Advice on when to boil

[Erika]

HI folks: I'm a relative beginner and have a very small operation (44 taps; NextGenMaple hobby evaporator). My challenge is how often to boil. I collected about 40 gallons of sap on the weekend and could boil to concentrate it or boil to syrup, but it may not be worth firing up the evap without more sap. However, I don't want to hold on to the sap too long waiting for the next run.

What might you all advise? For folks with "hobby" size evaporators, how often do you boil and how much sap do you wait for before boiling?

Any and all advice welcome!

erika

[SmellsLikeSyrupNH]

If you want your sap to last longer you can either freeze it or boil it so that it pasteurizes. You dont have to complete it to syrup, but once it comes to a boil you will have killed all the bacteria. When I was using a small evaporator I would just boil as I got my sap, it worked for me. It comes down to your time and what you are able to do. For those hobby evaporators i cant imagine you need more than 3-4 gallons to have it full enough to light up. Just find what works best for you.

[bowhunter]

I wouldn't let the sap sit for a week if I could help it particularly if the day time highs are in the 50's. With a small 2x3 evaporator you probably can only boil about 5 gallons per hour so 40 gallons is enough sap to boil for 8 hours and in my book that's long enough. It will probably take two days of boiling to get enough syrup in the pan to begin making syrup off the pan if you can and you may just have to boil 3 or 4 times and finish the evaporator contents on the stove. I think it will take 85-100 gallons of sap or 2 gallons of syrup to get a gradient from the sap end to the syrup end. You can let the evaporator sit with partially completed syrup for several days with no problem.

[tgormley358]

Also depends on the weather, warmer temps breed more bacteria but if it stays cold it’ll keep longer. If it gets warm you might need to boil every day or other day to kill new bacteria before you’re ready to make syrup.

[buckeye gold]

I agree with SmellsLikeSyrup, boil that sap fresh and at least get it into sweet and sterile. It will then keep better. There will be many days you just short boil, but your still working towards syrup. Holding sap will also dirty your collection and holding gear faster. The old saying "fresh is better" is true with sap. Don't get trapped into thinking you have to make a certain amount of syrup when you boil. It all counts in the end, so build that fire.

[BCPP]

I'd agree with the others, generally best to boil as soon as possible. However, having said that you do need to wait until you have enough sap to make a continuous process work. For instance, our evap is rated at about 15gph but can coast along at 10gph so I usually wait until I have about 100gal for first run (8hrs x 10gph + 10gal to fill + safety) and then whenever I get to around 80gal. A lot also depends on the weather. If the sap is going to stay cold (under 5c) then it will keep but if you've got a warm day in there get it boiled asap!

[Sugarmaker]

Yes, best to boil rather than wait. Its like the old bird in the hand scenario. After its boiled it can set for several days and be fine.
Regards,
Chris

[Erika]

Thanks for all the advice! Looks like I'll be boiling today!

[SyncroScott]

Hey Erika,

As an hobbyist myself with close to the same number of taps and similar sized evaporator, I think of it this way: as long as the temps stay at or below 40° (about what your fridge stays), I'm safe to wait a few days until I have the time or it warms up. As long as there is ice in the buckets/tanks I'm good for a while, but once it thaws, the clock starts ticking. Fresher sap is always better to start with; slightly cloudy = may be OK, sour taste = no good. The other commenters are right about at least condensing it too; if you can boil 40 gal down to 5, well it may not be syrup but at least you have freed up your sap storage vessel(s) and can just keep it in your evaporator or smaller bucket/pot if need be.

[MapleMike]

Hi Erika,
Back when I started, I used to bury a 55 gallon plastic drum in snow to help keep sap cool. I would do this preseason and aim the snowblower at it while clearing the driveway. It helps give you that extra day or two when life gets in the way of sugaring. In years when there’s not much snow, and a prolonged warm up coming, you could empty your evaporator into a 5 gallon bucket and put it in the fridge. Or as others have stated a quick boil to kill any bacteria.