Maple Syrup

[Spentit]

It is that time of year. A word of advise to any new comers chasing deals on Craigslist. Stay away from most of the older pans. Many if not all years ago used lead solder to seal them up. Not a boiling pan you want to use. Makes bad syrup.

 

[motownbrowne]

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?

Yep, warm days and cold nights. There's other factors, real and imagined that affect sap flow too. I think it helps when the frost goes out, and weather systems seem to help too. A good snow storm coming through will stop the taps all at once, but when they open back up again it can be a heck of a run!

As far as marketing is concerned we have it pretty good. Growing veggies is our main business and my dad's been doing it for 40 years. We've been making syrup just as long. We stock our farm store with syrup and we've got lots of loyal customers who've been buying from us for decades. If I doubled my production I might have to get creative, but this year was actually the first year that we haven't run out of inventory before the next season. Last year was our first on vacuum and we made 180 gallons. About 75 more than the previous 5 year average.

Regarding finishing, we use a sap hydrometer to test for sugar content in the sap. It reads between 0-6 brix. We use a thermometer and a syrup hydrometer to test the syrup. When it boils at 7ｰF above the boiling point of water, it's finished. Because we will cool, reheat, filter and bottle the syrup after it leaves the evaporator, I draw off the syrup a couple percent shy of the targeted density.

 

[motownbrowne]

It is that time of year. A word of advise to any new comers chasing deals on Craigslist. Stay away from most of the older pans. Many if not all years ago used lead solder to seal them up. Not a boiling pan you want to use. Makes bad syrup.

I think that's good advice. I will say though that millions of gallons of good syrup has been made on lead soldered pans. It really starts to be an issue if you've got lead soldered buckets, lead soldered collection tanks, a lead soldered evaporator, etc, also if you put anything acidic in the pans that's no good.

If you've got lead soldered pans, don't scrub the joints. Once coated in nitre or sugar they don't leach into the syrup. There's other precautions you can take too, such as testing the finished product to be sure it's safe.

I agree that if anyone is shopping for a cooker to avoid a lead solder rig, but if you've already got one or can get a starter unit really cheap, they are possible to use safely and make good syrup. All the manufacturers used lead solder and least into the 90s. Leader stopped in 91 I think. The others were a few years behind. Then lead-free solder was used for several years after that.

 

[chado613]

Motown
Could I ask your advice on finshing.... I have borrowed a turkey deep frier and have about 3-4 gallons to finish?

Have you ever tried this method?

 

[motownbrowne]

Motown
Could I ask your advice on finshing.... I have borrowed a turkey deep frier and have about 3-4 gallons to finish?

Have you ever tried this method?

Sure thing.

I'd start with about a gallon in your pot; enough to cover the bottom with 2-3" of liquid. Turn your heat on high enough to get a good boil, but be careful not to scorch the sides from the flames locking up the side of the pot. Use something like a chopstick to check the depth intermittently. Add the rest of the liquid in small amounts to replace what's evaporating.

You'll also need an accurate thermometer, like a meat or candy thermometer. You will want to boil some water and check the reading on the thermometer in the boiling water. Whatever that is, you want to add 7 degrees F and that's the temp to bring your syrup to. Be very careful at the end; a pot of boiling syrup can foam up very quickly and spill over the pot making a huge need, and possibly burning the syrup. It takes a long time to get it to 5 degrees over the boiling point of water. After that it can go very fast.

 

[chado613]

Great thanks you sir!!

 

[teejk]

Be very careful at the end; a pot of boiling syrup can foam up very quickly and spill over the pot making a huge need, and possibly burning the syrup. It takes a long time to get it to 5 degrees over the boiling point of water. After that it can go very fast.

That should have been in bold! I remember that from when we used to make black raspberry jelly. Not only is it a real mess, it can be dangerous. That hot syrup on skin will stick like glue as it burns through your hide! And it comes up like a flash.

 

[teejk]

Yep, warm days and cold nights. There's other factors, real and imagined that affect sap flow too. I think it helps when the frost goes out, and weather systems seem to help too. A good snow storm coming through will stop the taps all at once, but when they open back up again it can be a heck of a run!

As far as marketing is concerned we have it pretty good. Growing veggies is our main business and my dad's been doing it for 40 years. We've been making syrup just as long. We stock our farm store with syrup and we've got lots of loyal customers who've been buying from us for decades. If I doubled my production I might have to get creative, but this year was actually the first year that we haven't run out of inventory before the next season. Last year was our first on vacuum and we made 180 gallons. About 75 more than the previous 5 year average.

Regarding finishing, we use a sap hydrometer to test for sugar content in the sap. It reads between 0-6 brix. We use a thermometer and a syrup hydrometer to test the syrup. When it boils at 7ｰF above the boiling point of water, it's finished. Because we will cool, reheat, filter and bottle the syrup after it leaves the evaporator, I draw off the syrup a couple percent shy of the targeted density.

I get to Eau Claire often because it is our nearest large shopping city. If I'm in the neighborhood with time to kill I'll think about driving a few more miles and check it out. Is there a business name?

 

[motownbrowne]

I get to Eau Claire often because it is our nearest large shopping city. If I'm in the neighborhood with time to kill I'll think about driving a few more miles and check it out. Is there a business name?

That'd be great! I'm a bit of a drive from Eau Claire (a little more than an hour), but we always enjoy visitors. If you put Rising Sun Farm into Google maps it'll bring you right here. I'll PM you my cell number. Shoot me a text or a call. I'm here pretty much all the time, but we only boil every few days depending on the sap flow. You're welcome any time, but it's always more fun when the steam is rolling.

 

[Spentit]

A tip to bring down the foam on a boil is strike a knife or any utensil through some butter. Not a chunk just a film and dip it into the boil and foam will drop. It will foam again but does cut it back for a while.