Home made maple syrup.... MONEY 2-26-16

[maplenut]

Making maple candy is an art, one that I have not master myself yet.

Early season syrup makes better candy than late season syrup. it has to do with how much invert sugars are in the syrup, the more invert sugars the least likely it will make candy.

I am not that big on peanut brittle but I may have to try your recipe for Maple peanut brittle.

As for my evaporator, it is a Lapierre.

 

[arkage82]

Get yourself a good candy thermometer to start with. Temperatures are critical. Also, you have to watch it like a hawk- as it changes from one state to another, it can foam pretty quick. A dab of butter added to the boil helps the bubbles to lose surface tension and not boil over. 

 

[arkage82]

Here is the Maple Fudge recipe I've been working on. Simple ingredients, but it all comes down to procedure. (Even if you "ruin" it and it's runny, try pouring it over vanilla ice cream- YUM!)

2 cups maple syrup

1 cup of cream (I used half and half, but pure cream may be better)

Heat to 245 degrees.

Allow to cool to around 150.

Pour into mixer and blend fairly aggressively. You need to add air.

You have to watch it until you see it start to firm up in the mixer. Over mixing it will cause it to be crumbly. When you think you are where you need to be, pour into a butter pan and allow to cool fully. 

Try not to eat all at one time. 

 

[ak1]

Wow this is some impressive stuff I'm seeing here.

 

[daveomak]

I went out this AM and tapped my 2 trees.....    SURPRISE !!!  the sap is running gang busters......  It's still below freezing.....  

These are the temp charts for my area taken at the airport 1 mile away.....  I guess I missed the start of the sap running by a bit....

I'm guessing the sun on the south side of the tree has more effect than I thought...   That's my guess for now....  I'm still way ahead of last year as far as starting time goes....  Guessing what I don't know now, I should have started around January 5 - 10th.....

2016 Jan temps.png

• daveomak
• Feb 8, 2016

         

2016 Feb. temps.png

• daveomak
• Feb 8, 2016

KOMK January, 2016
Date	Observed Low (F)	Observed High (F)	Normal Low (F)	Normal High (F)	Record Low (F)	Year	Record High (F)	Year	Observed Precipitation (inches)	Record Precipitation (inches)
1	-6	14	19	30	-17	1979	46	1963	0	.50 1944
2	-3	12	19	31	-11	1978	45	1954	0	.49 2003
3	7	20	19	31	-15	1949	48	1939	.04	.46 1956
4	20	25	19	31	-14	1971	44	1954	.25	.52 2010
5	23	31	19	31	-8	1971	54	1934	.08	.66 1931
6	31	35	19	31	-4	2004	44	1956	.05	.52 1965
7	33	36	19	31	-12	1993	56	1945	T	.38 1975
8	32	34	20	31	-12	1937	57	1945	0	.67 1959
9	32	35	20	32	-10	1974	53	1953	0	.65 1995
10	32	35	20	32	-5	1974	52	2006	0	.51 2004
11	29	33	20	32	-13	1937	52	2014	T	.54 1980
12	28	30	20	32	-12	1937	52	1953	.32	.38 1958
13	25	33	20	32	-5	1950	61	2014	.20	.27 1968
14	22	32	21	32	-17	1950	50	1945	0	.62 2000
15	21	26	21	33	-22	1950	52	1961	T	.56 1968
16	25	31	21	33	-11	1949	50	1961	.22	.46 1971
17	30	34	21	33	-10	1969	50	1944	.09	.83 1995
18	32	34	21	33	-15	1943	47	2015	.01	.55 1997
19	30	35	21	34	-8	1957	52	1944	.18	.69 1999
20	32	35	21	34	-20	1949	49	1967	.06	1.90 1998
21	32	35	21	34	-6	1949	52	1934	.21	.51 1999
22	30	41	22	34	-9	1957	48	1934	.15	.66 1931
23	29	36	22	34	-9	2008	51	1934	.22	.65 1998
24	31	35	22	35	-18	1949	47	1947	0	.63 1959
25	28	32	22	35	-22	1949	50	2002	T	.28 1942
26	30	34	22	35	-8	1950	48	1942	0	.45 1942
27	32	35	22	35	-17	1949	50	1974	.01	.65 1995
28	29	39	22	36	-21	1949	53	1974	.01	.56 1992
29	20	35	22	36	-20	1950	52	1974	.18	.76 1967
30	21	31	22	36	-20	1950	52	1953	T	1.05 1995
31	21	31	22	36	-20	1950	58	1953	T	.50 1995
Average	25.1	31.7	20.7	33.1		2.28 Normal = 1.89

