some one asked a few questions: I'll try & answer them.
40 : 1 boiling is about right, some trees will have sap content that is lower or higher but my trees are good about 35~38 gallons to make a good sweet batch that will last and not be over powering.
My pan is Large 42" x 46" x 8" with 3,-7" high dividers in it which I added just prior to sugaring last spring. I built this pan myself and used it 3 seasons as a flat pan (no Dividers)
the dividers act as a separation point and helps support the bottom. the dividers have one corner notched out so if you pour NEW sap into the one side/end the warm sap that is closer to being syrup is pushed around to the other dividers slowly and I have 2 small plugs that I put into the notched corners to keep the boiled down stuff separate from the close to done stuff. This way I can pull off SYRUP from one of the last divider while pouring in NEW sap and not have to worry about getting too much water into the near finished product. I drain off several gallons once the temp comes up to ~215 degrees from the wood fired big pan, I have a smaller S.S. pan built the same way that I use to get the syrup up to ~218 degrees. It sets over a dual burner camp stove and holds 5 gallons as a flat open pan. Both pans have Ball Valves taps on the bottom corner where I drain off the boiled down syrup off into finial pan. I have a 40 QT sauce pan that I do my final cooking and canning from usually inside the house. Final boiling point is 219 degrees F. Most commercial sugar people use a Hydrometer calibrated for SYRUP cost 30 bucks. mine did not last the first use, it broke as I put it into the cup the first time ruined a cup full of syrup and POed me good. I bought a Digital Temp gauge that goes to 250 degrees F, set up for Oven Cooking of food has beeper an all for 9 bucks at wally world. You have to calibrate it for the day you are working using Boiling Water 212deg F, then add 7 degrees F for proper Syrup range +/- 1.5 degrees is OK but too much cooking it gets dark & sugar will drop out in a gritty form very fast and can scorch. the link on page 2 I posted shows a PIC of when the big pan got low the Black Spot in one corner, that scorched some and is hard to clean up, but adds a smoky roast flavor.
Open Wood Fired is WAY better than the store bought stuff but you HAVE to use GOOD wood. Oak, Cherry or Maple seems to all work well. I used some Popular and it yucked up the flavor some, not much but it was not the best batch. I prefer Maple or Red Elm both must be DRY so that wet wood fire/smell does not get into the syrup. This may have been part of the "populars" type woods problem which was somewhat wet/punky. (wood pile was LOW on me so I tossed it in the fire thinking that it would be fine.)
I usually will BOIL every other day when running average if full on running I boil daily to keep up. I boil in batches mostly as I get ~20 gallons over night boil it with one good fire, then that gets down to say 5 gallons I let the fire go out. pour it all back into a bucket and pack with snow over night with good lid on bucket and toss a blanket/old carpet over the top . or put it into the shed that has 5" of concrete which acts like a freezer in Feb/March in Ohio when there is no snow. if I have low flowing sap and none collected for many days I will boil it down and store in fridge if temps are expected to come up much above freezing for any length of time or if I cant get to it. if it is boiled down it will store for several days ok, but the straight sap does not store for more than a day or two before it gets cloudy and that is bacteria eating the sugar in the sap. I had one batch do that after 3 days and I tossed it last year when I was working and didn't have time to boil it down.
I can mine up in mason jars pint and quart, and have one or two small ones to catch left overs and or make for gifts. I've never sold any yet but traded some off for some home made honey and swapped pint for pint with some other local low volume sugaring people. I like doing this and that way you get to find out what tastes best to you personally. so far it seems the 3 people I've done that with like mine the best,
so I give them pointers, I'm the only one who was doing the open wood fire rout while others did the pan on stove and also using S.S. pans like me. Have not had any done in a COPPER pan yet (hint hint
anyhow I would like to get a small shack for next year as we generally set out in open air shivering and drinking coffee with wet feet tending fire/syrup pan. I do like the fact last year I used the Nissan 4x4 to drive back into woods to get the syrup. was easier on me and the ground as the tractor is heavier with the narrow tread rutted up the yard some. Pathfinder seemed to go pretty dang good for a 1000 buck rusty beater..
Mark
