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The Official 2023 Maple Syrup Thread

Discussion in 'Hobbies and Interests' started by HoneyFuzz, Sep 19, 2022.

  1. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Truth !
     
  2. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    Ive been following this thread on and off and am considering trying it next year. Theres a nice grove of sugar maples in my woods. Nice and level spot with easy access just a short walk into the woods.
    Gonna start saving 96oz grape juice containers as i dont wanna spend much to do this.
     
  3. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Awesome ! Can't wait to see your progress ! I will warn you though. It's very addicting!!!!
    How many taps do you think you have in that Grove?

    I've seen guys have luck with milk or juice jugs. They seem to work good for awile. But be careful..they will start to rip and tare where you drill the hole. Especially thin milk jugs.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2023
  4. Flamestead

    Flamestead

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    As a kid my first buckets were gallon milk jugs, hung upside down, with a hole in the side for the spout, and another for the hook. Then I moved up to used 5gal buckets with lids from a bakery. A one-gallon container is too small some days (although the worst that happens is you lose some sap).
     
  5. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Oh heck yeah! It works ! I've seen guys use food grade 5 gallon buckets...then use seasonal plastic tubing spouts ..and tubing .and run the tube down to the bucket . Works slick ! Even creates a little bit of vacuum probably !
    When we started our hobby ...I made pvc pipe sap sack holders....used zip ties to to secure the sacks. In fact...this was the first season we didn't have some in circulation ! We finally bought enough galvanized holders. But id put the pvc pipes back out in a heartbeat ! They are not as handy as what we have now..but do the job !
    Here's some pics. Not my own pics..but for reference !
    download (14).jpeg
    images (13).jpeg images (14).jpeg
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2023
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  6. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Then some guys do this. I'd try it in a heartbeat !
    images (16).jpeg images (15).jpeg
     
  7. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    I have 96oz grape juice containers ill start saving including caps. Thicker plastic. My idea was to bungee them to the trees. Its a decent grove. I counted well over a dozen of size. A couple big enough for two taps. Most in close proximity too. What is the minimum diameter tree for tapping?
     
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  8. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Think it's about 10"to 12" up to 20" for a single tap. Over 20" can have 2 taps. Give or take a few inches . The only one I really worry about is the minimum to tap to begin with . We tap over 3" and up or down 3" inches every year . By the time we get around the tree...the old holes..and subsequently sealed up spots that don't give sap anymore..will be out of the way.
    That's why that 10" diameter thing is important.
    Doesn't stop guys from doing it anyway..even if it hurts the tree. But id rather air on the side of caution.
    Heck..we have 30 trees we can easily double tap..but don't yet. We have enough trees. We care if the woods is here for the next generation..and healthy enough to keep doing maple syrup. And hopefully...some select cutting here and there...to keep the life cycle of the trees consistent . We work hard to manage and thin things out.
    There's my rambling answer that could have been answered in one sentence ;)
     
  9. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    There's plenty of trees in this grove to keep this beginner busy. Just thinking about the logistics of it. Set up buckets an replace with empties when i harvest. Make hole in cap and keep a solid one on the containers i bring back full. Wheelbarrow full of sealed containers brought back here. We have an extra fridge downstairs thats only 25% full at the fullest. I can get many of those in there.

    Dumb question. Can i store sap in 5 gallon food grade buckets outside until ready for boiling?
     
  10. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Sounds like you have a good plan !!
    You can store sap a couple days if it's gonna be cold for sure. Keep it out of sunlight..and u can get a couple days. I wouldnt go past that...and if it's warm..I wouldn't let it go more than a day . The bacteria in the sap multiply rapidly as it gets warmer.
    If you fridge or freezer it..im not sure how long it'll last to be honest..but im sure u can do it for awile.

    A little different scenario I had..but along the same lines. When I first got the RO...I thought I'd save time and ro all day....and then just boil the next day. Easy peasy I thought.
    Well...it was warm during the day..and stayed above freezing all night. So we started boiling the next day. Our boil smelled awful...so we kept going until we drew off our first syrup. Gross! Tasted like a mouthful of grass that a dog peed on !
    I'll never forget that smell..or taste. And I'll never do that again ! Best way to learn !
    So I learned as you RO...the sap heats up a little bit as it's squeezed through the system... plus concentrating the yummy sugars that the bacteria love to eat . Recipe for disaster to leave it 24 hrs lol.
     
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  11. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    The last thing you want to do is boil for 15 hours..just to find out your syrup tastes like garbage !
    Like when we screwed up...we knew within an hour. We just shut down..dumped everything..totally cleaned every darn thing that came in contact with that rancid sap !
     
  12. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Done with the sap sack holders finally ! Alot of work. Nice knowing they are clean..dry..ready for another season !
    20230315_075207.jpg

    Been converting all our storage tubs to these. They are stackable..and strong ! We have had issues with regular tubs. As you stack them..it pushes hard on the lids on the lower tubs in the stack. Then it crinkles the lid up enough for mice to get in..which they did a few times over the years.
    20230314_074452.jpg
     
  13. Haftacut

    Haftacut

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    That’s the beauty of this. You can invest as much or as little as you like. I really liked Eric Wanderweg evaporator setup this year. If I recall, he had the blocks already. Not sure on the pans, but again, there’s nothing magical about the catering pans. Another member was saving milk jugs, 2 liter bottles, and juice containers and was using them for collecting sap. Boiling our last run we collected sunday today. Like HoneyFuzz said, we no sooner packed things up, then the weather turned back to sapping time. Oh well! Looking forward to next year, and now I can focus on getting spring stuff ready.
     
  14. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    buZZsaw BRAD I collected sap in empty 2 liter bottles and milk jugs. The most convenient receptacles though were the empty 2.5 gallon water jugs from Price Chopper. They come with a drain spout so you can easily empty them into a 5 gallon storage bucket without removing the lines or lugging them away. I have plenty of extra line if you need any. You'll need taps and pans to boil the sap in.
    This is what I bought:

    Choice Full Size 4" Deep 24 Gauge Anti-Jam Stainless Steel Steam Table / Hotel Pan
     
  15. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    Isnt February the "traditional" month for tapping? Below freezing nights and above days are ideal? Ive cut SM in April and the sap flowed like crazy.

    Not sure how much a wanna make or how much time i wanna invest in this venture. I know it involves a lot of both. Im the KISS type of operator too.
     
  16. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    Her three daughters work in the restaurant industry and may have connections to get stuff. Maybe 5 gallon containers With that many trees for me to tap i may get in over my head.
     
  17. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    I found for me 6 taps was about perfect. 10-15 gallon batches once a week was manageable. The heaviest production week a couple weeks ago when I had to boil off 21 gallons was a bit much. It's kind of a catch 22. You want enough sap to get an appreciable amount of syrup in one shot, but not get overwhelmed. I think if you were to go with even 4 taps to start, you'd do fine. I stored my sap in food grade 5 gallon buckets with lids. As long as it's kept cool, it'll keep a week or two no problem.
     
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  18. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    That was what i thought i heard you say but HoneyFuzz said different. How and where did you store extra sap? We have an extra fridge downstairs thats only at 25% capacity most of the time.
     
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  19. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    I kept my 5 gallon buckets in my garage space, sitting on the cold concrete foundation. It was somewhere around refrigerator temperature. Ideally when I do it next year, there will be snow on the ground so I can bury the buckets in a snow bank.
     
  20. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    That was my thought too. Use the snow/cold. Any issues if the sap freezes?

    What was your total for syrup made this year? Did it come out to 40:1?
     
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