The above data are unofficial and may contain errors.
For official climate records, please contact...www.ncdc.noaa.gov.

Anyone care to comment on starting time for tapping based on what you see on the temp charts ???

Thanks for looking....   Dave

 

[daveomak]

Todays catch....  

DSCF2451.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 8, 2016

 

[ak1]

How much syrup you figure you'll get?

 

[daveomak]

I'm starting 3 weeks earlier than last year...   If I get about 1 gallon a day for the next 30 ish days, based on last years concentration step, I should get about 3-4 quarts..

 

[maplenut]

Looking good Dave.

The start of sugar'in season is always a tough call. Hind sight is always 20/20. We usually have several false starts weather wise. I always aim for the end of the second week in Feb. But come mid Jan I really watch the weather. I have tapped as early as the second week in Jan an as late as beginning of March.

Bucket taps you really want to be sure that the season is started as you don't want the tap whole open when sap is not running. Bacteria gets in them and the tree starts to close it down.

With tubing there is a little more wiggle room for how long the tap whole stay productive.

Dave I am surprised that you have not tried making birch syrup. Don't you have birch trees out there? Birch syrup production is just catching on here but the northwest and Alaska that is some big stuff.

I personally do not like birch syrup, kind of an odd flavor.

 

[daveomak]

No native birch here in Omak....  We are desert...  I have 2 birch that are OK for tapping but they are small...  All the trees here are planted from a nursery...

 

[daveomak]

2/8  0930 Start.... thru 2/11 @ 0930  ..  20 quarts of sap in 72 hours......  The sap ran ALL NIGHT last night... it didn't freeze...  was 34 this AM...   I'm doin' real good iffin I don't screw up this evaporation  step....  

 

[wurm slinger]

Sounds like your season is off and running

. Wish I could say the same thing here. I was watching the weather last week and figured on taping end of next week but the way it looks now it may be off for another two-three weeks. Predicting a high of 8 on Saturday

 

[mneeley490]

 
Maybe we need a new thread, or even a sub forum heading........ but I've been looking for ways to use maple syrup instead of just on pancakes and French toast. 

So far, I have had great success with Maple Peanut Brittle and with Maple Fudge, but looking for ways to incorporate it into glazes and maybe as a substitute for sugar/brown sugar in other recipes. 

TIA. 

I've never tried making candy. Here's how I use extra syrup

Maple Leaf

2 oz. bourbon

1/2 oz. lemon juice

1/2 oz. maple syrup

So another question; Maple sugar is the secret ingredient in some of my 'Q recipes. I've seen the process for turning  sap into syrup. How much more involved is it to go further from syrup to sugar?

 

[arkage82]

It's all a matter of boiling it further until you hit the "candy" temperatures, depending on what type of candy you are trying to make. Having a good thermometer is critical.

