OT/ Anyone getting ready for sugaring

Anonymous-0 · Mar 4, 2009

Any one make Maple syrup? We did it once a long time ago. How about any stories of syrup making! It should time to set taps pretty soon.

MarkB_MI · Mar 4, 2009

Our one experience with maple syrup nearly burned down the garage. We came to the conclusion that store-bought pure maple syrup is a bargain when you consider the time and expense of making it. Maybe I'll try again when I don't have so many other projects going on.

Bob Kerr · Mar 4, 2009

It is about too late here in central Indiana. The best syrup is made from early sap. it is a light color and not over powering taste wise. The later in the season, it gets darker and more heavy maple taste. The buds will be swelling a bunch too. I make my own spiles out of maple firewood! not hard to do either. takes less than 5 min each with a log splitter, a spoke shave and a drill. Made my own evaporator pans out of furnace duct sheet steel and a homemade bending brake (2x4s with angle iron on the sides, C clamps and a rubber hammer) fold it up like a box a fancy shirt comes in. I made 2 pans and dug a trench in the ground the pans would fit over and at the far side put a stove pipe in to keep ashes out. and the front side I had an old piece of roof tin to use as draft control and to remove to put more wood in. Worked slick as a whistle and cost almost nothing.

CH(upstate,NY) · Mar 4, 2009

Once is fun to show the kids how it's done but there are enough local sugar bushes up here to get it reasonably priced locally. Unless your going to sell it.

Eric SEI · Mar 4, 2009

Mom made maple syrup a couple years with a grating on concrete blocks and a bunch of old roasters.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 4, 2009

Really, are you that far ahead out there? Our trees wont start budding out until April. We had 3 degrees last knight. Cool knights and warm days for sap to flow. I also heard when the wind blows from the East the sap runs the least, when the wind blows from the West the sap flows the best. Oh well, yes its much eaiser to buy it, but I always think about maple producers this time of year. J

Tom Olson · Mar 4, 2009

Its been 10 or more below zero here at the South end of Michigan's UP the past 3 mornings. While things can always change we expect that it will likely be 2 or 3 weeks before sap starts to flow.
In the meantime, I have some work to do to try and improve the efficiency of my evaporator.

Vito · Mar 5, 2009

The person I help,run evaporator,started last week.Good start then got to cold.Should be getting better as the temps are going to warm up.I will post some pictures later in the season.He has a commerical operation.

Vito

Ultradog MN · Mar 5, 2009

It's still a bit early here. Maybe about 3 weeks or so. My family has been making syrup for over a hundred years. My cousins have cranked it up a notch and run a commercial operation. State inspected, food grade building, 1.3 million btu oil fired evaporator. It will really boil off the sap.
I have a few photos of it at the link below.
The gizmo with the hoses etc. is a pump/filter.
Cleans the hot syrup down to a couple of microns.
I always look forward to syrup time. All the relatives gather at the sugar bush to catch up on the clan news, gossip and fun. Coffee pot is always on and there's plenty of sweetener to go around.
This is Lemire Maple Syrup - just south of Aitkin MN
sugar bush

Bob Kerr · Mar 5, 2009

well what is happening is it is getting up to 60- 65 plus during the day. Sap can go sour (turn cloudy and smell some) quick if you store it till you have enough to boil and flow will slow way down if temps stay up, Syrup will be real dark if I make any around here now. I noticed the sap changes real quick when it gets warm out. I like the light stuff! YUMMM YUMMM!!! we had a window in Jan that would have been perfect but I was low on wood for the stove and since I still have some light amber I hot packed a few years ago I didn't make any this time.

Davidj · Mar 5, 2009

(quoted from post at 05:20:04 03/05/09) .
This is Lemire Maple Syrup - just south of Aitkin MN

I just had a visit this past weekend from some boys from Palisade. Kind of a rendezvous of sorts. I'm about a 20 hr drive east of you. I like the people around there.
I used to make syrup till about 4 years ago. 450 buckets. It was a good go as I used to only do chores during the winter, but now I'm more tied up and the gov't is getting nosier about things like lead, etc. now we tap about 50 and boil on the 2 finishing pans.
It's usually mid to late March before we start around here, with the end being Apr 10th or so

Anonymous-0 · Mar 5, 2009

anyone in Upsate NY around Penn Yan, NY need a hand in your operation ? I not looking for pay -- just to help out the operation and see how it's done....

thanks for now,

Jim

JMS/.MN · Mar 5, 2009

FWIW- in central MN, Demo at Sibley State Park on March 28.

Pete7 · Mar 5, 2009

Got my first run last week! Sap ran for 2 or 3 days and then a cold spell stopped it. As of late today the run had restarted. Hope to start boiling tomorrow morning. I only make a few gallons of syrup per year. Just enough for me and some as gifts for my relatives. Fun to do.

Pete
In Western NY

blinwmiaol.com · Mar 5, 2009

You say the south end of the UP? Around Menominee County?

OT/ Anyone getting ready for sugaring

Anonymous-0

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MarkB_MI

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Bob Kerr

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CH(upstate,NY)

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Eric SEI

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Anonymous-0

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Tom Olson

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Vito

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Ultradog MN

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Bob Kerr

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Davidj

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Anonymous-0

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JMS/.MN

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