Anyone Here Make Syrup???

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getting gear ready for the 2015 season ordered tubing and fittings to go to a new system Wife still wants the traditional buckets in the yard for aesthetics

Picking up pine slats for the boiler on the weekend.......kids are getting anxious
 
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This time last year we were starting to put our buckets out.......this year haven't even thought about it yet

We can't buy a day over 30 degrees and the snow keeps piling up GRRRRRRRRRRR
 
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Just checked my spreadsheet. Didn't tap until Mar 30 last year. Typically we tap between Mar 5-10. Looking pretty cold around here for the foreseeable future. Another month for us at least.
 
Just picked up 25 taps, 5/16 line, and some T's. Think I'll try to start setting it all up tomorrow. Trees are going to start thinking about running here soon, but I'm pretty sure that the 3' of snow at their bases may have them lagging behind a bit.
Last year we collected 6 taps worth into buckets and milk jugs. This year we're stepping it up a little to 25 taps, into a few collection points of 5.8 gallon jugs, and then we'll have a 30 gallon juice barrel for storage. Or, that's the plan for now, I'm sure once it starts flowing, things will be modified as needed.

Just dealt with the owners of Normans Sugar house in Woodstock Ct. (about 3 miles from my house, found them on Leader's page as a dealer) IF anyone is in need of anything in this area, they have a pretty good stock on hand, and they're just a really nice couple to deal with, it was more like a visit with friends than a supply run. I can't say enough nice things about them. Just call first, leave a message on the generic answering machine, and they'll call back and let you know when they'll be around.
Norman's Sugar House
Richard & Avis Norman
387 County Road
Woodstock, CT 06281
(860) 974-1235
[email protected]
 
Just wondering.
Could I use my IR thermometer to read the temp of the sap during a boil?
I'm thinking it should work, although I could see interference from either steam or bubbles. Dunno.
 
We tried that once - but I forget the results. Must have been wonky, but I think my IR gun is kinda wonky to start with. I should try that again sometime.

I spent the whole day in the woods today, time split between drilling holes and shovelling mainlines out. In places we never had to before. This February was one for the record books here for snowfall. Still going to be a couple more weeks at it. My back is complaining tonight.
 
Warm_in_NH said:
Someone told me to keep the sap from freezing, it'll spoil it....
This make any sense?
Click to expand...

Just for the record if you let the sap freeze (not solid, this will break your pales) and break a hole in the ice and pour out the sap it will already be concentrated some and you will not have to boil it as much. Discard the ice. Also you can boil a pot of water and check the temp with your thermometer, note the temp and then add 7 degrees and that is where sirup will be boiling that day or at that time. This will compensate for changes in barometric pressure.
 
I've got to work on the R.O., the vacuum pumps, and the evaporator burner next weekend. Burner is a Carlin 800 series 2 stage unit set at around 10 gph. It was smoking too much when switching stages during the last two burns, probably needs nozzles, as it has been a few years. The pumps just need an oil change (10 gallons each), and the R.O., well there's no telling what that will need. I talked to the owner yesterday, and he said there's about 4 feet of snow in the woods, so I figure tapping will probably take about a week this year. I tried the ir gun lsst year, just to see what would happen, and it didn't work. Probably the steam messing with the ir signal.
 
Found a local ole'timer that is out of the syrup business. He has traditional 15qt buckets with a tap and cover for $7.50/ea

Family helped put out about 40 taps yesterday between a tubing system, and the buckets. Snow in the back of out property is 48" deep. that made things real interesting. We have a ton more maples but this will the max for this year.

Our line system runs into 30 gallon heavy duty trash barrels. We seem to have a decent pitch to our lines so I'm curious to how this will work once it runs. Learned a lot hanging this tubing system. My boys are troopers for young teens helping me out for a full 5 hours with this project.
 
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We did 13 taps on a tubing system yesterday. 3 collection points, plan on dumping into 6 gallon food grade jugs. Then we have a small army of 5 gallon pails with liners for them to store in until a boil.
May do another 6 taps but access is a little harder, we'll see.

Johnpma, sounds like you got a sweet deal. You putting a liner in that 30 gallon pail or just gonna go for it?

I also have a new respect for all the tubing systems I see around, there's a little more to installing them than I gave credit to.
 
