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

[arkage82]

I might have to collect tonight. Trees were dripping better than a drip a second when I first opened them up. Would be nice to have a few gallons of sap on the first day trying. Will let you know. 

 

[arkage82]

5 taps + 7 hours = 4.5 gallons of sap.

Still dripping hard, will have to collect in the am. 

Boiling soon.......

 

[maplenut]

Good Luck guys.

Dave I am impressed that you are hanging in there and taking ever chance you get to make maple syrup.

It can be tough enough with the weather making maple syrup in the northeast let alone the northwest.

arkage82, what area are you calling from?  

I enjoy hearing from anyone who is making maple syrup. 

If you guys really want to hear maple syrup chatter go on over to mapletrader.com or sugarbush.info, these are some really good sites that deal with nothing but maple syrup.

 

[daveomak]

The last 6 days produced 1 gallon of sap....   Temps are now back below freezing at night...   Looks like Thursday, temps will be back above freezing at night....  We'll see when this ends.....  I'm thinking very soon......

 

[mp4s]

We're still 2-3 weeks out before we tap here in central Wisconsin. It warmed up some last week and folks are getting antsy, but I don't think it pays to try much before the middle of March. I am getting excited though....

 

[daveomak]

Now I'm thinking I missed the month of January....  I should have started collecting about January 7th.....    Next year I will figure it out.........  

2016 Jan temps.png

• daveomak
• Feb 8, 2016

 

[maplenut]

Not sure how large of an operation you have but if you need custom made pans or other maple equipment you need to check out Smoky Lake Maple, They are located in upper wisconsin and they do awesome custom SS work.

The owners Jim and Ang are great people and started their business just a few years ago and can tell you from my own experience that they put the big guys to shame in both quality and communications. I got a hood with preheater and a stove pan for re heating syrup made by them, top notch work.

 

[daveomak]

I'm tapping 2 trees....  all the trees I have....   Sooooo, I'm as big as I can be....  in a few years, I will have 6 more trees...  

I'm just doing this to learn about it...  and of course to eat the results....

 

[daveomak]

WOW !!!!   Close to 5 quarts last night.... Temp got down to 26 and up to 50 today...       Maybe 4 more days of those kind of temp swings....

That would be cool.....

Maple sap 001.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 22, 2016

.. ..

Maple sap 004.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 22, 2016

I modified the electric fry pan to hold heat better on the bottom...   I think this will help evaporation.... 

The milk jug, with the hole in the lid, is where the drip tube goes...

Maple sap 002.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 22, 2016

 ..

Maple sap 003.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 22, 2016

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Pretty cool Dave.

I wonder if I tapped the Juniper trees here if I'd get Gin!

 

[DanMcG]

Nice Dave, I tapped one for the first time yesterday and got close to a gallon. If I can get 5 gallons by the weekend I'll be happy.

 

[daveomak]

Nice Dave, I tapped one for the first time yesterday and got close to a gallon. If I can get 5 gallons by the weekend I'll be happy.

Cool....   I'm beginning to think it's temperature dependent...   cold nights, warm days.....   produce the most sap...     Good luck and jump right on this thread with your results...

 

[daveomak]

Pretty cool Dave.

I wonder if I tapped the Juniper trees here if I'd get Gin!

I think you have to throw the Juniper Berries into Vodka to get Gin.....  LOL

 

[arkage82]

 
Cool....   I'm beginning to think it's temperature dependent...   cold nights, warm days.....   produce the most sap...     Good luck and jump right on this thread with your results...

Here is a link to a Cornell paper on Sap Flow: http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/produc/sapflow.htm

What causes the sap of maple trees to flow in the spring? During warm periods when temperatures rise above freezing, pressure (also called positive pressure) develops in the tree. This pressure causes the sap to flow out of the tree through a wound or tap hole. During cooler periods when temperatures fall below freezing, suction (also called negative pressure) develops, drawing water into the tree through the roots. This replenishes the sap in the tree, allowing it to flow again during the next warm period. Although sap generally flows during the day when temperatures are warm, it has been known to flow at night if temperatures remain above freezing.

 

[daveomak]

Thanks....  good article for us neophyte maple tree tappers....

 

[DanMcG]

Yeah, what Dave said, thanks for the link

 

[DanMcG]

The milk jug, with the hole in the lid, is where the drip tube goes...

Maple sap 002.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 22, 2016

..

FYI, don't make that hole to snug, it will build up pressure. I did the same with mine and when I went to collect the sap, the jug was expanded and even hissed when I unscrewed the cap. Also the one under pressure produced about half the sap as the one next to it.

 

[arkage82]

Finished boiling down my "prospecting" batch of 11 gallons. Should have been just over a quart of finished syrup, ended up with just under. So, the sugar is a bit lacking but not too bad. Gonna look to put more taps out as time and weather dictate. 

Have my first batch settling right now. Will try to post pix when it's settled out. 

Also, I hang my milk jugs directly off the spile with a zip tie (no caps). Will try to get a picture or 2 of my set up on my next collection round. 

 

[arkage82]

OK, see if I can figure out how to post pictures.

syrup 003a.jpg

• arkage82
• Feb 25, 2016

This is how I hang my buckets. Drill the hole, tap  in the spile, hang a gallon milk jug by ZipTie to the hook. Some people say "What about the rain water?" Never had an issue. YMMV.

syrup 002a.jpg

• arkage82
• Feb 25, 2016

Results of my "prospecting batch". I put a light behind to show the color and the clarity. Hope for about 10 more of these quarts before the season is over. All depends on what the Good Lord graciously provides. 

 

[mp4s]

I started with milk jugs too - I used mechanics wire to hold them on. The issue we had was they weren't always big enough if you had a good day. Your finished product looks great!