The Official Maple Syrup Thread 2011

Our Little Farm · #41 02/15/11, 01:40 PM

SAP is running!

Tad · #42 02/16/11, 11:30 AM

I tapped yesterday, supposed to be 40's for 3 days then some good up and down temps. It was 26 yesterday but nice and sunny, and much to my suprise when I tapped the sap was running! Cold temps for the weekend but it will give me a chance to get this big run taken care of by the time it runs again next week.

ca2devri · #43 02/16/11, 03:24 PM

So it is above freezing today after a while of freezing weather (4 C / 39 F) and it's sunny. It will be cold again next week but for fun, I tapped 1 tree to see what was going on.

It is absolutely dry. Have I done something wrong, or does that make sense? There's still a lot of snow on the ground, but it is starting to show the base of the trunk.

Chris

**fordson major** · #44 02/16/11, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca2devri

So it is above freezing today after a while of freezing weather (4 C / 39 F) and it's sunny. It will be cold again next week but for fun, I tapped 1 tree to see what was going on.

It is absolutely dry. Have I done something wrong, or does that make sense? There's still a lot of snow on the ground, but it is starting to show the base of the trunk.

Chris

what kind of a tree chris? had to laugh once when the neighbor tryed to tap a dead elm!

supposed to get highs in the plus the next few days, then minus again!! only sap running here are the office workers!

MELOC · #45 02/16/11, 06:27 PM

i went tapping one night with a head lamp on and ended up tapping a hickory and an oak, lol.

it may be a touch early in your area. it could also be the tree. i tapped two new trees last year expecting a lot of sap and got only drops. i have another tree, 18 inches in diameter, that only gives small amounts and i gave up on that tree a year or two ago. i think the growth rings are small and this tree should actually be much larger given it's age. it is a slow growing tree, possibly shaded out too much when it was younger, and the tight growth rings do not allow the sap to run like in the trees that grow faster.

ca2devri · #46 02/16/11, 06:27 PM

Ha! Good question. I'm reasonable certain it's a maple. I'm nearly positive it's alive.

Last week my 5 year old and I practiced by tapping a 2X4. After nothing flowed he suggested maybe "they" took the sap out of the wood before they sold it

Chris

ca2devri · #47 02/16/11, 06:29 PM

double post

**fordson major** · #48 02/16/11, 06:54 PM

rereading that chris,i did not mean you did not know a maple or dead!! meant if it was a younger one or one of the knarled old ones!!

have to find some one making birch syrup, supposed to be good stuff as well!!

michiganfarmer · #49 02/18/11, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford major

:: have to find some one making birch syrup, supposed to be good stuff as well!!

Alaskans make quite a bit of birch syrup

michiganfarmer · #50 02/18/11, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca2devri

So it is above freezing today after a while of freezing weather (4 C / 39 F) and it's sunny. It will be cold again next week but for fun, I tapped 1 tree to see what was going on.

It is absolutely dry. Have I done something wrong, or does that make sense? There's still a lot of snow on the ground, but it is starting to show the base of the trunk.

Chris

Its too early. need clear skies, low 20s at ngiht, mid to high 40s in the day, and most of the snow gone. That snow keeps the trees cold even when the air is warm.

michiganfarmer · #51 02/18/11, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fae

I want to buy some maple syrup this year and I seem to remember that someone was taking orders from other members last year. Am I right? Michiganfarmer would that be you? If so I would really like to buy some and if I'm wrong I'm sorry and maybe one of you could guide me in the right direction.

It is me

ca2devri · #52 02/18/11, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

Its too early. need clear skies, low 20s at ngiht, mid to high 40s in the day, and most of the snow gone. That snow keeps the trees cold even when the air is warm.

Ok, that's cool. I'm a bit over-eager obviously.

I was thinking that maybe the amount of snow was stopping the temperature swings that are needed to get the sap moving. It's mostly gone now after two balmy days and nights. We're getting cold weather for the next week and I'm going to be away, so it works out nicely.

I'll be ready to jump right in by the 1st of March if the weather is right.

Crhis

Photog · #53 02/18/11, 01:47 PM

Max,

I heard that the Griner's and the Olds' are tapping already. Feels like we shouid be too, but I think it is going to drop again for a week or two.

