Homestead Maple sugaring, for aesthetics, economy and ecology

I had a very sad year for maple syrup this year. Made maybe 5 L ?

Last year was 20L so this was a huge swing in production.

Probably for the best - I still have maple syrup left over from last year I need to use up, even after very generous gifting!

Nice set-up Catie! That's how I got started.  A couple ideas to help that cook faster if you're interested:

- Raise the warming pan up so it isn't blocking off the chimney airflow as much
- Add a couple more cinder blocks to the chimney.  More height really helps the fire roar
- If ash/coal build up is limiting the amount of firewood you can fit, add another course of cinder blocks and put a grate under the fire. Getting air under the wood really helps

Mike Haasl wrote:Nice set-up Catie! That's how I got started.  A couple ideas to help that cook faster if you're interested:

- Raise the warming pan up so it isn't blocking off the chimney airflow as much
- Add a couple more cinder blocks to the chimney.  More height really helps the fire roar
- If ash/coal build up is limiting the amount of firewood you can fit, add another course of cinder blocks and put a grate under the fire. Getting air under the wood really helps

Good idea on the grate! (And the taller burn area).  I don't have a pic, but I eventually raised the warming pan on a couple bricks which did help.

This was pared down from last year due to a bunch of my cinder blocks breaking, and me being too cheap to buy more with how short the season ended up (I boil on electricity in my garage if my trees produce less than 15L/day).  Last year it was more of a j tube rocket design and definitely boiled faster.

 I'll either need to buy more bricks next year, or invest in a barrel stove kit, I think. And maybe, gulp, split my wood finer.

Yep, wrist sized wood is what a professional evaporator company told me...  I'd probably stick with cinder blocks but make a metal chimney.  You can always make the evaporator longer. Once you convert an oil tank you're space limited...

It looks like Maple season might be over in East Central Minnesota.
   Weather's been in the 50s 60s and 70s and not cold enough at night.
 So just in case anyone's wondering, here's what my totals look like.
   40 trees tapped.
 288 gallons of sap collected.
      6 gallons of syrup made.
      4.75gallons of sugar made.
That comes out to approximately a 27 to 1 ratio of sap to syrup and sugar.
     Looking at other years the ratio is right in the ballpark although the total yield was somewhat less this year than the last few years.
     It would be interesting to know how you other folks that were tapping ended up if your a season is finished also.

I brought in another eight gallons of sap yesterday. But it didn't freeze last night, so I think we're drawing to a close too. Now I can switch over to birch.

So Christopher, does the Birch season continue beyond the maple season? I've never tapped birch trees.

They start running around the time the maples stop. When it's 30 at night and 50+ during the day. And I think they last about two weeks.

Christopher Weeks wrote:They start running around the time the maples stop. When it's 30 at night and 50+ during the day. And I think they last about two weeks.

Okay that's interesting because with those temperatures the maples should keep running, that is 30° at night and 50° during the day. It may be that your maples are "budding out", because when they begin to swell their buds they usually stop putting out sap. The term "buddy sap" refers to the brownish colored sap that is produced when the trees are swelling their buds, usually right before they stop running.
It may be that the birch trees put their buds out later and that's why they keep running when your maples have stopped.
I might have to tap a birch tree just to see what happens here.

I didn't do syrup this year but they've stopped running in my part of northern WI.  I suspect for good cuz those buds are swelling fast.  I cut a birch two days ago and it's bleeding hard.