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Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

Does anyone know how to make maple syrup? We got about 1 gallon of syrup off the maple tree. Do you just boil it down or do you need to add anything? Thanks

2/24/2005 6:32:56 PM

Bobcaygeon Ontario

Just boil it down. Its ratio is approx. 40-1, that is it would take 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. You should do this outside or your kitchen will be very sticky when your done...lol. Its alot of work but kinda fun and great tasting.

2/24/2005 6:47:24 PM

Bobcaygeon Ontario

A candy thermometer will help to judge how far to boil it. I think it should be about 230 deg F. You may want to check that;)

2/24/2005 6:52:42 PM

Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

how do you tap the tree?? abd when should u do it?

2/26/2005 9:47:32 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

A gallon of sap makes about an ounce of syrup no kidding. We tapped our Maples a few years ago. Sugar Maples are the best. Red maples (Acer Rubrum - not jap maples) are OK.

We used taps I picked up at the local Agway. Make sure to cover the buckets to keep rain & "stuff" out of them.

Tap when the sap rises. Each area is differnet but the sap is starting to run here on warm days.

Cook slowly using the greatest surface area possible. It can take many days to do it right. But it does taste good.

2/26/2005 10:09:38 PM

Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

how many beers per gallon of sap does it take to cook it for many days?? i cant imagine standing next to the fish cooker for a few days just to get a thimble full of surp..

2/28/2005 2:23:11 PM

Bobcaygeon Ontario

Yes, it can take awhile. We would collect sap all week long after work and store it in large barrels. Then boil it all weekend, many beers were consumed while waiting for the sap to evaporate :) Lots of fun and it's great to get outside after a long winter.

2/28/2005 2:40:44 PM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

Doug, thanks for the morning of trout fishing. Jane & I enjoyed them for dinner that night. Set another date, I'm ready.....Phil

2/28/2005 7:14:27 PM

Montoursville, PA

Our Pennsylvania Sugar Shacks are all up and running. Maple syrup from the sugar maple trees is the best. What gets boiled off is pure steam from specially made evaporation trays. If the sugar shack gets sticky it would be from carless splashing of the boiling liquid.

Many larger sugar shacks use tubing from a tap to a main larger line that feeds it, on down the mountain, to the cooker. That is to say no more sap buckets hang on the trees.

You can spot a sugar shack in the early AM by knowing the sight of rising steam above the trees in our mountains. Sightings several miles away are not uncommon.

A simple natural tap may be made by cutting a small limb about the size, of your thumb. Cut a "V" in the short piece and drive it in a drilled hole. The sap will run out the "V" and drop in any container placed under it. The tap works best, on the South East side of the tree. The North West is the cold side of the tree.

The tree and the season will tell you when the season is over. The late drawn sap gets bitter.

2/28/2005 7:37:20 PM

Bobcaygeon Ontario

Your welcome Phil, I enjoyed your company as always. Next time I hope you don't have to soak your arm chasing a rainbow down the ice fishing hole :0) lol. We will get out again soon!
Doug

2/28/2005 8:17:24 PM

derry n.h u.s.a.

If your a small time sapper like i used to be,(weekends only)you will get a bit more drip if you tap under a large limb or over a big root,somewhere around 3 too 4' above ground,we used drywall buckets 2 or 3 to a tree/these were large sugar maples store bought galv taps,the less you spend the more fun it is ,be inventive!i had my brother inlaw weld up a 45 gallon stainless steel pan with a drain hole in the corner metel turn valve style. we,d boil down the sweet water uasully around 60 to 70 gallons whatever we ended up with(if the sap turns brownish in color its gone bad)we used a yard harth and wood lots of wood! about 8 or 9 hours to do this,when we thought it was close to being done we,d drain it into a large pot 16/qt i think as we drained it we used a white felt liner as a filter placed in a spagetti strainer so not to get any ash in the finished syrup,then boiled it on a propane stove outside till the candy thermometer read 218 i think it was and 228 for maple candy,we made candy a couple of times but it can be a mess, you end up on low heat using the average stove top and if it boils over on the stove its a real mess to clean up.hope this helped,have fun:) John

2/28/2005 9:35:05 PM

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

Great!
Thanks for all the info.
Marty

3/1/2005 7:21:30 AM

Montoursville, PA

It is refreshing to know that some are still learning and willing to put forth the effort, to have their kids and friends actually boil a few gallons, of sap, to demonstrate the process or make a bit for home use.

No matter how little that last small amount can be diluted and fed to your critters either on the patch or into the compost pile. The clean up can be beneficial too.

3/1/2005 8:06:51 AM