In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Anyone gearing up to Sugar?

Discussion in 'The Smokehouse' started by the fuse, Feb 14, 2021.

  1. the fuse

    the fuse

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    This seemed as if it's the most likely forum for this. Not exactly smoking maple sap but you are cooking it.......sort of. My brother and I (mostly my bro) have a very small sugaring operation every spring. Attached a pic or two of the arch that he jerry rigged. That coffee can balanced by the chimney holds about a gallon of sap. There is a nail hole neat the bottom that "meters" a stream of sap as it boils away. Work isn't work when you're havin' fun. Bubblin` away 2010.JPG Keep an eye on the syrup 2010.JPG Learnin` all the time 2010.JPG
     
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  2. Troutbum

    Troutbum

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    Yep. I've got 25 trees tapped already and may be tapping a few more. Waiting for the first run. Trying to get the lighter stuff.
     
  3. Troutbum

    Troutbum

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  4. Troutbum

    Troutbum

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    That’s some of last year’s syrup and that’s the evaporator I made out of a 55 gallon drum and wood stove kit.
     
  5. the fuse

    the fuse

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    Yeah, My bro will end up tapping maybe 20 trees. Not quite ready to tap out in VT. just yet. He typically gets about 12 gallons or so. Karen and I get up to "help" on the weekends. We get it close on the arch and sugar off on the stove inside.
     
  6. the fuse

    the fuse

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    Nice set up there! My bros is made out of an old fuel oil tank and the pan was made for him by a local smith.
     
  7. Troutbum

    Troutbum

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    I don't end up with much, a few gallons. I don't have sugar maples to tap. I just tap other species of maple. I finish mine on a turkey fryer.
     
  8. Troutbum

    Troutbum

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    Yeah, I have a friend who's using an old oil tank turned on it's side. He has a line ending at what used to be his grandparent's house with 110-150 taps.
     
  9. the fuse

    the fuse

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    We've talked about tapping some of the big birch trees and adding that in for a gallon or two to see how that tastes.
     
  10. Troutbum

    Troutbum

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    They say you can tap birch. Not sure what it tastes like.
     
  11. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    Waiting here. Day temps not getting over freezing lately. Two weeks should be about right. Only tap 4 or 5 trees. Cook on stove in house. I have a nice wood stove just for this and I was going to get a stainless baffled evap pan, but I didn't get a shack built. Maybe next year. I'll still get a few gallons boiled off though.

    I found pre-heating the sap on a back burner makes a huge difference for final boil. I need to get better filter material to remove the miter. Syrup was good last year.
     
  12. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    Does anyone know if pre-filtering works better before or after boiling? Looking for least sticky mess.
     
  13. the fuse

    the fuse

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    The only "prefiltering" we do is pick out the bugs, moths, and leafy bits by hand from the buckets. That second dipper you see in my pics is a purpose made sugaring filter for taking off the scum and any other bits in the pan.....typically sawdust as we are bucking up the softwood logs while boiling. Some folk would frown on this approach. We look at it all as "sauce for the goose". The final product tastes great. Lighter early (pancake syrup) and darker later (baked bean syrup).
     
  14. the fuse

    the fuse

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    Jon, I'm sure a "real" sugaring outfits pre filter the sap extensively. We just keep skimming off the sap as we boil it. Sugaring is going to be a sticky proposition but it doesn't have to be a mess.
     
  15. Canadian border VT

    Canadian border VT

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    Cousin taps a few in hardwick. Screen before boil and felt type bags after boil to catch nider.

    ok few by VT standards 4-5 thousand trees
     
  16. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    I don't mind the sugar sand. When I give it away to friends and relatives, they look at it kinda funny.
     
  17. fishingpol

    fishingpol

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    Just checked and sold out for the season...

    Screenshot_20210214-142022_Chrome.jpg
     
  18. Canadian border VT

    Canadian border VT

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    No real sugars run Reverse Osmosis machine so it brings sugar content to high teens before boil.
     
  19. Canadian border VT

    Canadian border VT

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  20. Troutbum

    Troutbum

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    I use a felt like cone filter lined with paper prefilters when the syrup is finished. I think this takes care of the sugar sand or the majority of it. There’s nothing wrong with sugar sand in the syrup. Some people like it. But I like to get the color variations and I think if you leave sugar sand in the syrup, the syrup is dark no matter what. I think that’s what I read anyway.