it then, rather than having to deal with storing it and reheating it.

Particularly since you seem to be very reliant on the weather for a lot of your storage. That's an iffy proposition, as Mother Nature always has her own plans, and they don't always line up with ours!

Good luck!

GO

[berkshires]

So to be clear, I would just change the following:

I will boil it to close to syrup, but stop before it does. I will pour it, while it is still hot, through a wet filter into a pail. I will keep that pail in a snowbank until I am ready to finish it.

I received my finishing pot today, it is magnetic stainless steel and I will heat the nearup on an induction range. I will test it with a candy thermometer, hydrotherm and a refractometer. My goal is to get it to between 67 and 67.5 Brix. When it is done, I will filter it

SKIP THIS STEP:
once more into a pail and store it in a snowbank until I am ready to

and bottle it.

Cheers,

Gabe

[Pdiamond]

i am assuming that your 36 trees will each have one tap per tree. If you are using regular sap buckets on a good day they may have to be emptied twice. What I am saying is your trees could produce 2 or 3 gallons of sap per tree and if the weather is perfect this could happen for several days in a row. Just something for you to think about for storage and boiling. Sap, like milk, will only keep for so long before it starts to turn. You will have to boil almost everyday to keep up when it really flows well.

[Swingpure]

Personally speaking, I like to finish and bottle every batch, or at most every two batches. Otherwise all your syrup is going to be a blend. Which may be fine with you, but I like the variety I get from different batches. Even if you don't want to bottle each batch, I still don't see the point of finishing each batch unless you're going to bottle it. When you get it exactly to syrup, bottle it then, rather than having to deal with storing it and reheating it.

GO

I hear you. Thanks

I think I was staging the steps because of was thinking of workload management.

[Swingpure]

i am assuming that your 36 trees will each have one tap per tree. If you are using regular sap buckets on a good day they may have to be emptied twice. What I am saying is your trees could produce 2 or 3 gallons of sap per tree and if the weather is perfect this could happen for several days in a row. Just something for you to think about for storage and boiling. Sap, like milk, will only keep for so long before it starts to turn. You will have to boil almost everyday to keep up when it really flows well.

The logistics of collecting sap, boiling, finishing and bottling does have me thinking about how I am going to manage it, especially when the sap is really running.

Assuming i get about 10.5 US gallons of sap per tree in a season, as an average, and each time I boil, I have 64 US gallons of sap available, I will have 6 boil days for the 36 taps. (assuming boiling 8 gallons an hour for 8 hours)

Keep in mind I have never tapped a tree or boiled an ounce of sap before, so all of my planning could be bunk. I do see now that I should finish and bottle on the same day, although it will be done in two different pots.

I do have an ace in the hole for sap storage. I plow all of the snow in my parking areas into a gulley, that snow hangs around for several weeks after the other snow is gone and it is close to the evaporator. It can be used as my outdoor refrigerator.

Lots to learn.

One question, what would a typical minimum amount of sap to boil?