A site like this: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Candy/candytemp.htm has a chart showing the temperatures:

	Cold Water Test:   As a sugar syrup is cooked, water boils away, the sugar concentration increases, and the temperature rises. The highest temperature that the sugar syrup reaches tells you what the syrup will be like when it cools. In fact, that’s how each of the temperature stages discussed below is named.	Candy Thermometer:   When using a Candy Thermometer, the temperatures specified below are for sea level. At higher altitudes, subtract 1° F from every listed temperature for each 500 feet above sea level.
Thread Stage	Binding agent for fruit pastes A spoonful of sugar drizzled over a plate forms a fine, thin thread. This stage makes a syrup, not a candy.	230-235ºF (106-112ºC)
Soft-ball Stage	Fudge, Fondant, Creams, Penuche, Maple, etc: When a small amount of sugar syrup is dropped into very cold water, it forms a ball that does not hold its shape when pressed with your fingers.	235-240ºF (112-116ºC)
Firm-ball Stage	Caramels and Divinity: When a small amount of sugar syrup is dropped into very cold water, it forms a ball that holds its shape, but it still sticky, when pressed with your fingers.	245-250ºF (118-120ºC)
Hard-ball Stage	Taffy and Marshmallows When a small amount of sugar syrup is dropped into very cold water, it forms a ball that holds its shape but is pliable.	250-265ºF (121-130ºC)
Soft-crack Stage	Butterscotch and Toffee: When a small amount of sugar syrup is dropped into very cold water, it scan be stretched between your fingers and separates into hard but not brittle threads.	270-290ºF (132-143ºC)
Hard-crack Stage	Peanut Brittle: When a small amount of sugar syrup is dropped into very cold water, it will solidify but will separates into hard brittle threads.	300-310ºF (149-154ºC)
Light Caramel Stage	Glazes, coating agent Poured onto a white plate the syrup will be honey-golden in color.	320-335ºF (160-170ºC)
Dark Caramel Stage	Glazes, coating agent Poured onto a white plate the syrup will be deep reddish amber in color	Up to 350ºF (177ºC) Watch carefully as any temperature above 350ºF  begins to burn the sugar and it will develop a bitter, burnt taste.

 

[arkage82]

If I remember my history correctly, pre-Civil War, maples were tapped to primarily make sugar to last for the following year. 

On another note, here is something I find almost hilarious: Vertical Water : http://www.verticalwater.com  Seems as though there is quite a market for the sap taken right out of the tree.  (What is that? $50 for a gallon and a half? That's more valuable than the syrup!)

I guess this is one product that has potential at any and every stage of it's production. 

 

[nimrod]

Great thread! As a kid in Michigan my brother & I helped the Shaw family farm tap the trees. We would run the buckets to the trailer. They made syrup and candy and back in the 60's the quart & gallon size were in tins. We got "paid" in maple syrup. Great memories! Unfortunately no sugar maples this far south.

Craig

 

[maplenut]

For me making maple granulated sugar is easy.
Boil maple syrup to 260 remove from heat and stir, and stir, and stir some more. Your arm will get a workout doing this.
As it is being stirred sugar crystals will start to form and at some point, this can happen fairly quickly, it will turn to a crumbly mixture.
Keep stirring to break up the big clumps into small finer grains.
Once I have most of the bigger clumps broken up I will let sit to cool down, then I will put it thru my mediun holed food mill to get a even and consistent grain.
Store in an air tight contsiner as maple sugar will absorb moisture out of the air.

Cool thing about maple sugar is that you can add water to it turn it back into maple syrup if need be.

1 gallon of maple syrup will make a little over 7 lbs of granulated sugar.

 

[daveomak]

~22 quarts from 2/8 AM thru 2/12 PM...   temp has slowed down...  running 33 deg. F to 42 deg. F....   Not much if any sap running right now..  for the next week it is NOT supposed to get below freezing...  This weather spell COULD put an end to my syrup making...

we'll call it 21,000 mls of sap and 700 mls of syrup....   30:1... sap to syrup...  about 300 more mls and I will have ~1 quart... that's cool...   

The syrup has a lot of air in it right now...   it will clear up...

Maple Syrup 2-13-2016.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 13, 2016

 

[arkage82]

Gonna hang a few prospecting buckets today. Could be a bit early, but I'm getting a bit itchy. Will see how it runs and what kind of sugar content it has. 

 

[daveomak]

I'm hanging in there....  above freezing and no sap....  Hope the night time temp drops again...