Maple Syrup season!

[smittygj]

It seems as though someone monkeyed with the maple syrup grades. I used to prefer the B grade. I'd be glad to buy some dark maple syrup from someone here if it's not too far to drive and the prices aren't crazy.

 

[decalguy]

I was wondering if it's normal for some maple trees to not drip. Where we used to live I tapped a large tree we had every year. One year it produced one gallon of syrup. Where we live now there is one maple here too approx. 2' in diameter but it doesn't drip like the other one did. I want to tap it but I don't want to for nothing. We live in Lake County IN., in Hobart. When would be a good time to tap it? Thanks.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I was wondering if it's normal for some maple trees to not drip. Where we used to live I tapped a large tree we had every year. One year it produced one gallon of syrup. Where we live now there is one maple here too approx. 2' in diameter but it doesn't drip like the other one did. I want to tap it but I don't want to for nothing. We live in Lake County IN., in Hobart. When would be a good time to tap it? Thanks.

Some trees are better producers than others and some times when it's more conducive to sap runs a good producer simply won't. Also some areas of the tree tap better than others. And if you tap too close to a previous tap or a wound site, that area of wood is no longer vascular and won't flow. Like us, each tree is an individual. The more trees you tap the more you get the "average" flow.

This is the first time I've been on in a while because when the flow is high my free time goes to zero. In the last three weeks I've made 3.5 gallons, though ironically enough I haven't bottled any because I've been teaching myself how to make maple candy and I've used all of my first runs for that. I've made it before but this is the first year we're going commercial so I want to get a consistent product.

Making maple candy is dangerous because I really don't need that much more sugar in my diet...

I have sold most of the candy I've made, and we're almost out of our last bottling. I have another 2-3 gallons in process right now that I hope to get to with this freeze we've got going on, but I have 80 more taps to install before the next run. Then we're done with taps and the real craziness will start. These early season runs are easier because we have fewer taps in, and there's enough cold weather that if we don't get to the sap immediately it will store a bit longer (a lot longer when it is frozen!).

 

[smokingman]

shibumiseeker.

I would like to buy some off of you,when you have it ready.

I would wager you could sell quite a bit on INGO.

 

[Leadeye]

I'll come by and buy some as soon as I can get out of here, ice on the drive has us trapped.

 

[Kozaturf]

This thread reminds me of my childhood. Mom and Dad did living history at the National Lakeshore and that included dad working at the sugar shack at Chellberg Farm during Maple Sugar Time and the shack at Deep River county park. Spent lots of Saturdays emptying buckets and watching sap cook off. Then on Sunday we would do it all over again in our log cabin sugar shack at home from our trees.

 

[cb46184]

This thread takes me back a long way to my younger days. What I learned was "this is not as easy as it sounds." There is a reason maple syrup costs so much!

 

[starbreather]

Who are our sugar producers here?

I started with 20 taps 15 years ago. Got up to 400 taps before I had to back down for a while as life got in the way. Last year was 80 taps, 14 gallons made, and I sold every drop. It was also the first year to try RO and it dramatically cut production time and cost.

This year will be 200 taps. I got a hundred in this last week to take advantage of this early run weather and spread out production. Right now I have 130 gallons of sap to process and will probably get another 60-70 before the weather changes.

I’m laying lines in anticipation of the next run the next time the weather will be right so I can do the rest of the taps. I built a second RO system and a new sugar shack and have added vacuum filtration. I’m stoked, but not looking forward to the work involved!

If it keeps selling I could put in as many as 5000-8000 taps, but it’ll take a while to get there as infrastructure costs are steep.

I'd be interested in some syrups as well.

 

[Clay]

I've been wanting to do this since I moved. I have a lot of maple trees and I even marked them all this summer. Looks like now is the time to tap? I better get busy lol. I don't want a lot, just to learn.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I'll come by and buy some as soon as I can get out of here, ice on the drive has us trapped.

Let me know well before, right now all of our stock except some candy is at our place in town. I am finishing a batch from the last run but I am only bulk bottling it until the new decorative containers come in. I’m surprised you aren’t making your own. I could give you some old taps and tubes if you wanted.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I've been wanting to do this since I moved. I have a lot of maple trees and I even marked them all this summer. Looks like now is the time to tap? I better get busy lol. I don't want a lot, just to learn.

Right before this freeze ends will be an excellent time to tap!