Tad · #54 02/18/11, 02:07 PM

Thats the beauty of my size opperation. We had 3 days near 50 and the highs are going to be in the mid 20's for a few days. I got enough in 3 days for my first quart. If it is cold for too long and the holes start to close I will tap more trees. I only tapped 4 trees on about 60 acres of trees!

lonelyfarmgirl · #55 02/18/11, 07:00 PM

It has been pretty warm here lately, but the sap is not running yet.
We usually tap the first week of March. I wont start taking order till March 1st.

akaRach · #56 02/18/11, 07:29 PM

The weather here has been rediculous. Way above freezing for a couple of days, then back down for another few. I've never seen a maple tree explode from sap freezing but I imagine is conditions like these that cause it.

I finally tapped a tree to see just what was going on, it was so crazy warm here today it felt like spring! And sure enough the sap was running. I drilled a fresh hole so I can see exactlly how long it takes to seal up. Be a good thing to know insead of just worrying

cathleenc · #57 02/18/11, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lonelyfarmgirl

It has been pretty warm here lately, but the sap is not running yet.
We usually tap the first week of March. I wont start taking order till March 1st.

(big sigh of relief) Delighted to read that the sap is NOT running as we were feeling like we did a dumb thing by waiting. It just seems way too early!

sunshinytraci · #58 02/18/11, 11:40 PM

OOOh! Thanks for all this wonderful information! I am going to tap my trees for the first time this year. Ever since I moved here six years ago I have wanted to try making syrup and finally I have free time so I am very excited. I am just going to do 6 taps because I don't really have all the equipment and a nice shack so open fire outside is going to have to do this year. I have a couple of questions:

1. If I get sick of boiling syrup, what do I do with the tree? Just let it leak all over or is there something good to plug it back up with?

2. Once the sap is collected, must it be boiled down right away or can it sit for a day or two if its covered up and put somewhere out of the weather?

3. Well, any other advice you have for a complete beginner. I know the trees I picked are sugar maples. About how much can I expect from 6 taps? A ballpark would be good. I'm not going for a commercial operation here, but I would like enough to have for my family and to share with some friends.

4. If I use regular canning jars to put the finished product in, how should I can it? Would it be better to buy those jars in the store that are just for syrup?

5. I can get a hydrometer. The feedstore is selling them this year. Is it worth it to buy one?

6. My most worried question, how much of a pain in the behind will it be boiling the sap down on a couple of open fire pits. They are right by my house with lots of wood nearby. I like outdoor work but am I in for alot of suffering? Bleh, don't answer that. One woman's suffering is another woman's heaven. In other words, suffering is relative....

JHuff8181 · #59 02/19/11, 12:01 PM

I need suggestions for a boiling pan. I plan on producing 3 to 5 quarts. I am trying to spend as little as possible my first year. If all goes well I plan to expand in the future. Thank You

sugarspinner · #60 02/19/11, 08:53 PM

Sunshinytraci, I'll attempt to answer your questions.
1. No, don't plug the hole. DO NOT plug the hole. Doing that will be like having a wound on your arm heal on the outside but not on the inside. The taphole will close and heal on it's own. Even if you stay the course, the taphole may run a bit more after you pull the taps at the end of the season. That's okay.
2. You can hold the sap for a day or two but it must be kept cold. Sap will begin to ferment and acquire a "yeasty" taste rather quickly. Also, the syrup will be darker with old sap.
3. I won't even try to estimate this. Depends on the size of the tree, the size of the top, the location, etc, etc.
4. Can your syrup at 190 degrees, in hot jars. Put on lids that have been in boiling water, tip them so the top gets good and hot and they should seal. Just be sure that your jars and lids are absolutely clean. Yes, it does seem to work better with containers made specifically for syrup but I'd not buy them for small amounts of syrup. Oh, syrup will freeze very nicely, too, if you only have a small amount.
5. You could buy the hydrometer but you can also do it by temperature. Finished syrup will be 7-7.5 degrees above the boiling point amd will weigh 11 pounds to the gallon. The trick is to check the boiling point each day (and again, if the weather changes during the day) because it will vary by a degree or 2 as the barometric pressure rises or falls. So, boil water to see what temperature it boils at then use that as "0" and aim for 7 degrees above that. 7 1/2 degrees will get you a little thicker syrup without it's being so thick that it sugars. Don't go higher, though, because you will get sugaring.
6. Open fire pits? The thing is that you need to keep the sap boiling actively from the time you first get it to a boil until it is finished. Do you have a way to get the pan, quickly, off the fire when the right temperature is reached? For the best syrup, you don't want a little simmer but a good rolling boil. Yeah, it will be a pain probably but it will be an interesting experience and you may get hooked. Some of us went from a tiny "let's try it" operation to becoming professional. You might. And it tastes so-o-o good.