Maple syrup making advice thread! Scotty where are you.

Well this year I am going syrup making for sure. HDRock gave me a little boxwood stove that I am seriously entertaining using as a maple syrup evaporator. I want to attach black pipe and cables to hold the pipe outside in my firepit. The flat top will be great for setting syrup evaporating pans on.


What I'd like to know is when the best time to tap is going to be? I have one huge Maple that can easily support 3 taps and one smaller that can handle one in my yard. I'd like to tap them as soon as I can safely do so.

 

Pete, first and foremost, how much syrup are you expecting to make? Keep in mind that ALL maples (as well as hickories, box elders, and even birch trees) produce sugar, but at various times in the spring. Hickories and maples are both starting to produce right now.....I generally tap my trees the week of presidents day here in central PA but still haven't tapped this year yet due to being so damm busy! I'm going to try and get some trees tapped tomorrow.

Anyway, the best trees to tap are sugar maples, they produce the out sugar. Generally, sugar maples yield syrup at a rate of around 35-40 to 1 (35-40 gallons of sap equals 1 gallon of syrup). Silver and red maples can be as high as 50-60 to 1. So start out small, expecting a small amount of syrup and grow larger after you find out if you really want to do it. It takes an ENORMOUS amount of energy (both firewood AND personal) to make maple syrup. And make sure not to let your sap sit around too long.....it WILL spoil just like milk does, once spoiled or is ruined (trust me, I lost a whole week of sap and cooking last year because of sap spoilage).

Anyway, the best evaporators have the pan directly on the fire, you want a HARD boil to get the evaporation done quickly. I'd suggest maybe opening up the top of that stove so just the bottom of the pan (not the sides) is exposed. Homemade rocket stoves work well for the hobbyist.

Anyway, I'm rambling here.....This is one of my fortes! I'd say for your climate zone Pete, you should consider tapping soon......

 

Well I am thinking half a gallon at most this year just because I want to start small myself. The whole top of that stove comes right off which was why I wanted to use it! I remember you saying right on top of the flame elsewhere. Looks like I'll need to find more dry pine though to do this....

How long can the sap set? I thought Wishlist said 2 weeks?

 

If you refrigerate it, I'd say a week at best.......

I'm hoping to only have to let mine set 3 days at the most this year, going to start cooking on Wednesdays and cook every evening through Sundays.

 

Going to be a fun weekend here, the snow is friggin MISERABLE to run the sled on. Out gathering firewood for the evaporator now, looks like the firewood is winning, eh?

 

Central Mi area it's sure been warm enough the last few days but we have another cold blast coming this week.

 

I joined there several years ago........so long ago, in fact, I can't even remember my username there!!!

 

Wow that's a big place! Just made an account over there.... Thanks fellas!

 

Hey brother the only thing I'd have tested positive for on a breathalizer would've been coffee......and I was probably WAAAAY over the legal limit on it too!

 

Next snow we get, bring it down! I have TONS of wood I need to get out of there!!