Maple (Syrup) Firewood!

[JimRT]

CAW, I am on exactly the same path as you . I have my 10 taps with drop tubes, and got my 10 5 gal buckets with lids as Christmas presents. Now I need to get a couple steam table pans to boil in. I will also need to get more cinder blocks to augment those around my current fire pit. I plan to rearrange the blocks I have to make a "stove". I did find a good video on You Tube that shows just how to put such an arrangement together. Will probably use a piece of expanded metal I have as a stove top to set the pans on. This will be my first venture into this. I an also concerned about sap storage, if 10 trees each produce 2 or 3 gallons (just a guess) of sap, all of a sudden I need a place to put 30 gallons of sap ! Maybe time for a food grade barrel.

 

[Caw]

One thing us amateurs have to consider is that sap does not have a long shelf life. Everything I read says about 7 days if kept cold so we basically need to commit to boiling at least every weekend during sugar season. I think keeping it in the jugs in some snow out of the sun will be adequate storage then making boiling an every weekend fun thing for a few weeks will be the way to go.

 

[JimRT]

HMMMMM Marketplace - Wood stove | Facebook this is ugly, but for 40.00$ might be better than playing with cinder blocks

 

[Caw]

I just got myself two of these:

Amazon product ASIN B0029T31HY
Should work nicely. I'll get the rest of what I need at Lowe's down the road. Making a simple barrel stove seems like a fine option too. Just need an angle grinder and an arc welder really if you want to to come out nice. Arc welder is on my list of things to buy/get as presents when the wife approves lol.

 

[Mutineer]

I got my big 12x18 pan and my 9x12 pan at a used restaurant supply place in downtown Cleveland, one of them even had some left over chicken tetrazini or some such noodle dish in it, had to be 3-5 years old. But, the pans were cheap and the big one is a much heavier gauge of stainless. They must have had 40-50 pans laying around to look thru, plus they had new ones of much lighter gauge steel at a much higher cost. Got 4 metal drawer handles at the ReStore and now they serve all my needs. Plus I put a 1 gal stainless kitchen pot on the Lopi and it steams off about a gallon a day for the duration of the season. That syrup is always much lighter in color than the syrup from the big pans over the outdoor fire rig.

 

[Caw]

Welding handles on is a great idea!

 

[Mutineer]

Screwed 'em on

 

[walhondingnashua]

The ag teacher and I started doing it here at the high school 2 years ago. Made a couple evaporator types and have tried a few different things. He has moved on and the new ag teacher is working on making a new evaporator as well. It has been a great learning experience for me and the kids.

Our 2 wood sources have been slab wood and pallets. Both are easy to process and we can just dump the ash with nails from the pallets in the trash.

 

[Caw]

Ive got almost a full cord of super uglies I've been saving to fuel the pit and then yeah whatever lumber scraps I can get are going in. Yard sticks and branches too!

 

[Wood1Dennis]

One thing us amateurs have to consider is that sap does not have a long shelf life. Everything I read says about 7 days if kept cold so we basically need to commit to boiling at least every weekend during sugar season. I think keeping it in the jugs in some snow out of the sun will be adequate storage then making boiling an every weekend fun thing for a few weeks will be the way to go.

Yes, it definitely has a shelf life. We store sap in an old 300 gallon stainless steel bulk tank. When it gets cold and freezes the top surface of the sap it will keep for a week or maybe even longer. But especially later in the season when it gets warmer you are going to want to keep up with it and try to boil it down a couple of times a week.

 

[Caw]

Yes, it definitely has a shelf life. We store sap in an old 300 gallon stainless steel bulk tank. When it gets cold and freezes the top surface of the sap it will keep for a week or maybe even longer. But especially later in the season when it gets warmer you are going to want to keep up with it and try to boil it down a couple of times a week.

Question for the veterans:

Is there a way for me to tell it's done on my own or do I need the cup/float measuring device? I haven't gotten to that point yet.

 

[andym]

Question for the veterans:

Is there a way for me to tell it's done on my own or do I need the cup/float measuring device? I haven't gotten to that point yet.

