A large amount of water must be evaporated from the sap to produce the finished syrup of 66 to 67 percent sugar. Because the large amount of steam caused by evaporation of the sap could be damaging to interior wall surfaces, the bulk of the boiling should be done outside of the home.
For individuals with 50 or more taps, hobby-size continuous feed evaporators are commercially available. However, most hobbyists boil sap continuously in one pan over an open fire, camp stove, or discarded gas range. Multiple pans sap is added to the first, concentrated sap from the first pan is added to the next, and so on offer more capacity with more efficiency and are often used by producers with more experience. If wood fuel is used, a support called an "arch" can be constructed with concrete blocks to support the boiling pan and provide a firebox.
Dry good quality firewood is most desirable for a hot fire. Before the fuel is ignited, fill the pan with several inches of sap. As sap is evaporated liquid level reduced , add more sap. The faster the sap boils, the greater the potential for producing a higher quality product. This "batch" method allows the sap to be processed to a point near the final stage of evaporation. The more concentrated sap can then be finished with more controlled heat on the kitchen range. The boiling point of water, which varies with elevation and daily changes in barometric pressure, is easily determined by noting the temperature in the raw sap when it is boiling vigorously.
Finished syrup will often "apron" or create a wide sheet or drip on the edge of a spoon when dipped in and quickly withdrawn above the boiling liquid. To maintain the experience of boiling sap an enjoyable one, always practice safety.
Throughout the process, excess foam may be skimmed off the surface of the boiling sap and discarded. Many types of materials, such as butter or vegetable oil, have been used to reduce foaming. However, a commercial defoaming agent available in small containers from maple equipment dealers is recommended.
The defoamer should be fresh, and only a drop or two is needed. When used in small quantities, defoamers will evaporate without a noticeable trace in the syrup. When syrup has reached its proper temperature and density, it should be filtered to remove a gritty material called "sugar sand" or "niter" before hot packing in containers.
The syrup should be filtered while hot through clean filter material such as wool or orlon available from maple equipment dealers. Syrup should be canned hot o F and stored in a cool dry location or under refrigeration. After a container has been opened for use, it must be refrigerated. Should mold form on syrup that has been stored for several months, simply bring the syrup to near boiling o F , remove the mold by skimming, and repack the syrup in a clean container.
The procedure above is intended for home manufacture of maple syrup. If syrup is to be marketed, grading and labeling standards are required for retail sale in most maple producing states. Contact your Extension Office or state Department of Agriculture for regulations covering maple products. After a period of warm weather, cloudy sap may appear in buckets or gathering equipment. This is caused by bacterial growth and can have a negative affect on syrup color and taste.
A mixture of 1 part unscented household bleach to 20 parts clean water can be used with a cloth or brush to clean the inside surfaces of sap collection equipment. Follow the cleaning with a triple rinse of clean water to remove any hint of the bleach application. Sap boiling equipment can be cleaned with hot water, or the product recommended by the equipment manufacturer.
Do not use any other cleaning substances in any maple equipment. Household detergents cannot be completely rinsed from equipment and will contaminate sap and syrup with undersirable tastes and odors.
When washing sap or syrup filters, use hot water only. At the end of the season after cleaning in the manner described above, store equipment and supplies in a dry place. Eat it! More Maple Sugaring Facts You can tap other species of maple trees, but the sugar maple has the highest concentration of sugar in the sap.
Flavor and translucence dictate maple syrup grades. Generally, the time of year the sap is collected determines the grade—the lighter grades are produced earlier in the season and the darker grades are produced later. Pure maple syrup comes from trees, while most pancake syrups are made from high fructose corn syrup and flavorings.
Reduce the quantity of liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons, and lower the baking temperature by 25 degrees. Maple sugaring will not hurt a healthy tree. Taps are removed when the weather warms, sap turns yellow and tree buds begin to open. OK Learn More. Most of our handling equipment is stainless steel. In , we tapped trees and brought in more taps from other people. When the season starts in the early spring, our trees are usually producing sap with a sugar content of 2. One year, our trees were producing sap with a sugar content of 2.
I have a video on YouTube walking you through these steps. Large scale operations are collecting and boiling sap concurrently so the sap is not stored long at all. For a small backyard operation sap is typically collected all week to be boiled down on the weekend.
Keep it covered in a container buried in a snow bank or a shady part of the yard. As it starts to warm up I put the sap in one-gallon jugs and store in my spare refrigerator until ready to boil. A quality finished product requires quality sap. On average the raw sap to finished syrup ration is This amount will vary based on the sugar content of the sap.
Generally sugar maples have a larger sugar percentage but almost any maple will make excellent syrup. There are several other trees besides maples that can be tapped for syrup making. Or check out this article for more information on which maple trees to tap. The evaporation process is nothing more than using heat to evaporate the water in the sap into water vapor steam and concentrate the sugar. I have done this a couple of different ways. This is my favorite way for a couple of reasons.
It reminds me of the original old-fashioned way of doing it. If you have access to firewood then the fuel cost is zero. If done over an open fire of a nice hardwood like maple, it can give the finished syrup a little bit of a smokey flavor to it.
Some folks may like this, but some may not.
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