# Anyone here make syrup?



## rwc1969

I gathered my first sap of the season today.


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## NaeKid

Not in this neck of the woods. As far as I know, I cannot tap trees for sap and get anything like those out on the eastern side of Canada can ..


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## dustyz

Yeah, I've been doing it for the past 3 years here in Kentucky. Our season is over now...

My bucket setup is almost identical to yours. I also use a 10 gallon cooler for storage. Here are a few pics from my homegrown setup.... showing the modified Franklin stovetop, and the results from a few small batches this season. I have fewer than 10 taps total...


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## rwc1969

Nice Dusty, but when I clicked on the pic of the stove I got a nasty virus popup.


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## dustyz

rwc1969 said:


> Nice Dusty, but when I clicked on the pic of the stove I got a nasty virus popup.


Do you think imageshack got infected somehow?

My PC is clean. I doubt imageshack would allow virus uploads... lol. Thanks for the heads-up.


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## rwc1969

I don't know, but when I clicked on the link the typical "you have a virus, click here to disinfect" window popped up.

I've had it happen a few times with Image shack.


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## Jason

Never made it myself but I love homemade maple syrup, especially on nice fresh biscuits.


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## goshengirl

We don't do it yet, but we want to learn. I'm not sure we have enough sugar maples on our property (we want to get more, but it will take time for them to grow).


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## Emerald

I spent many springs gathering sap at my Uncles farm and helping boil down sap into syrup. THe running of the mice when the first fire gets lit.. The traditional pancake supper/lunch/breakfast with the first hot out of the evaporator syrup of the season. Having to have someone kill the spiders in the two seater cuz I wouldn't go in otherwise! Squishing thru the mud and drinking ice cold sap straight from the buckets. I sure miss it, but my Uncles brother still owns the property and makes syrup so we can still get it from the uncle.
But if you decide to make syrup from your own sap, be aware that it takes about 44 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup-that is a lot of water that has to be boiled out and it will drown your home so try to get a turkey fryer set and do it all outside. Also skim all the foam that comes up and when you go to pour it out- run it thru some super clean nylons or very fine cheese cloth to get all the "sand" out of it before storing. The sand is just minerals and other detritus that is just part of making syrup.
If your stored maple syrup gets "rock crystals" in it they are totally edible and very yummy. It doesn't happen too often.
We used to take about two or so gallons every year and keep cooking it down till it crystallized and we would make all kinds of molded maple sugar candy and just plain maple sugar for for cooking and such later in the year.. Crystallized maple sugar lasts very long and is a big easier to store.

ETA:Oh and the best sap runs when it is warm(40s and 50's day and under 30s at night) during the day but cold at night...if the sap starts becoming cloudy it is too late and don't use it. Not as nice a syrup and not as much sugar in it.


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## elalr

we are tryin but not gettin a drop. this is our first attempt. we are in south mo. is it too late here? thanks for the thread! i was going to post this question today!


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## rwc1969

goshengirl said:


> We don't do it yet, but we want to learn. I'm not sure we have enough sugar maples on our property (we want to get more, but it will take time for them to grow).


You can get between 1/3 and 1 quart of syrup from every tap. If the tree is 10" in diameter you can put one tap in, 18" 2 taps, 25" 3 taps. So, they add up quick. I have 30 taps between 15 trees.

I gathered 30 gallons of sap the other day and made a gallon of syrup from it yesterday, 8 pints. MMM, it's good too. 

elalr, I'm not sure what it's like in MO, but they run best when temps go below freezing at night and get above freezing in the day. If you live in an area where there isn't a freeze thaw cycle I'm not sure how it works.


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## goshengirl

rwc1969 said:


> You can get between 1/3 and 1 quart of syrup from every tap. If the tree is 10" in diameter you can put one tap in, 18" 2 taps, 25" 3 taps. So, they add up quick. I have 30 taps between 15 trees.
> 
> I gathered 30 gallons of sap the other day and made a gallon of syrup from it yesterday, 8 pints. MMM, it's good too.


Good to know - THANKS! 
That's do-able for us, as we don't need all that much. So now I'm motivated to learn more.


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## rwc1969

You're welcome! Here's a vid of the boil down and a pic of my first batch made on Saturday.


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## lovetogrow

I haven't made maple syrup for some time now, but when I did my kids loved making their toffees in the snow, and I would lightly boil down enough sap to store for canning my peaches in the fall. Man where they good!!


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## rwc1969

Mmm, maple canned peaches, that sounds good. I'd like to try the toffee in trhe snow, but am not 100% sure how to do it.


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## Sonnyjim

It won't start running here for another month and a half minimum, with as cold as this winter has been.


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## elalr

we got a little sap yesterday. about 2 cups. we tapped a few more trees to give it a shot. i cant wait to try it.


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## *Andi

elalr said:


> we got a little sap yesterday. about 2 cups. we tapped a few more trees to give it a shot. i cant wait to try it.


Just so you know ... it is GREAT!


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## lovetogrow

rwc1969 said:


> Mmm, maple canned peaches, that sounds good. I'd like to try the toffee in trhe snow, but am not 100% sure how to do it.


When your syrup is ready just take a small portion outside and pour it in a line in the snow. It will harden almost immediately and then you just lift it out and voila!!

Just be sure that you are using an area of 'clean' snow though!!