In our small (hobby) operation we always just watch how the syrup drips off the edge of a large spoon. When the drops become about 1/2 inch wide its done. With a little practice you can get every batch the same.
If you are finishing in a kettle you could just use a candy thermometer. 219° F is considered maple syrup. Hotter is thicker and vice-versa.

 

[Caw]

In our small (hobby) operation we always just watch how the syrup drips off the edge of a large spoon. When the drops become about 1/2 inch wide its done. With a little practice you can get every batch the same.
If you are finishing in a kettle you could just use a candy thermometer. 219° F is considered maple syrup. Hotter is thicker and vice-versa.

Ok thanks! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I do have a candy thermometer so I'll try both methods.

 

[andym]

Ok thanks! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I do have a candy thermometer so I'll try both methods.

If using a thermometer the hardest part is keeping it suspended off the bottom of the pan. If you have less than an inch of liquid it can be tricky.

 

[Caw]

That or perhaps I could just use my cooking probe thermometer for an instant reading when it gets low level.

 

[Mutineer]

My father-in-law was a scientific type and we inherited a couple of these stands that I use to hold the thermometer in the syrup. I aim for 219 deg as Andym says but I bought a hygrometer to check it this year as I entered the county maple syrup competition a couple years ago and found out that my 219 deg target wasn't perfect as their measurement of the density said I was light. Back in the good old days pre-Internet, you might find one of these stands in a lab surplus type store, not sure where one would find one now. For shipping costs I would send you my spare, or maybe you could find one on FB Marketplace or Craigslist.

 

[Wood1Dennis]

We made syrup for years by just estimating when it was done. We finish with a hyrdometer now. They are cheap and you know just what you are getting. You might want to pick one up.

Syrup Hydrometer 45' - 75' 9" Non-tested, For testing finished syrup

Syrup Hydrometer 45' - 75' 9" Non-tested, For testing finished syrup

shopmaplehollowsyrup.com

 

[wishlist]

Couple points on sap spoilage and checking when you have “syrup “ .

A good rule of thumb is to treat sap like you would milk . Yes it will spoil fast in warm weather . If you have the means to cool the sap and keep it cold you can store it for weeks plus ! For the small producer a chest freezer works fine with sap stored in food grade buckets . You can even partially boil sap and then freeze the “ sweet “ if needed until you have time to boil again .

I would highly recommend a hydrometer to check when you have syrup . Especially if your gonna can your syrup or sell it . Under density syrup will mold quickly and over density syrup will develop sugar crystals in the bottom of the container . Hydrometers are inexpensive but will break easily if mishandled .

 

[Caw]

When storing sap to boil does it need to be in a freezer or is refrigeration enough?

 

[wishlist]

Refrigeration ( 40 degrees ) would work for a few days but not much longer . Here’s a chart that show freezing temperatures of sap at various concentrations. Raw sap is typically 1%-3% . You want to store sap just above the actual freezing. As you increase the sugar content ( partial boiling /reverse osmosis) you need colder temps .

 

[Caw]

Its definitely going to be a learning curve for me balancing how much I can tap and stay on top of boiling. I have a feeling I'm gonna have more sap than I can handle. I can definitely boil weekly... I'm gonna have to figure out how to squeeze in a mid week boil. I suppose that's better than the opposite problem though!

 

[andym]

Its definitely going to be a learning curve for me balancing how much I can tap and stay on top of boiling. I have a feeling I'm gonna have more sap than I can handle. I can definitely boil weekly... I'm gonna have to figure out how to squeeze in a mid week boil. I suppose that's better than the opposite problem though!

You can always just drink it! I hear some companies out east are actually selling it that way.

 

[Caw]

You can always just drink it! I hear some companies out east are actually selling it that way.

Ha that's an interesting idea. I'm guessing it's a very mildly sweet tasting water? I've never tried it raw.

 

[andym]

Ha that's an interesting idea. I'm guessing it's a very mildly sweet tasting water? I've never tried it raw.

Pretty much as you described. I can never resist catching a few drips with my tongue when emptying our sap jugs.