Maple Syrup

[buickanddeere]

I tend to agree, though them be fighting words on the syrup forum. I will say that I don't think which type of wood makes any difference. Personally I prefer softwood. It doesn't fill the firebox with coals and it burns hot and fast, which is what I want. Also, it's a good way to use that kind of wood. I like oak, all, maple, hickory, etc in my woodstove, but I gotta use up the poplar, basswood, pine, box elder, etc somewhere. Might as well put it to use. Here's my cooker, by the way. It'll burn a full cord of soft wood in 3 hours .

View attachment 543796View attachment 543797

. Where is this Maple Syrup forum ?

 

[buickanddeere]

Experienced something that was like a scene in a movie . My future sister in law from Flint Michigan almost ended her engagement to my brother . She was visiting while we were boiling maple syrup and we were very proud of the success. While the entire extended family was feasting on a breakfast of pancakes and sausage . She was looking around the table and my Mother asked what she was looking for . Sister in law answered out loud in her heavily accented voice with “ you have any molasses “. The conversations of 18 people immediately stopped, you could hear a pin drop and we all stared at her in frosty silence . She looked around scared but had no idea what she had done wrong. Apparently she had never ever tasted maple syrup , did not know what to do with it and was afraid to try it . She was handed the pitcher of fresh syrup and she poured some onto her pancakes during the deafening silence . She made a point of immediately saying how good the syrup tasted .....Don’t know if she liked the syrup or not but she knew it would be a long way to hitchhike or walk home .

 

[RobA]

. Where is this Maple Syrup forum ?

General Maple Discussion - Sugarbush.Info

 

[teejk]

Experienced something that was like a scene in a movie . My future sister in law from Flint Michigan almost ended her engagement to my brother . She was visiting while we were boiling maple syrup and we were very proud of the success. While the entire extended family was feasting on a breakfast of pancakes and sausage . She was looking around the table and my Mother asked what she was looking for . Sister in law answered out loud in her heavily accented voice with “ you have any molasses “. The conversations of 18 people immediately stopped, you could hear a pin drop and we all stared at her in frosty silence . She looked around scared but had no idea what she had done wrong. Apparently she had never ever tasted maple syrup , did not know what to do with it and was afraid to try it . She was handed the pitcher of fresh syrup and she poured some onto her pancakes during the deafening silence . She made a point of immediately saying how good the syrup tasted .....Don’t know if she liked the syrup or not but she knew it would be a long way to hitchhike or walk home .

I married a woman a long time ago that detested many of the foods I grew up with...turns out it was only because I guess her dad didn't like them hence they were never served. Now we probably lead the nation in broccoli consumption, she on her own consumes more pickled herring than anybody and she put 2 corned beef briskets in the crockpot first thing this morning. But back to the topic...here in west central Wisconsin we are still dipping well below freezing at night and the daytime temps are hovering around mid-upper 30's (today and tomorrow being warmer but I think that changes next week). All the makings for a good season I think.

 

[buickanddeere]

I married a woman a long time ago that detested many of the foods I grew up with...turns out it was only because I guess her dad didn't like them hence they were never served. Now we probably lead the nation in broccoli consumption, she on her own consumes more pickled herring than anybody and she put 2 corned beef briskets in the crockpot first thing this morning. But back to the topic...here in west central Wisconsin we are still dipping well below freezing at night and the daytime temps are hovering around mid-upper 30's (today and tomorrow being warmer but I think that changes next week). All the makings for a good season I think.

2-3 weeks ago we had a few days of modest sap run. Looks like nothing more for about a week.

 

[motownbrowne]

It ran pretty good here today. Not a huge run, but at least a gallon per tap. It started earlier in the day than it has been, so that helps a lot. Got my cooker fired up for the first time. Boiled about 800 gallons of sap in 4.5 hours. Used about 50% of a cord of wood. Drew off about 9 gallons of syrup towards the end of the day. The ratio of sap to syrup was much better than that, but the rest of the sugar is sitting in the pans now. I tested the sugar content at 2.5%, which isn't bad.

 

[Thomas]

Trees are being stubborn here will be 3 days w/out a tickle best so far 58/1 fingers cross for 40/1.

 

[Thomas]

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:laughing::thumbsup:

 

[Willie B]

It has been a while. We stopped about twenty years ago. My earliest efforts were a 275 gallon oil tank cut about 1/3 off the top. I'd use an angle iron frame with a couple cross bars. I built a brake to bend pans. Mine were galvanized steel, it solders well to seal corners.

As we got more into it I built a 24 x 40 sugar house, and bought a 2 x 6 Lightning evaporator with 4' raised flue pan. That was a nice rig! We had 250 taps, but our sugar content was low. Made very high grade syrup mostly. Typical spring, we made 50 gallons.

 

[teejk]

It ran pretty good here today. Not a huge run, but at least a gallon per tap. It started earlier in the day than it has been, so that helps a lot. Got my cooker fired up for the first time. Boiled about 800 gallons of sap in 4.5 hours. Used about 50% of a cord of wood. Drew off about 9 gallons of syrup towards the end of the day. The ratio of sap to syrup was much better than that, but the rest of the sugar is sitting in the pans now. I tested the sugar content at 2.5%, which isn't bad.View attachment 544395

For a casual observer, I seem to remember warm/cool days & cold nights from a few people that only produced for personal consumption (I guess if it gets warm and stays that way the party's over for the year). In a commercial sense, how do you test for sugar content or otherwise know when it's time to quit cooking? Does viscosity come into play at all? How do you market it other than getting on the road and hitting every local tavern with a few jars like they do around here?