Don't put too much in the pan at once or you will have a hard time maintaining a boil. Couple of inches. Also have a good length of stove pipe to aid in the draft. It will take you a good long while to boil that much sap so be ready for that. It will be the best syrup you ever had.
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It is sugaring time
- Thread starter coastie
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Don't put too much in the pan at once or you will have a hard time maintaining a boil. Couple of inches. Also have a good length of stove pipe to aid in the draft. It will take you a good long while to boil that much sap so be ready for that. It will be the best syrup you ever had.
Delkancott
NES Member
Setup our hobby evaporator today. Our first burn is Saturday and open to the public!
https://www.facebook.com/Sharing-the-Harvest-Community-Farm-373562724440/
https://www.facebook.com/Sharing-the-Harvest-Community-Farm-373562724440/
Thanks coastie. It's more of just a curiosity on my part if anyone is involved with tapping walnut trees. I don't have any land in the NE.
Supposedly they tap a lot of birch trees in Alaska.
The season is drawing to a close and the complete haul is 1.5 gallons from 10 taps. Could probably have another half gallon but I don't have any time left to boil the 20 plus gallons sitting beside the house. Overall a good year!
Brin747
NES Member
Yup, I was just up in Anchorage this week. They have lots of birch trees and that's what they make their syrup from. From what I understand, it takes about 100 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. And they charge for it, I saw 1/2 pint bottles for $25. I didn't try it but was told it's pretty different from maple.
Brin747
NES Member
Ended up with about 3/4 of a wine bottle full. Lot of work for little payout. I think we tapped way too late due to being on vacation the last week of February.
What is a good way to filter it? All the crud has settled to the bottom but I want to filter it out. I ran it through several layers of cheesecloth but there's lots of fine stuff in it still.
What is a good way to filter it? All the crud has settled to the bottom but I want to filter it out. I ran it through several layers of cheesecloth but there's lots of fine stuff in it still.
They make great filters. My friend has a washable wool funnel I'll get next year. It was about 7 bucks.
I tapped late and pulled a week early. I had 14 taps and ended up with just over a gallon. I learned a lot, though. Next year will be better. I certainly need an evaporator. Pans on the fire were time consuming.
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roccoracer
NES Member
I am sitting on 9 gallons at the moment but my buckets are still up. Definetly not a good year at about half of normal.
The Anchor
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http://www.mapleguys.com/
these guys have a synthetic felt cone filter, that works awesome, is cleanable and only $10. i found a plastic one gallon container about 8" in diameter, fold this over the top and strain though it. if you do it twice, it comes out perfectly clear. http://www.mapleguys.com/product/1QTF.html
they also have cheap taps, tubing etc. short trip over the border.
these guys have a synthetic felt cone filter, that works awesome, is cleanable and only $10. i found a plastic one gallon container about 8" in diameter, fold this over the top and strain though it. if you do it twice, it comes out perfectly clear. http://www.mapleguys.com/product/1QTF.html
they also have cheap taps, tubing etc. short trip over the border.
It this point I wouldn't bother filtering it. Ideally syrup is filtered hot. It makes your product look nicer but it doesn't affect the taste. Just carefully pour it off when you use it. The sediment in the bottom wont do anything to the syrup. I didn't start filtering until a couple of years ago. We just carefully poured and spooned off to leave the sediment in the bottom. Now I use the Reemay syrup prefilters which take a lot of the sand out. Still get a bit but I don't worry about it. I tried the Orlon filters but they clog up quickly and I didn't like them.
Chris is great. They just opened a store, too.
