Welp, at least I tried...

Greg1959 · Mar 12, 2015

I have been watching and reading posts about making maple syrup for a few years. Thought I'd give it a try.

I live right on the Mason-Dixon Line, just to give you an idea of my location.

Had 14+ inches of snow last week. Then the days started warmng above 40 with nights falling below freezing.

I tapped 10 hard rock maple and collected a little over 30 gallons of sap in 6 days.

I don't have a evaporator, just used my Turkey fryer to cook the sap down. Well, two 15 lb. tanks of propane later and finishing off the syrup on the electric stove. I got 2 1/2 pints of syrup after filtering.

The last 1/2 pint was what I would call the 'Bottoms', kinda cloudy. Temp of the syrup was 219-220.

Anyway, I now fully appreciate what you sugaring guys do and understand how much work and care you do to make your product!

Thank You!

Here is a pic of my final product.

BushogPapa · Mar 12, 2015

Well done...!!

Adirondack case guy · Mar 12, 2015

You really need to have a pasion for doing it.
Here at Clinton Camp Farm we have made Maple Syrup for so many years, we just don't know no better.
We all like doing it and we are blessed to have some great neighbors who willingly come to help.
We all work hard, but it isn't realy work. It is a great time to share stories and get away from the daily winter bordum/cabin fever, and celebrate the start of a new growing season
Loren, the Acg.

BushogPapa · Mar 13, 2015

Those ARE the Days..!
Enjoy them, they may not last too many years...

It was like that here when I grew up and I appreciated it then, for the great times it was..

Sugar Camps are fewer and further between anymore.

I get a Gallon every year and enjoy the heck out of it..!!!
Thanks for sharing.!
Ron.

BushogPapa · Mar 13, 2015

Freeze Ice Cubes from Sugar Water (Sap) and the Kids Love them..the Maple freezes to the outside and they are sweet..(Maybe put a pop-cycle stick in them?).

The frozen sap cubes also are perfect for sweetening Sun-Tea..just sweet enough to sweeten it and cools it at the same time..!

Ron

sms · Mar 13, 2015

Broken limb on a hard maple will make a sapcicle, if its cold enough. My dad was a logger, mill owner, we used to get sapcicles off the logs in the spring.

Russ from MN · Mar 13, 2015

I don't know what you pay for propane but here
that would make damn expensive syrup!

Donald Lehman · Mar 13, 2015

That is nice looking syrup. Even the darker jar looks pretty nice. Good job.

For all the work, it's still kinda fun, isn't it?

black · Mar 13, 2015

YAP! I worked a 1500 tap sugar bush on pipe line
with a wood fired evaporater. I did the same as you
at home with my kids to have fun and relized it was
cheaper to buy the syrup . We have big operations
here with 20,000 trees tapped that are fired with
oil boliers to produce steam that evaporates the
water from the sap . Anyway , your syrup looks good
and you took it off at the proper temterature -enjoy

Larry -- ontario

Welp, at least I tried...

Greg1959

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BushogPapa

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Adirondack case guy

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BushogPapa

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BushogPapa

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sms

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Russ from MN

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Donald Lehman

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black

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