How many people here make maple syrup?
- Thread starter Jstpssng
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RobertN
Super Member
I'm interested in "how" you make maple syrup. Not something you see in central El Dorado County, Calif 
I've wondered, how many trees does it take to get a gallon of raw sap? If you start out with a gallon of raw sap, how much finished syrup is that?
I love maple syrup; I hate to have pancakes or waffles, and someone hands me high fructose corn syrup with real artificial maple flavoring!
I've wondered, how many trees does it take to get a gallon of raw sap? If you start out with a gallon of raw sap, how much finished syrup is that?
I love maple syrup; I hate to have pancakes or waffles, and someone hands me high fructose corn syrup with real artificial maple flavoring!
forgeblast
Elite Member
Its funny I just picked up the book back yard sugarin' by rick mann, great book btw shows some very easy, and inexpensive ways to make syrup.
I have so many black birch on our property I was thinking about tapping them before i cut them down, probably not going to happen this year though.
I have so many black birch on our property I was thinking about tapping them before i cut them down, probably not going to happen this year though.
Avondale
Platinum Member
I make it, lots of work and subject to the whims of the weather makers but a good product if done correctly. A sugar maple tree can fill a 2 gal bucket a day in good weather. It should drop below freezing at night and above freezing in day, the wider the spread the more raw sap. I use -5c to +5c as the desirable range. Ratio of sap to syrup depends on tree but 40 gals of raw sap to finished gal of syrup is a norm. Finished syrup, for public sale in Ontario, must meet some published standards, (i.e. sugar content as measured on the brix scale) but home brew can be as you like it. Most mass production is done using tubes from trees to collection point, filtering using Reverse Osmosis, boiling using oil or gas fired boilers, steamed pre-bottling filters, etc. We do ours the old way, 300 pails, handraulic collection into a tub on a wagon,wood fired pans, etc. Sold about 100 liters last year.
studor
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I make it as well on a really small scale by tapping about 15 trees and using propane fired fish fryers to prepare it. Last year was a pretty good year with higher than 40 to 1 sugar content so we ended up with about 5 gallons (20 litres). I noticed a local store advertising sugaring supplies this week-- bit early I think although never hurts to be optimistic :thumbsup:
om21braz
Veteran Member
+1 My sentiments exactly.
Brokermike
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We make about 55 gallons of syrup a year. With the new house and land purchase we're hoping to make about 750 next year
I think I make about 1 or 2 gallons of syrup a year or whatever 20 or 30 taps will give me. I would love to make more but don't have the time.
Does any one use the rubber line instead of the spiels with the buckets hanging on them. I am thinking I might try the line on some trees that are close together and have them run into a food grade 45 gallon drum on a skid so I will be able to pick it up with the tractor
Does any one use the rubber line instead of the spiels with the buckets hanging on them. I am thinking I might try the line on some trees that are close together and have them run into a food grade 45 gallon drum on a skid so I will be able to pick it up with the tractor
Loren49
Veteran Member
I put in about 80 taps last year, split evenly between buckets and tubing. If you do a web search on the topic you can find good information. I also greaty appreciate pure maple syrup over the make believe stuff. I think you can expect somewhere between a pint and a quart of syrup per tap. It varies between different woods and seasons.