 

[King31]

It has been a few years since my Dad has had enough time to do this. Our process is tapping trees and using plastic jugs to collect the same. Usually once or twice a day the jugs get emptied into a 55 gallon drum. After getting enough sap we fire up the stove/pan and use a drip method of putting the sap in to keep the heat consistent. I absolutely love the finished product but it does take quite a bit of work. He is retiring in a month so hopefully we can do this in the upcoming years.

 

[Wbayne]

Never tried this but you guys have me wanting too! Online searching for taps as we speak!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chevyguy]

Got a couple of maples, a friend and I tapped them never done it before, hes gonna give me insight and help once I have the quantity I want

 

[chevyguy]

Never tried this but you guys have me wanting too! Online searching for taps as we speak!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Go to tapmytrees.com they have all the supplies you need

 

[decalguy]

Some trees are better producers than others and some times when it's more conducive to sap runs a good producer simply won't. Also some areas of the tree tap better than others. And if you tap too close to a previous tap or a wound site, that area of wood is no longer vascular and won't flow. Like us, each tree is an individual. The more trees you tap the more you get the "average" flow.

This is the first time I've been on in a while because when the flow is high my free time goes to zero. In the last three weeks I've made 3.5 gallons, though ironically enough I haven't bottled any because I've been teaching myself how to make maple candy and I've used all of my first runs for that. I've made it before but this is the first year we're going commercial so I want to get a consistent product.

Making maple candy is dangerous because I really don't need that much more sugar in my diet...

I have sold most of the candy I've made, and we're almost out of our last bottling. I have another 2-3 gallons in process right now that I hope to get to with this freeze we've got going on, but I have 80 more taps to install before the next run. Then we're done with taps and the real craziness will start. These early season runs are easier because we have fewer taps in, and there's enough cold weather that if we don't get to the sap immediately it will store a bit longer (a lot longer when it is frozen!).

Thanks for the reply. I guess I should’ve clarified “drip.” By dripping I meant the tree I used to tap would drip from the branches all over the yard, us and our car. The tree in our yard now, approx 2’ diameter doesn’t. I’m thinking about trying to tap it anyway, just not sure when. Weird winter here in lake county.

 

[spencer rifle]

Freezing is your friend. Pull the ice out and you have concentrated the sugar even more, since the sugar depresses the freezing point of the sap where it is present. I've heard that some folks use their freezer to make syrup instead of boiling, but I've never tried it myself.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Freezing is your friend. Pull the ice out and you have concentrated the sugar even more, since the sugar depresses the freezing point of the sap where it is present. I've heard that some folks use their freezer to make syrup instead of boiling, but I've never tried it myself.

It can be done, but is very lossy. I've tested the ice I've pulled and it's usually only slightly lower sugar content than the sap. Where it does work pretty well is when the sap is already partially concentrated. I've pulled ice from 30% (syrup is around 66%) and found its sugar content was only 2-3%, so I throw the ice into my sap containers for the next go around and to help keep them cold. Last year I tried the freezing to concentrate from sap to syrup and it took about three times as much sap to make the same quantity of syrup. So yeah, it can be done. I do this some when I have to leave the concentrate in the pan for a couple of days and there's ice on the surface.

 

[decalguy]

Some trees are better producers than others and some times when it's more conducive to sap runs a good producer simply won't. Also some areas of the tree tap better than others. And if you tap too close to a previous tap or a wound site, that area of wood is no longer vascular and won't flow. Like us, each tree is an individual. The more trees you tap the more you get the "average" flow.

This is the first time I've been on in a while because when the flow is high my free time goes to zero. In the last three weeks I've made 3.5 gallons, though ironically enough I haven't bottled any because I've been teaching myself how to make maple candy and I've used all of my first runs for that. I've made it before but this is the first year we're going commercial so I want to get a consistent product.

Making maple candy is dangerous because I really don't need that much more sugar in my diet...

I have sold most of the candy I've made, and we're almost out of our last bottling. I have another 2-3 gallons in process right now that I hope to get to with this freeze we've got going on, but I have 80 more taps to install before the next run. Then we're done with taps and the real craziness will start. These early season runs are easier because we have fewer taps in, and there's enough cold weather that if we don't get to the sap immediately it will store a bit longer (a lot longer when it is frozen!).

I accidentally made maple sugar once. Oh boy was that good on oatmeal.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I got 2.5 gallons bottled and more candy made. I'm out of stuff in process, just in time for what should be a great run this week. Yesterday some of the lines were starting to drip a little and today should be even better. Looking to put in 30-40 more taps today. I'm not looking forward to trudging around in the snow, but hopefully by midday it should be warmish.