No liner in the barrel. Most of anything solid sinks to the bottom, and we skim the surface before boiling. We use our ATV with a trailer and have 5 gallon pails from Tractor Supply for collection. I swap out the 30 gallon barrel with an empty one when full.

After we boil we run our syrup through a filter that I bought from Leader Evaporator

We are going to boil on a barrel evaporator we built fueled by cut up pallets. I have a rack that fits in the barrel that holds three large and deep steam pans. I finish it in the house where I have more control. I lined the inside of the barrel with bricks so it's like an oven.

Grew up doing this the old fashion was on my great grand father's dairy farm. We had a horse drawn sleigh that we would use for collection, and a 10 X 16 sugar house we built......boy I miss those days!! Trying my best to recreate those days for my kids.

Its all recreation but a lot of fun. On our boiling days we get a box of beer, and have a cook out. My nieces come and they slide on the hill out back. Lots of cheap family fun

My cousin has a very large operation which includes a reverse osmosis evaporator.......too much work lol
 
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Last year was our first try, had fun, got plenty of syrup (think 1 gallon), think we had 5 or 6 taps into buckets. We boiled in the turkey fryer pot, far from ideal, but it worked for us!
This year, stepping up to at least 20 taps, got a steam table pan to go on my two burner propane stove, got a 1/2 table pan that will sit of the turkey fryer burner nicely for either pre heating or finishing, may finish inside, all depends on how it goes. It's fun and yet another reason I'm glad I got snow shoes this year!
 
snow shoes are on my short list.....standing ballz deep in snow for 5 1/2 hrs is not my favorite thing lol

Last year we used the turkey fryer as well. I preheated on the wood stove.

My buddy used his wood stove exclusively......but he gets layed off all winter
 
Just tapped 2 tonight, Western Wisconsin, 1 tap each tree, 3 more tomorrow. All are red male about 3' on diameter. Last year we did buckets and tubing, had more sap than we could handle. This year fewer traps over more trees and bags with hangers. Looking forward to checking them tomorrow after work.
 
Not running here in New England yet. Fired up the barrel evaporator yesterday to burn off all the crap. This year I lined the barrel with red brick I had hanging around seems to really contain the heat well

This should be the week....they are talking 50 by the end of the week.
 
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Well the red maples didn't do diddley, tapped what is either another red maple or a black walnut, and it flowed good. Going to be above freezing tonight, kinda bummed.
 
Out of 69 taps, we got the first sap of the season today, a whopping 6 gallons! It'll happen eventually, didn't even have the weather to tap until 3/14 last year...... we finished our syrup in its entirety 3/13 the year before that!

It will do as it pleases, we just need to be positioned to make the best of it.
 
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Blacknight318 said:
Well the red maples didn't do diddley, tapped what is either another red maple or a black walnut, and it flowed good. Going to be above freezing tonight, kinda bummed.
Click to expand...

Don't be bummed about the lack of a freeze for a night or two early on. That may be what you need to get those maple warmed up a little and running.

We hung buckets on Saturday and I think it hit ~50 but it has been so cold they didn't do much. 18 that night and 50's again on Sunday and still not much. No freeze last night and lower to mid 50's today and they are starting to come on a little now.
 
Got some drips late in the day on the trees which receive the most sun. The tap line in the woods is bone dry......it'll happen I'm sure it will be the week I'm in FLA :)
 
I don't tap . . . but a good friend from high school has a decent sized commercial operation and the other day one of my Amish neighbor's boys asked about tapping some of my trees (and of course I gave him permission.)
 
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I got maybe a little over a gallon total yesterday out of about 20 taps. The weather Is here now and they should flow like crazy by the end of the week.

We've had a few days in the past week sunny and above freezing but got nothing. A couple old timers already warned of a delayed start due to the extremely cold February and the 4 feet of snow that's around the trees.

Well see, they're big old trees that get great sun. I've got this week to play with them and then it's back to NH and real paying work again for the first time in 2 months.
 
firefighterjake said:
I don't tap . . . but a good friend from high school has a decent sized commercial operation and the other day one of my Amish neighbor's boys asked about tapping some of my trees (and of course I gave him permission.)
Click to expand...


You will receive some sort of sweet payment for your kindness, no?
 
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