Very cool pics! About how much syrup do you guesstimate you can make from the sap of that many trees?
Here the estimate if we get a normal season with out out of the ordinary warm snaps we can get one gallon of syrup per tree tapped. These trees are all good sugar maples and no soft maples.
Soft maples are closer to 50-1 then 35/40-1. Because of the more sap needed from the soft maples the syrup tends to be more brown in colour. Nothing wrong with it just more tannin's.
Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Outstanding!!!! Nice family effort....it's addictive isn't it!
Yes and the best parts is the boys are really into it. They are not spending every waking hour on the wifi. They are building all summer for this month and splitting wood. Spending time in the bush learning. That is the most rewarding part of it all. If the money spent don't break even I really don't care. Memory's with grandpa are worth every penny.
Our boys are 19,16, and 14. Grandpa is turning 69 this summer but is a kid at hart with these boys. He loves coming over to our pond and just sitting with the boys. Last summer I gave dad a fishing rod with a barb-less hook. Didn't tell him it was barb-less. Oh good times.
Dono, sounds like ya got yer ducks all in a row. Congrats on havin yer boys and pop like to be together. Times and learning those boys will have when they are 69.
Do nature a favor, spay/neuter your pets and any weird friends or relatives.
We made some Black Walnut syrup last year, I think there's a little info in this thread, matter-of-fact.
Be warned, it takes about 90 gallons of sap to make a gal. of syrup, and the walnuts are pretty stingy with it....You might look into some type of cold storage for the sap, until you accumulate enough for a boil. We filled plastic freezer containers with sap, froze em', and used them as giant ice cubes in the storage tank. Worked pretty well.
Filtering is another hassle. As it reduces it creates a pectin, which plugs the filters right NOW. Have extras standing by, especially pre-filters.
It's a pretty syrup, fairly dark, very sweet, with a distinctive taste. We had planned to try and produce more this season, but circumstances overcame us and we shelved syrup production this year.
One more thing....unsure of what you plan on doing with the walnut syrup, but info is hard to come by. There is a school of thought that considers the possibility of nut allergen with walnut products. We kept all our walnut separate throughput the entire process, and were careful to notify all who wanted to try it that it was processed from a nut tree. Just a thought.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Well folks the season is over for us here. We have pulled all the taps and washed everything up.
The grand total here was 15.5 gallons with 100 trees. 55 on lines and 45 on buckets. It was a short poor year this year but kids had lots of fun.
From left to right is the three batches. First early batch is lighter in colour and maple flavor but very high in sweetness 4 gallons. The next is starting to get darker with more maple flavor still good and sweet 8 gallons. The third is the latest and darkest with the most maple. This dark is the best for cooking 3.5 gallons.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
I've seen a lot of trees around here this year with a bag or two strapped to them. I have never noticed this before. Apparently, a number of people around here enjoy this as much as you guy's do.
My wife decided to give it a try this year too. We had about 12 buckets going and had 2 boil down days separated by about 2 weeks. We are very much beginners but we have about 8 pints of maple syrup to show for it. We cheated and used a commercial stove that our family uses for our big fall applesauce making shindig. I hated to see that beautiful 6 burner behemoth sit there the rest of the year in the basement so doing syrup on it was the logical way to make it work at least once in the spring and once in the fall. Keeping an even boil was easy with the stove. I can't even imagine keeping an even boil on a wood stove out in the woods
I think ours is a bit runny, probably we could have gone a little more but we didn't want maple candy instead of maple syrup.
Yours looks great DonoBBD and thanks for showing/teaching that the syrup can darken as the season extends. That may explain why our first batch which is the only jar we broke into and tasted was a bit on the light side without much sweetness.
My wife decided to give it a try this year too. We had about 12 buckets going and had 2 boil down days separated by about 2 weeks. We are very much beginners but we have about 8 pints of maple syrup to show for it. We cheated and used a commercial stove that our family uses for our big fall applesauce making shindig. I hated to see that beautiful 6 burner behemoth sit there the rest of the year in the basement so doing syrup on it was the logical way to make it work at least once in the spring and once in the fall. Keeping an even boil was easy with the stove. I can't even imagine keeping an even boil on a wood stove out in the woods
I think ours is a bit runny, probably we could have gone a little more but we didn't want maple candy instead of maple syrup.
Yours looks great DonoBBD and thanks for showing/teaching that the syrup can darken as the season extends. That may explain why our first batch which is the only jar we broke into and tasted was a bit on the light side without much sweetness.
We do some nice glass jars for the family and keep one of each of the batches. Then we mark all the bottles with a batch number. If bottled with warm they will seal perfect and keep for a long long time like canning.
True maple syrup is a little runny compared to store bought corn syrup based. Keep it in the refrigerator and it will thicken some.
I use the maple syrup to make my fire and ice BBQ sauce for my ribs. It is the perfect thickening agent for the sauce and gives you a bit of sweet with the heat.
Dono, thanks for the tip on the fridge storage. We did the hot water preserving with hot jars and hot syrup and they sealed just like canning and are in the pantry. Others have said it makes a great topping for pork ribs or other roast glazes. Mmmm...
Made a maple syrup pie a few weeks back, outstanding!
Also, maple syrup will keep in the freezer nearly indefinitely. IF..... It's truly syrup. If it hasn't actually made syrup, it will freeze.
Last edited by sprkplug; 03/30/1611:14 AM.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
I'm looking to buy some 'boiling off' pans. Stainless flat trays really is all I need. I'm using some big turkey pans which work OK but would like even more surface area. I have a commercial gas stove (big 6 burner kind) I'd love to get a stainless tray with low sides that would span two burners at once. That would really speed up the boil. Would it be hard for someone to fabricate some crude pans? Just need like a 12x32 or 12x36 flat plate steel bottom then could weld some 3" sides all the way around and then, of course, be sure the welds don't let loose....
Thanks Al, if all goes as we hope it will, we will be in the woods this upcoming maple season. Still need to clear the tubing lanes and cut brush, but I think I can make it happen. Really looking forward to it!
Ideally you want a pan with high sides, especially if you intend to boil hard and fast. A violent boil will splash sticky concentrated sap all over everything....not fun. The pans we use came from the link Esshup posted, and we have been pleased with their performance.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Bill, it depends upon whether or not our old place sells before syrup season or not. The walnut trees are over there.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Walked the tubing in the rain, yesterday afternoon. After a year up in the woods, it only had one spot where a limb had come down on it. And even then it didn't break it, just pushed it to the ground. A little tightening and it looked good as new. Pleasantly surprised at how well it held up.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Walked the tubing in the rain, yesterday afternoon. After a year up in the woods, it only had one spot where a limb had come down on it. And even then it didn't break it, just pushed it to the ground. A little tightening and it looked good as new. Pleasantly surprised at how well it held up.
It's great it's doing so well for you, Tony! Have any idea how much loss there may be in the tubing, or does the central collection more than make up for sap loss?
Not sure I follow you Rex, what losses are you asking about?
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
Hi All, been lurking around for the past few months but just saw this thread yesterday and it's taken me a day and a half to read it all.
I'm a huge real maple syrup fan and consumer (we go through about a half gallon every few months) and as an owner of a little chunk of land with a lot of trees it's been fascinating to read through your adventures, thinking I may have to give it a try.
I almost cried (at work nonetheless) as I read your little story about the whole family getting together to help out.
It's been a long time since I've participated in any forums but it's great to see there are still good ones with, seemingly, good people still around.
Snort Coffee is a podcast about goofy stuff. Hope to add ponding to my list of hobbies.