Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Making Maple Syrup

Yep, I traded esshup some of my homemade jelly for some of his maple syrup. I think I got the better deal! The grandkids stuck with the imitation store bought stuff, because that is all they're been exposed to, which meant for real stuff for me! The genuine maple syrup wasn't as thick as the imitation stuff, which was fine by me, but it had a genuine true flavor.

Processed a small batch into syrup today, the first of our 2015 season. Very light, which is typical of early in the season.

Very nice! You've upgraded the facilities and procedures, so what's next? Are you happy with the whole process, or will there be something new next year?

Tony,

Did you make any of the walnut syrup yet? If so, is it good?

Already planning next year's improvements, most notably in the filter dept. We upgraded this year to a dedicated filter tank with synthetic filters and prefilters, and it was better/faster than last season, but I'm still not satisfied. The big boys have water jacketed filter/bottler units, or even gear driven pumps forcing the syrup through filter banks, but the small scale producer's choices are limited.

I have some ideas, so I will try to build something for next season.

No walnut yet, Bill....still trying to gather enough sap to be able to boil it down. Not much sugar in that stuff, so it will take approx. twice as much sap to make a gallon of black walnut syrup as it does maple.

Tony, does the lighter colored syrup have a "lighter" taste?

When I was a bee keeper, I found that very light colored honey didn't have a taste that was as sweet, or maybe as strong, as the stuff with a little bit darker color. We sometimes mixed it to get more sweetness.

Yes Dave it does. Not as much maple flavor, but still extremely sweet. In the northeast, this light stuff is what the producers want to make, as there is a big market for it. Never understood that, as most who taste it prefer the richer maple flavor found in darker syrup. At least around here anyway.

A little known factoid is that the large honey companies mix all of the honey to get a taste that is somewhat consistent. And, depending on what the bees 'collect', some is inedible, or even poison until mixed. It all depends on what blooms around the bees.

Sadly enough, due to Colony Collapse Disorder, honey could soon become a thing of the past. And, with that, goes a good sized segment of the global agriculture.

Poison? Wow!

Maple producers do the same thing, blending batches for a uniform taste and appearance. I understand this, but I think something may be lost during the process. In my opinion, this is where the small scale producer has an opportunity to actually celebrate, embrace, and promote the distinctiveness of small batches...much the same way as small wineries do with their product.

We actually have a couple customers who specified early syrup if possible....these folks know and understand the intricacies and inconsistencies involved in the process, and are looking for a particular element, whether it be taste, color, whatever.

The darker stuff is my preference. I seriously doubt this stuff I got at Walmart, both house and VT blend will go any further than the taste test. Just ain't right!

Pushed just over 100 gallons of sap in 11 hours through the evaporator yesterday, which is a laughably small amount to a real sugar operation. But we were pleased with those numbers, and thought it was pretty good for a 2'x3' flat pan on a homemade, natural draft arch.

Got pretty toasty standing next to it though. I think my jeans got so hot it melted the hair on my legs, and I'm now convinced that a zipper makes a passable substitute for a branding iron, especially when applied to sensitive parts of the anatomy. Need fire resistant chaps, or something along those lines.

You need SFI 3/2A-5 spec protection?

http://www.deist.com/driving-suits-2piece-driving-suits-c-8_10.html

They are saying (up here at least) that the month of Feb will be cold.

Are you any closer on making a decision on whether to hit the conference?

The conference looks doubtful for me. This cold weather has shut the trees down, and we still have a long way to go in order to hit our goal. At this point in time I'm just hoping to get things wrapped up before the spring rush explodes into the shop.

Have you tried the walnut syrup yet?

Intending to boil walnut sap tomorrow, for the first time. I don't plan to take it all the way to syrup just yet, only to concentrate it for easier storage until we gather more.

Up here it's only supposed to barely get above freezing twice in the next 10 days.

That reminds me. I need to tell the amish family that makes syrup that I'll be out of town for a while.

That is a terrible assignment of priorities!!! I can only imagine an intelligent man such as yourself, Sparky, has succumb to the telepathic thoughts emanating from your resident GSF, fearing you will learn the truth of their evil doings under your water and have therefore convinced you that frozen sap will somehow thaw, keeping you home to work....

Walk away from the glistening green and yellow scales keeping you in a mental haze, and join us at the conference!!

Rainman, you haven't by any chance delivered any fish to a certain, sunny side up pondmeister in Tennessee recently, have you?

I would love to attend the conference, see some familiar faces and make some new acquaintances. I won't know for sure until right at the last minute, but it appears highly unlikely right now.

Tony, hope you can make it. I'd like to meet you in person.

The feeling's mutual, Dave.

Tony, I can't disclose any water changing locations or locks and gate codes get changed.

I can tell you one thing, that pondmeister has trees that jump out and knock the snot out of trucks now and then!

Reduced approx. 30 gallons of walnut sap down to 3 gallons of concentrate today. Odd smell while boiling, and the taste is a little awkward too. It is getting sweet however, so I'll carry on as soon as mother nature permits.

Tony,

Is there a book or some other resource you would recommend on making your own syrup? Looking for recommendations on equipment, boiling, pretty much the whole process. Sounds like a cool thing to do.

Bill D., better build a sugar shack or buy a good rain suit!

This is an easy $10 investment:

Backyard Sugarin' A Complete How-To Guide
http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Sugarin-C...ackyard+sugarin


It is not targeted to commercial processing, but the home do it yourselfer with shallow pockets but a desire to make syrup. I don't think you can go wrong reading and referencing this book.