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## rwc1969

I'll have to give it a try this weekend, thanks. That is, if there's any snow left, it's all melting now.


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## lovetogrow

Good luck...hope your snow holds out. We've plenty of the white stuff here still :canflag:


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## rwc1969

Thanks ltg, it's raining here now, but the sap is running. 

I made a couple of how to type vids for the finishing, filtering, and bottling of the syrup. This first one shows the sap change into syrup, pretty neat; the temp rises, bubbles get smaller, and it starts sheeting off the spoon. You can see it toward the last 4 minutes or so of the vid.






This one shows the bottling, and of course, a taste test.


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## rwc1969

Well, we've had a big warmup which shut the sap down and started the sap souring and buckets molding, but the temps have dropped again and the trees are running once more. I'm at just over 7.5 gallons of syrup for the season so far and hoping for two more.


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## afreeradical

I live right smack in the middle of the city. My property is lined with maples however and I tap the ones I can. This is my second year doing it and I have boiled down around 40 gallons of sap already. I can see why someone would need a sugar shack. My stove just isn't adequate enough for big batches.


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## Emerald

afreeradical said:


> I live right smack in the middle of the city. My property is lined with maples however and I tap the ones I can. This is my second year doing it and I have boiled down around 40 gallons of sap already. I can see why someone would need a sugar shack. My stove just isn't adequate enough for big batches.


You would be much happier boiling it down outside-when it takes around 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup all that moisture can really "steam" your house up and make moisture problems. We usually boil it down on the side burner of our big grill when we do it at home, but I have been thinking about finding a turkey frier set up not only for syrup but for boiling water bath canning my tomato products in the late summer and fall. Will keep the heat out of the house.


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## afreeradical

Emerald said:


> You would be much happier boiling it down outside-when it takes around 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup all that moisture can really "steam" your house up and make moisture problems. We usually boil it down on the side burner of our big grill when we do it at home, but I have been thinking about finding a turkey frier set up not only for syrup but for boiling water bath canning my tomato products in the late summer and fall. Will keep the heat out of the house.


I boiled down half on the grill but got tired of replacing the propane tanks. The big pot and the bbq grill I used didn't seem to be very efficient so I bought a sap pan and moved the operation inside. I wonder if a charcoal grill set up would be efficient? I know I would be constantly trying to keep the heat somewhat even and constant, but cost wise I wonder if I would come out a little better. Hmmm...research time!

As far as the moisture I keep all of the windows in the kitchen open (yes it is very cold here in Maine right now..lol) but like I said I'm in the city so I don't have room for a sugar shack, but I do have room for a temporary makeshift outdoor set up (fueled by wood)for next year.


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## rwc1969

For best results you need direct heat, or better yet, flames across the entire bottom of the pan, and a wide shallow pan is better than a tall deep one.

The charcoal would probably give pretty dismal results, indirect heat, good for cooking, bad for boiling.


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## rwc1969

It's that time of year again.  I saw the neighbors milk jugs were almost full of sap today.


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## BasecampUSA

*Yup...*


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## Mulecountry

Elair, i believe in southern missouri it is to late. This has been a different winter with warm weather. If this was a normal winter I would think that tree's in your area should be tapped in later January when the weather begins turning 40 - 45 degrees during the day.
And you do not need sugar maples, any maple will work.

Just finished my sap boiling last week here in northern iowa. About 3 weeks early. Started out good then slowed down and got cold again. Have about 35 silver maples and this is my 3rd year. I only do the syrup for 8-10 days due to work. Tree's are about 25 years old and make good syrup and only got about 1/3 the amount this year. Usualy get about 200 - 250 gallons of sap.
However, this years syrup seems to be the best, also quit a bit lighter in color and more maple flavor.
Family will be disapointed this year, not enough to go around for everybody. 
Tree's are running sap for the last two days since it has warmed up again, but have put all my collection containers up and put away my boiling pots.
Looking forward to next year


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## gypsysue

Here in Montana we tap Birch trees and boil it down to syrup. Our thanks to fellow member sonnyjim for the information about it a few years ago, along with a video he posted on an old thread. It takes more sap than maple, but it works. 

We've also found out the Larch trees have a sweet sap that can be tapped and boiled down, but haven't tried it.

Nothing will be 'running' here for another two months though.


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## James95

My grandfather owns his own sugar cane plantation and every year when it's time I go and help him chop it all down and he makes it into syrup. I have no idea exactly how he does it, but I'm sure one day he's going to teach me. However he does it, it's delicious.


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## gypsysue

James, what a cool experience! I hope you do learn the process from him! Wish I could go too!


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## ContinualHarvest

We have a Maple Sugaring festival here. Not sure when it'll be this year with the crazy weather.


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## dawnwinds58

Actually we make sorgum molasses rather than maple syup. Sorghum is amore efficient product for us and cooks down in much the same way as maple sap. Likely the same equipment could be used. Maple is early year though and sorghum is late. That would get two crops through the same equipment. We use a grain type. The seed heads feed out chickens, the hogs eat the pressed stalks and we eat the molasses. No waste at all.
















These are some youtubes on making it. The last one is a family which makes and sells it. It's a family operation and they've made and sold Sorghum for years in Tennesee.


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## gam46

NOT the voice of experience here, but have heard that trees other than maples can be tapped and that the sap, rather than being boiled down, can be used to sweeten a cup of tea. Think I'd like to try it sometime.


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