We use 50/50 distilled water and white vineger.
We use 50/50 distilled water and white vineger.
Standing up on soapbox here.
If at all possible, I don't think we sugarmakers should be letting that last bit of sweet from the season sit for weeks or months just to use the acidity of the moldy, sludgy mess to "automatically" clean the pans. We are making a food product here. We need to convey a high level of cleanliness and attention to detail to the public in all aspects of our operations. Otherwise, we are putting our reputation at risk. If people lose confidence in our product, sales will suffer. Our industry is not "too big to fail". We need to strive to maintain the sugarhouse in an inspection-worthy state at all times. Unless we want the regulators to start coming down on us even harder!
getting down from soapbox now.
Boulder Trail Sugaring
150 Taps on Vacuum
Homemade 20"x40" Hybrid Pan - 15 gph
Homemade Steamaway - 10 gph
Waterguys single-post RO
Sugaring for 45+ years
New Sugarhouse 14'x32'
New to Me Algier 2'x8' wood fired evaporator
2022 added a used RB25 RO Bucket
250 mostly Sugar Maples, 15% Soft Maples. Currently,(110on 3/16" and 125 on Shurflo 4008 vacuum, 15 gravity), (16,000 before being disabled)
1947 Farmall H and Wagon with gathering tank
2012 Kubota with forks to move wood around
so, make vinegar in your pans to clean with, or buy it? not sure the issue. no one is around my sugar house when it's time to clean up for the year regardless.
Awfully thankful for an understanding wife!
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
- Vincent “Vince” Lombardi
Good luck to all!
I just think it's a bad look when I hear and read this sort of thing going on in our industry. For example, industry publications describing how disgusting the stuff in the pan looks and smells after letting the sweet sit all summer long. Or suggestions to leave the fermented sap in the pans until it makes you queazy to even smell it. If restaurants ever made public statements like these about how they clean their kitchens, their business would surely suffer. I think we should be a cautious about this sort of stuff, especially in today's climate.
If the general public gets the perception that this is how most sugarmakers generally do things, it is an open invite to more FDA regulation and oversight, and I think that is something most sugarmakers do not want to see.
Boulder Trail Sugaring
150 Taps on Vacuum
Homemade 20"x40" Hybrid Pan - 15 gph
Homemade Steamaway - 10 gph
Waterguys single-post RO
jrgagne99, read the cleaning methods in The North American Maple Syrup Producer's manual, the bible of all things maple, the method you don't think should be left out there is one of the proper ways to clean your evaporator.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
It's just fermented sap and then vinegar. Ever drink any wine, whiskey or beer....similar process. Sure it will mold if left long enough and even spoil, but so will any fermented food. I will continue to do it and be unapologetic. Besides the pan gets washed with a chlorine solution and boiled then flushed before any syrup is made. I have shown and discussed my cleaning method with many customers and they think it's neat someone figured it out. Most accept it as a natural organic process. Believe me I spent a whole career dealing with the FDA and even held and operated INAD (investigative new animal drug) permits for drug approval. This is so far off the FDA's radar they would barely blink at it.
125-150 taps
Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
Modified half pint arch
Air over fire
All 3/16 tubing
Southern Ohio
Maybe I should clarify. I don't have an issue with creating the homemade vinegar to clean the pans, as long as it gets taken care of in a timely manner.
The North American Maple Syrup Producer's manual doesn't say to leave the sap in there until it turns into a ropey, sludgy, moldy mess that makes you gag when you walk in the sugarhouse on that July or August morning.
I've read first hand descriptions of situations like this on Maple Trader and in the Maple News and I just don't think that's the kind of kitchen we want to be advertising for ourselves.
Last edited by jrgagne99; 09-22-2020 at 08:25 AM.
Boulder Trail Sugaring
150 Taps on Vacuum
Homemade 20"x40" Hybrid Pan - 15 gph
Homemade Steamaway - 10 gph
Waterguys single-post RO
Would you rather convey the message of using highly acidic cleaners that run the risk of contamination of next year's sap or the groundwater around your camp or using a natural method that utilizes every last bit of the sap we take from the tree? Our pans are quadruple rinsed between being drained and any new sap being put in them so there is zero risk to the public. While this forum is public it is far from being an advertisement to the public. There are many 'dirty jobs' associated with all aspects of food preparation that honestly most consumers would rather not know about.
4,600 Taps on vacuum
9,400 gallons storage
3 tower CDL RO
3.5'x14' Lapierre Force 5
Twitter & Instagram: @ennismaple
www.ennismaple.com
Options for pan cleaning fluids:
1) Mixture of water and approved food-grade pan acid
2) Mixture of water and regular white vinegar
3) Homemade vinegar from fermented sap, used in a timely manner
4) Ropey, sludgy, moldy mess that makes you gag because you waited until July/August
Most customers are probably fine with options 1, 2, and 3.
Option 4 should be avoided. That's all I'm trying to say here.
Boulder Trail Sugaring
150 Taps on Vacuum
Homemade 20"x40" Hybrid Pan - 15 gph
Homemade Steamaway - 10 gph
Waterguys single-post RO