im thinking small scale to start. At 40/1 ratio i mAy gather 20 gallons next year and get a 1/2 gal of syrup for the house. Ill have to boil it in multiple large pots on a camp stove. Would that work?
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
-
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS May Giveaway ***Canik METE SFX***
It is sugaring time
- Thread starter coastie
- Start date
roccoracer
NES Member
Finishing up a short boil from last night. I have 100 gallons of sap ready for the weekend too.
You would probably be better off with a single large flat pan that covered both burners. Buy a full size 6" deep restaurant pan. I have seen people do it with a cheap aluminum lasagna pan but I wouldnt recommend it. THe fla pan provides more surface area for the boil. THat is what I did for my first year only I used a turkey frier. But propane is expensive.
Here is a rig I used for a few years. Some cinder blocks, a hotel pan and some old pieces of stove.
I then built a barrel evap last year and am using it again this year. I have about $100 into it and most of that is the firebrick. It will evaporate about to 4 gals an hour so it is still a long day boiling. I think the most I can handle with this is about 20-25 taps.
roccoracer
NES Member
roccoracer
NES Member
Yes. I solved my mold issue with better sanitation of my bottles and filling them to only 1/2 inch from full. I have been filling my bottles with boiling water and letting them sit for a couple of minutes. After that I empty the bottlw and immediately fill it with syrup that is over 210 degrees. I have not had anymore mold. The mold is harmless and you can just skim it off or skim it and bring the syrup back to simmer.
Delkancott
NES Member
Thank you!
I tried to take a hydrometer reading of the sap today. I think it was reading around 3%.
are any of you testing the syrup with a hydrometer or refractometer, or are you just going by the temperature of the boiling syrup?
are any of you testing the syrup with a hydrometer or refractometer, or are you just going by the temperature of the boiling syrup?
roccoracer
NES Member
I do both. When I hit 217 degrees I start checking with my hydrometer. 59 brix at 211 degrees, Done.
You would probably be better off with a single large flat pan that covered both burners. Buy a full size 6" deep restaurant pan. I have seen people do it with a cheap aluminum lasagna pan but I wouldnt recommend it. THe fla pan provides more surface area for the boil. THat is what I did for my first year only I used a turkey frier. But propane is expensive.
Here is a rig I used for a few years. Some cinder blocks, a hotel pan and some old pieces of stove.
I then built a barrel evap last year and am using it again this year. I have about $100 into it and most of that is the firebrick. It will evaporate about to 4 gals an hour so it is still a long day boiling. I think the most I can handle with this is about 20-25 taps.
I'm currently using a 15 gallon pot and a turkey fryer burner, but I think i may try setting something up with the steam table pans. do you know roughly how many gallons per hour you were able to achieve on the more simplistic setup? i'm not sure i have enough trees to go with the barrel burner.
thanks for the tip. I only have a beer/wine hydrometer, so i can only check the sap.
I think this may be why my syrup was so light too. not sure if i boiled it down enough, although i did pull it a 219 (according to two thermometers).
roccoracer
NES Member
At my elevation of 1400 syrup is between 219 and 221. You were close enough. Enjoy it.
Probably about a gal and a half an hour. The rule of thumb is about a gal an hour per square foot of surface area. I was OK with that until I hit about 10-12 taps in my reds. No way it would keep up with the sugars I am now tapping. I would encourage you to start bigger. You will only add taps. It is a very addicting and satisfying hobby. The barrel only took me an hour or so to build with an angle grinder and a sawzall. The nice thing is I put the fire brick in a milk crate, stack the cinder and regular bricks beside the shop and the stack pans and grate all fit into the barrel. I stand it on the door end in the corner of the garage and it is out of the way.
First couple of years I just used temp and t worked fine. Got a hydrometer and it is the way to go. I boil on the evaporator to 218 and then filter and finish on the stove in the house. I have found that I need to get to about 220 to get the right hydrometer reading.
roccoracer
NES Member
roccoracer
NES Member
Starting to get good color. I feed raw sap on one end and it pushes the higher sugar concentration to the other.
roccoracer
NES Member
roccoracer
NES Member
Be careful it is addicting. I finished putting my spouts up today. I started with 30 a couple of years ago and now I have 109 spouts.
Time is going to be my biggest issue. I need to get an evaporator or barrel stove, too.
Question for the experts: If you start boiling sap down do you have to finish it at once? If you run out of time, can you set it aside and finish it another day?
Question for the experts: If you start boiling sap down do you have to finish it at once? If you run out of time, can you set it aside and finish it another day?
roccoracer
NES Member
You do not have to finish it all at once. Just make sure there is still enough sap remaining to "flood" the evap. Otherwise you can scorch it.
Those are tiny jars. We did a bunch of them one year as gifts and it was no fun filling them. I love the double barrel stoves. I may do that next year as my wife has already shot down a larger evaporator. I have all year to work on her though.
I'm running buckets, It's a pain in the ass, even for the few trees I tapped. I have to empty them before and after work. I'll run tubes next year.
fencer
NES Member
I love real maple syrup and have helped a friend with his families sugar house. I will never forget the first time I saw how much syrup you actually make from the amount of sap you collect.
I remember thinking " This stuff should cost 10 times what it does" LOL.
I remember thinking " This stuff should cost 10 times what it does" LOL.