Loren
Loren
g0rd0
Gold Member
I gave up syruping due to arthritis but, while I was I had a great time and a tasty product. Here is a list of things you will need
a) taps, I liked to use the 7/16 plastic with green tubeing (3 in a line leading to a 5 gallon food grade plastic bucket)
b) a spile puller
c) a Quebec Hydrotherm (this measures the thickness of your syrup) or you can boil off to 9dec. F. above the boiling point (221 dec. F at sea level)
d) bottles
e) an arch (this is where you will boil your sap down)
f) a flat bottom pan to put on the arch
g) a float valve (optional,, this will constantly feed sap to your boil as the water is boiled out. Useing a float valve will speed up the boil because your boil will not cool down as you dump cold sap into it)
h) a brace and bit with a 7/16 bit to drill holes in your trees
i) a rubber mallet
j) optional I used a 80 cup SS coffee urn that was never used for anything else to aid in bottleing
k) at least 1 accurate thermomiter
l) defoaming agent
m) filters un bleached cotton and felt
My syrup pan was 20 wide x 48 long x 14"deep stainless steel it had 3 sections a float section 6" long, a boil section 32" long and a finish section 8"long. The float valve was in the float section this is where the sap is delivered to the tank, it had a 1" hole in the wall sepperating the boil section, the wall separatting the finish section also had a 1" hole in it. The float was set to allow 1&1/2 inches of sap in the pan. As the boil is going the float section stayed at 210-212dec, the boil section 212-217dec the finish section 217-220. At 220dec I empty the finish section through a cotton filter into a pail and the float will automaticly refill the whole pan moveing product down the line. This boiling should not be done in the house!!!! If you do beware of the wrath of wife! I boiled out side useing cinder blocks as an arch and cooked over wood fire.
Once I had 5 gallons of 220 dec syrup I would finish it over a propaine burner to 221decF, once at 221 I turned off the gas and gently set my hydrotherm in it waited about 5 minites for the syrup to warm it up and behold we had confermed syrup. From there I put the syrup into the urn (the part of the urn where the coffee grounds go is where I have 3 layered felt filters) plugged it in and used the handy pour spout to bottle. When you buy new bottles they will come with lids that are designed to seal when bottled hot (the urn convineantly keeps the syrup at 180dec
40 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup (maple)
50 to 90 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup (50 for cherry and up to 90 for birch)
a) taps, I liked to use the 7/16 plastic with green tubeing (3 in a line leading to a 5 gallon food grade plastic bucket)
b) a spile puller
c) a Quebec Hydrotherm (this measures the thickness of your syrup) or you can boil off to 9dec. F. above the boiling point (221 dec. F at sea level)
d) bottles
e) an arch (this is where you will boil your sap down)
f) a flat bottom pan to put on the arch
g) a float valve (optional,, this will constantly feed sap to your boil as the water is boiled out. Useing a float valve will speed up the boil because your boil will not cool down as you dump cold sap into it)
h) a brace and bit with a 7/16 bit to drill holes in your trees
i) a rubber mallet
j) optional I used a 80 cup SS coffee urn that was never used for anything else to aid in bottleing
k) at least 1 accurate thermomiter
l) defoaming agent
m) filters un bleached cotton and felt
My syrup pan was 20 wide x 48 long x 14"deep stainless steel it had 3 sections a float section 6" long, a boil section 32" long and a finish section 8"long. The float valve was in the float section this is where the sap is delivered to the tank, it had a 1" hole in the wall sepperating the boil section, the wall separatting the finish section also had a 1" hole in it. The float was set to allow 1&1/2 inches of sap in the pan. As the boil is going the float section stayed at 210-212dec, the boil section 212-217dec the finish section 217-220. At 220dec I empty the finish section through a cotton filter into a pail and the float will automaticly refill the whole pan moveing product down the line. This boiling should not be done in the house!!!! If you do beware of the wrath of wife! I boiled out side useing cinder blocks as an arch and cooked over wood fire.
Once I had 5 gallons of 220 dec syrup I would finish it over a propaine burner to 221decF, once at 221 I turned off the gas and gently set my hydrotherm in it waited about 5 minites for the syrup to warm it up and behold we had confermed syrup. From there I put the syrup into the urn (the part of the urn where the coffee grounds go is where I have 3 layered felt filters) plugged it in and used the handy pour spout to bottle. When you buy new bottles they will come with lids that are designed to seal when bottled hot (the urn convineantly keeps the syrup at 180dec
40 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup (maple)
50 to 90 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup (50 for cherry and up to 90 for birch)