When a ranch kid lives in town.

[doublel]

So far I have just been boiling on my stove and am looking to set up outside. What sort of pan should I use on the wood fire? I have been been getting about a half gallon a day, I would like to save up and process it all at once, is it ok to leave it inmy fridge or should I freeze the sap?

[Zef_66]

So far I have just been boiling on my stove and am looking to set up outside. What sort of pan should I use on the wood fire? I have been been getting about a half gallon a day, I would like to save up and process it all at once, is it ok to leave it inmy fridge or should I freeze the sap?

The sap is okay if it freezes. Typically we just let it sit outside and boil when it thaws. Burning a fire in the shack usually keeps it warm enough to keep it from freezing. With that said, it is a little early to start tapping maple trees around here. Your best sap runs are going to be when the days are constantly above freezing and the nights are slightly below freezing. This will push the sap up into the branches during the day, and back to the roots at night. And the moving of the sap in under the bark is what allow you to catch some of it. When the days get too warm, the sap won't flow well and it will get cloudy. Still tastes good, but just looks funky.

Guys that "mass produce" quantities will make pans have baffles in them. Like this:


This allows the sap to flow into the pans from their holding tanks on one side, and the syrup to be drained out the other side. Some people also setup floats to keep the pan constantly full of sap. But usually the syrup needs to be pulled off manually because you want to check the sugar content to make sure it has been boiled enough.

With that said, pans like that are expensive. In our backyard trials, we just used tall cookie pans. This allowed the syrup to be boiled over a large surface without getting too much in a pan. Makes it go quicker and helps prevent burning. Burning is hard to control on a wood fire. You need to keep the sap hot and boiling. But not too hot that it burns on the bottom of the pan. Usually is a fine line.

Around here, it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. So collecting it and holding it until you get enough is typical.

[Gena.KY]

I have many maples on my property but my gosh, 40 gallons to make 1 gallon is a lot of time and fuel. I have thought of buying the tapping equipment to put in my preps.

[AD]

So far I have just been boiling on my stove and am looking to set up outside. What sort of pan should I use on the wood fire? I have been been getting about a half gallon a day, I would like to save up and process it all at once, is it ok to leave it inmy fridge or should I freeze the sap?

D

Have you heard of Google?
Making maple syrup = http://www.tapmytrees.com
It was the first post listed.

[doublel]

Of course I have AD...but I have read SOOOOO much info that I am a bit overloaded! Too much googling is worse for me than too little.

[doublel]

I have many maples on my property but my gosh, 40 gallons to make 1 gallon is a lot of time and fuel. I have thought of buying the tapping equipment to put in my preps.

I completely agree it is a huge amount of work to get just a little syrup! But it has been nearly 3 straight weeks of 30s-50s here and I have spring fever BAD! So I figured since conditions were right I would tap them and see what I got.

[Zef_66]

I completely agree it is a huge amount of work to get just a little syrup! But it has been nearly 3 straight weeks of 30s-50s here and I have spring fever BAD! So I figured since conditions were right I would tap them and see what I got.

Yes, it can kill you sometimes to wait it out. But tapping too early can cause weak flow later in the season. The hole can "heal" and not produce a lot of sap once the good flow starts. It can be tricky to figure out when is the best time to tap for your area.

Here in North Central PA, we are still a couple weeks away from tapping season.

[tk]

about 2 or 3 weeks from now the Amish around here will have a bucket on every maple tree in the area. About every other farm has a sugar shack . I know its cheating but if you do the math its hard not to just buy it off of them . But it is a craft worth learning just incase you need trading stock one day.

[Tex]

Hmmm, maybe I will do some studying up myself. Never know when I may have to got to tapping the trees here on the ranch. HaHa.

DoubleL, I think it is pretty cool that you are learning how to do this.



Tex

[AD]

Tex

With all of the trees you have up there, let me coordinate sending the illegals up to you to help tap all of those trees you ahve cuz there is NO WAY you could do all of those by yourself.

[tk]

Tex what happens if someone else has THE tree on your place Tapped already

[Tex]

DoubleL is coming up tomorrow to buy a dairy goat and her two kids from us. I was also able to talk her into taking a mini horse off our hands too. She mentioned that a neighbor may be interested in one as well, so I'm hoping to get rid of another one too. She wouldn't even discuss taking any geese off our hands though. You'd think with a free horse, she'd be a little more accomodating. HaHa.

I got a call from a friend though and will be helping him brand colts tomorrow and gathering horses the next day, so I won't be here when DoubleL gets here. She will have to deal with the Hostile Native all on her own.



Tex

[AD]

Oh crap D dont go!!!! HN is the worst.

Kidding HN love ya.

[doublel]

lol! I will be fine.....boyfriend is going too, he has never really done anything like this so...lol. Yes we will be taking both the minis home.

[doublel]

Had a romantic Valentine's Day acquiring goats/horses. By romantic I mean it was cold and we drove all day. Will post pics of the newbies tomorrow.