VetteGirlMA
NES Member
Yesterday I stopped in at a sugar shack in Deerfield MA and watched them make a batch of syrup. That sweet smell is just awesome, I love it. I envy you guys who make it yourselves. With all the land I own, I haven't a single maple tree, zip. Afterwards I bought another jug of syrup. I also bought some from a backyard brewer up in Vermont the weekend before. I guess it's obvious I am french-canadian since I love putting maple syrup on everything 
nah, you dont seem arrogant like most of the French Canadians Ive come acrossYesterday I stopped in at a sugar shack in Deerfield MA and watched them make a batch of syrup. That sweet smell is just awesome, I love it. I envy you guys who make it yourselves. With all the land I own, I haven't a single maple tree, zip. Afterwards I bought another jug of syrup. I also bought some from a backyard brewer up in Vermont the weekend before. I guess it's obvious I am french-canadian since I love putting maple syrup on everything
Birch sap is a source of vitamin C, potassium, manganese, thiamin, and calcium.
I used a common maple tap kit with 5/16'' taps.
I tapped several birch trees last year. The sap is thinner and less sweet tasting, the resulting syrup was darker than any maple syrup I've had; with a different flavor, almost spicy.
I used a common maple tap kit with 5/16'' taps.
I swear I'm doing something wrong. Tapped 4 trees and I got over 3 gallons of 'syrup' out of 5 taps. I don't have a hydrometer, but boiled to 219 each time.
I thought this was a good year until someone said it wasn't. Now I'm really concerned because I couldn't keep up with it this year.
I thought this was a good year until someone said it wasn't. Now I'm really concerned because I couldn't keep up with it this year.
SO you got 3 gallons of finished syrup out of 5 taps? If that is correct you have some incredible trees. Rule of thumb is a quart finished per tap for good sugar maples. Did you check your thermometer with boiling water before hand? One of my thermometers reads 2 degrees high consistently so when it says 219 it is really at 217.
The Anchor
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i pulled mine yesterday, i had hopes for a last rush of sap with t
he temps, but my trees have started to bud, and they are running dry for me...
I have access to enough trees and wouldn't mind getting some syrup sooner than the spring. If I could get a quart in the fall that'd get my family through until spring. I'd also like to dry run boiling it off before I end up with large quantities.
Delkancott
NES Member
Same here. Had hoped for more over the weekend, but nada. Ended up with about 65 gallons of sap and about a gallon and a half of syrup. Maybe slightly less. Sugar was down.
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I guess 150 miles or so (not sure where you are located) makes a huge difference. I went to the camp in central VT this weekend to collect the sap. It was frozen solid in the buckets - no budding trees. I ended up leaving it and will go back this weekend to collect. If it is frozen, I'll try to slide it out into a lined trash barrel and let it thaw at home. So far, with 20 taps, we got a little over a gallon of syrup, boiling about 45 gallons of sap. I think this is close to the ratio one would expect.
This seems to be one of those addicting hobbies, much like guns. Seems it can get out of hand very quickly. Considering a better evaporator for next year
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
I'm thinking i may just have freak trees. This is also the first year we've owned the house, so not sure if they've ever been tapped before. I also believe that the water table is fairly close to the trees. There's a well nearby and when i checked it in the summer the water was only 11' below grade. in the spring with the thaw i imagine it's a lot closer to the surface than 11'.
I had the thermometer i was using set in the pot while the sap was boiling and it was holding pretty much on 100C. now maybe it's not too accurate once you get past 100C, but as far as i can tell, it's accurate when boiling. I may bite the bullet and by this refractometer, and also use it for brewing beer. I'm really interested in knowing what i have because i didn't expect anything close to this much yield. I'll admit it's a little on the thin side, so i may not have gotten to true syrup.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ue&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_15&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I am trying to buy a house in Southern NH, 20' from the back door is a 25ish acre conservation area, mostly pines, but there are some reds. Anyone have any experience getting authorization to tap trees in an area like that?
It still sounds WAY off. Where do you live? At my elevation, I need to get to 221 F
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I'm in way boylston, I believe around 400' elevation. Again...first year, I could be way off. ...but it tastes yummy!
Will probably be trying again next year.
THere is a reason people tap in the spring. Your yield is going to be very low in volume of sap and sugar content in the fall. If you want to try then have at it but I dont think it is going to be worth the time and fuel. If you want to test your evap set up then just boil water.
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