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Author Topic: its maple syrup time  (Read 11611 times)

Offline danno

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its maple syrup time
« on: March 01, 2010, 09:07:55 am »
Yesterday it was mid 30's and the sun popped out.  I took the snowmobile back to my woods and tapped a few trees.   The sap was really running

Offline asprince

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2010, 09:30:16 am »
Do you make your own maple syrup?

Steve
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Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2010, 10:24:50 am »
yes just for home use.  I collect about 100 gals of sap to make about 2 gals of syrup

Offline Natalie

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2010, 11:13:43 am »
I am sooo jealous!  I would love to have some trees in my yard to tap.
Unfortunately all the trees in my yard are so ancient that they either fell down or needed to be taken down for safety reasons and the ones I planted are way too young.
I have been thinking about my neighbor's tree next to my fence however  :-D

Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2010, 11:30:05 am »
Most years I tap trees on other peoples property because mine can be hard to get to with deep snow.  Just like keeping bee's on someone elses place, a small jar on syrup will get you in.  I have one farm that I use in most years because the trees are right along the plowed driveway.  My new 1978 arctic cat has opened up a new world

Offline Hethen57

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2010, 03:02:26 pm »
Dano, so does it come out of the tree with alot of moisture that you need to evaporate off?  I had no idea that you needed to collect so much to get a little syrup...no wonder it is so expensive.
-Mike

Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2010, 03:36:44 pm »
Dano, so does it come out of the tree with alot of moisture that you need to evaporate off?  I had no idea that you needed to collect so much to get a little syrup...no wonder it is so expensive.
It about 2% sugar so it takes about 50gals to make 1 gal.  A large size pan with a big surface area results in more steam and makes it go quicker.  My pan is 20 X 24 X 6 deep.

Offline GaryMinckler

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2010, 08:36:50 pm »
I hang 50 buckets and boil it down on this hobby size evaporator.
Making Maple syrup (part 2)

Offline Cindi

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2010, 09:37:21 pm »
Oh Danno, oh so cool!!!  You still got snow? smiling that big smile.  Spring has come really early here, the tree frogs are croaking their brains out!!!  I envy that you have that skill to tap the trees, the knowledge of how to do it especially, that is such a wonderful thing.  We don't have that species of tree to tap sap here for that syrup, that is in eastern Canada (I think).  But I surely do believe it would be a whole lotta fun!!!  Go, Dan, go!!!! (and you too Gary!!!).  Beautiful days, to love and live, to share, with that beautiful health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2010, 09:06:48 am »
Gary
very nice!!  What do you heat with?   

Offline GaryMinckler

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2010, 01:20:05 pm »
Except for a pan on a kitchen stove, this is probably the smallest evaporator on the market...wood fired.  More videos to come on youtube.com/user/gminckler

Making Maple syrup

Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2010, 01:55:21 pm »
Gary did you make it of buy it?   What is the logic of the partitions.   I have some big pans in my barn about 3 X 4 X6" some with and some without the partitions

Offline GaryMinckler

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #12 on: March 04, 2010, 03:58:26 pm »
I bought this evaporator from leaderevaporator.com about 13-14 years ago.  The new hobby evaporators are much nicer now.  The channels have cutouts at certain ends to allow sap to flow from one side to the other as it becomes syrup.  The density of sap and syrup are so much different that it allows it to remain seperate.  In the videos raw sap is being fed into the evaporator on the right hand side and syrup is being drawn off the left side of the unit.  Each channel is in different stages of syrup. As the unit is being run you can more clearly see the difference in each channel. With only 50 buckets and a small set up like this I am clearly only doing it for the fun of it. A little bit of excercise to relieve cabin fever and a little beer drinking while tending the fire makes for a nice spring day.  Some of my friends have 10-12000 taps to work on. Sap is running fairly good the last few days and should stay that way throughout March.

Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #13 on: March 04, 2010, 04:36:41 pm »
"a little beer drinking while tending the fire"   
I told my wife that beer drinking was the reason syrup is so expensive.  It takes a 12 pack to make a quart

Offline GaryMinckler

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #14 on: March 04, 2010, 05:35:41 pm »
 :chop: :cheer: :chop:

Offline mastro

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2010, 05:12:05 pm »
Gary,
I've been looking for reasonably priced land with tapable trees on them.  What are prices like around you for land with mature sugar maples?

Offline GaryMinckler

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2010, 09:23:01 pm »
It must be cheap because, I swear, half of Connectict and New Jersey now live right here in St Lawrence County.  Better act quick they're driving the prices up.  I paid 21k for 58 acres seven years ago. Those prices are rare.  The most expensive piece I looked at was 1650.00/acre.  I looked for hunting properties with no structures, the maple trees were a bonus.

Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #17 on: March 08, 2010, 09:15:19 am »
that cheap  Here in michigan farm land is going for 3000/acre

Offline hankdog1

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #18 on: March 26, 2010, 04:01:49 am »
Somthing i've always wanted to do but never knew anybody to ask about.  So how does one get into making maple syrup?  Where can i get the equipment to tap the trees and so forth?  I've seen the taps around in people's frount yards but didn't want to get shot for trespassing for a closer look.  Been planning on going to a maple syrup festival here sunday maybe i can get some good information there but any help you guys could lay on me would be greatly appreciated.
Take me to the land of milk and honey!!!

Offline danno

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Re: its maple syrup time
« Reply #19 on: March 26, 2010, 09:02:29 am »
Somthing i've always wanted to do but never knew anybody to ask about.  So how does one get into making maple syrup?  Where can i get the equipment to tap the trees and so forth?  I've seen the taps around in people's frount yards but didn't want to get shot for trespassing for a closer look.  Been planning on going to a maple syrup festival here sunday maybe i can get some good information there but any help you guys could lay on me would be greatly appreciated.
All the equipment and info is available on line.   Taps or spiles as they are call come in metal or plastic.  Get the plastic!!!!    These use tubeing and several can be linked together and ran into a single tube that runs into a bucket on the ground.   I use plastic 5 and 6 gal buckets w/ lids.   I drill a hole in the lid to run the tubeing through.   this keeps out dirt, rain and bird crap