Any Syrup makers in here ??!

[atc007]

Both generations of my family have made Syrup as long as any can remember. We just got done with the season yesterday. 2 weeks ,25 quarts. No winter,no sap. That was 62 buckets. Just curious if there's anyone else INSANE enough to put themselves thru all this work for so little!? IF there is ;),,I know you're more advanced than us. I think { Know !}we have a really cool setup,,but we are redneck,,I know that. We have a 25 gallon cauldron,over an open fire,,cut ,drag,split and fire with wood. Then pull it off to finish inside. My question is,,by any chance,any of you have a REAL setup,? Reverse osmosis,gas fired boilers? Pipeline? Our farm is setup Perfect for it,and my son is def carrying on the family tradition.Our product is absolutely unexplainable unless you have tasted it. That is fact ! But ,it has always been for family and friends,we have never sold a drop. Health nuts have realized the many benefits the last couple years from Natural sugars,and the price has risen. It would be cool to sell a little. I know basically how to setup,but I'm basically looking for a used or good deal on a reverse osmosis machine. Any ideas? Also,anyone local,,yeah right! I am in the market for a large boiling pan,and all the pipeline you have! Also,,anyone using pumps? I have unlimited,and I mean ,Unlimited hundreds of acres we could tap. Not sure if the pump thing is feezable though. Def not our 1st year. Any input at all would be cool ! However,I'm guessing not much !

[atc350xer]

I have always wanted to try this, on a really small scale, of course. I garden, can stuff, make jelly from wild grapes, pies from wild apples... love to learn the old ways of doing things. I know I am getting way off topic, but have you ever read "The Foxfire Book" series Bill? You would appreciate it... highly recommend it, especially the first 6 or 8 books... invaluable information.

[atc007]

I read ATV and sled mags among other things like a Bible and memorize them . Having said that,,I have read maybe 3 books in my life! I will have to look into them! Maybe the wifie can get them on the Fire for a song!

[stillhunter]

We are finishing this weekend, like you said no winter no syrup. We just use my propane corn burner and it works great.

[atc007]

LMAO ! I bet you had more winter than us !! We usually get maybe 6 feet a year. MAYBE 11 inches this year.. Sucked on so many levels... Everyones sick because the germs had a fertile breeding ground with absolutely Zero snow cover. No snowmobiling,,no riding downhill with the kids.. Just sucked. Propane huh? I bet that peels it off fast! But wow,,that's some expensive stuff! Do you do buckets or lines? How many taps?

[tri again]

We started old school by running a coathanger through some sort of
soft center sumack dowels and hang buckets.
Then I saw the pipelines, best gravity fed but than also saw a simply fishtank 4 dollar diaphragm air compressor
that would push sap uphill through the pipelines because of the bubbles.

Maybe helps with freezing too but not sure.

Yupp, that stuff is medicinal. Lots of good minerals.

I'm noticing that lots of plants and seeds need a snap freeze or periods of freezing dormancy to be able to reset and be ready for spring.

I'll keep looking.
Interesting topic,
thanks.,

[yooperman]

you selling any of this home made syrup you made hmmmm home made syrup is the best.

[stillhunter]

ya its not cheap, but it is quick,or as quick as it can be at about 35:1 ha ha . we run buckets and its all for us and family.The propane works well as we can start it up after work and pretty much forget about it no need to monitor temp or restoke the fire. for finishing I just go by look and wait for the froth to rise

[JasonB]

Im a syrup eater lol sounds like a lot of work


The only thing I really make at home is beer. I have all the supplies etc. Never thought about syrup though!

[just ben]

I wouldnt mind some pointers for a small scale operation,I am surrounded by maples and thought about it this year but I didnt have enough time to pull it together

[atc007]

I can walk you right thru it Ben. There is certainly lots I don't know about it? ??? lol,, But I can damn sure show you the ropes the right way!

[atc007]

you selling any of this home made syrup you made hmmmm home made syrup is the best.

We have never sold. Given the prices I have seen. I wouldn't sell for that. It is SOOOO much work and time. MAYBE next year... We have a small surplus this year,and a couple ladies who want some.....who knows!

[atc007]

ya its not cheap, but it is quick,or as quick as it can be at about 35:1 ha ha . we run buckets and its all for us and family.The propane works well as we can start it up after work and pretty much forget about it no need to monitor temp or restoke the fire. for finishing I just go by look and wait for the froth to rise

How much did you end up pulling off? We got 25 Quarts out of 62 buckets,,2 good days of running : ( I think we gathered 3 or 4 times.

[andersonee4]

Every year when i was younger i would go to "the ridge" with my grandfather and we would tap between 50 and 80 trees. We used spiles that his father had used, and hung tin cans. we collected the sap with 5 gallon buckets and carried them on snowshoes to the storage bins till we had enough to boil. We then boiled on a wood fire on a home made stove in cast iron pans that were also used by his father. These were the greatest memories of him and my childhood. No storebought syrup can measure up. When he passed away a couple years ago, we had a pictorial set up for him. My favorite picture was one of the neighborhood kids with a finger in his mouth licking off the syrup candy off the bottom of the pan, and that is how we all knew him. I left the last pint in his casket. Memories and skills i will never forget.