Last week we showed how we collect the sap and this week we are boiling
it down to syrup.

The kettle on the right is the pre-heater and collector. The bags of sap
are poured into this kettle as they are collected. It is held in the
kettle to not only begin heating but to allow it to flow into the
boiling kettle on the left at a controlled rate.

If this looks familiar to brewers that's because it is our brewery
serving another purpose.

js

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On Mar 27, 11:31 pm, Jack Schmidling wrote:
Last week we showed how we collect the sap and this week we are boiling
it down to syrup.

Silly question: If you plan on using it for brewing anyway, why boil
it down to syrup? Why not just boil down to the gravity you need
contributed to your wort?

Theodore M. Kloba wrote:

Silly question: If you plan on using it for brewing anyway, why boil
it down to syrup? Why not just boil down to the gravity you need
contributed to your wort?

Good question. The answer is,that's exactly what we do when making
wine. Saves an awful lot of boiling.

When adding to beer, you would have to deal with all the water in the
original calculation for the batch. I presume the person who added the
syrup to beer purchased the syrup so it was not an issue.

js

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A good reference on tapping is here"
Walters, Russell S. Sugarbush Management US. Dept. Agric. Forest Service,
Gen. Tech. Report NE-72: 25-37; 1982
Walters, Russell S.; Yawney, Harry W. Sugar Maple Tapholes US. Dept. Agric.
Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Report NE-72: 8-15; 1982


Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.

"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message
...
Last week we showed how we collect the sap and this week we are boiling it
down to syrup.

The kettle on the right is the pre-heater and collector. The bags of sap
are poured into this kettle as they are collected. It is held in the
kettle to not only begin heating but to allow it to flow into the boiling
kettle on the left at a controlled rate.

If this looks familiar to brewers that's because it is our brewery serving
another purpose.

js

--
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: http://schmidling.com/pow.htm
Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber,Gems, Sausage,Silver http://schmidling.com

symplastless wrote:
A good reference on tapping is here"
Walters, Russell S. Sugarbush Management US. Dept. Agric. Forest Service,
Gen. Tech. Report NE-72: 25-37; 1982
Walters, Russell S.; Yawney, Harry W. Sugar Maple Tapholes US. Dept. Agric.
Forest Service, Gen. Tech. Report NE-72: 8-15; 1982

You know what is really sad? Once upon a time one would be delighted
with such information and not think twice about writing off (with a
stamp etc) to get it.

Now I sit here and whine... "where's the link?"

Al Gore has created a world of lazy researchers.

As a point of interest, in spite of being a lifetime naturalist and 12
years of maple syrup, it was not at all clear to me how the sap worked,
where is it going? why does it stop? why not in Summer?

I posted these questions to the Yahoo Natural History group and finally
got some of the answers.

For those too embarrassed to ask, here are a few answers:

The sugar is produced by the leaves and stored in the roots in Fall.
The sap containing sugar is sent up to the buds in Spring to get them
started.
When the buds/leaves start to photosynthesize, they don't need it
anymore so it stops... real simple.

There were lots more that were not answered... like why do some very
small trees produce more sap than some (most) very large trees?

Why do some trees produce none?

The answers to these were not very satisfying.

js

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"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message

There were lots more that were not answered... like why do some very small
trees produce more sap than some (most) very large trees?

Why do some trees produce none?

The answers to these were not very satisfying.

I'm not an Arborist but I did sleep at a ......
Just a wild guess on the first question. Compared to their size the younger
trees need to grow a larger percentage each year to be able to establish
their own space in the forest. To do this requires more energy, thus more
sap. Like humans that grow up fast the first 18 years and then spend the
next 60 growing out around the edges slowly.

Mark R

Jack Schmidling wrote:
Last week we showed how we collect the sap and this week we are boiling
it down to syrup.

The kettle on the right is the pre-heater and collector. The bags of sap
are poured into this kettle as they are collected. It is held in the
kettle to not only begin heating but to allow it to flow into the
boiling kettle on the left at a controlled rate.

If this looks familiar to brewers that's because it is our brewery
serving another purpose.

js




Looks interesting. Have you ever tapped box elder trees? They are
supposed to make a nice syrup too, but have a lower sugar content so you
have to boil longer.

I've read somewhere about syrup producers using reverse osmosis to
extract much of the water, so they start boiling at maybe 20% instead of
3%. You can imagine the energy savings.

Bob

zxcvbob wrote:

Looks interesting. Have you ever tapped box elder trees? They are
supposed to make a nice syrup too, but have a lower sugar content so you
have to boil longer.

We have so many maple trees that I don't bother with the box elders but
I wonder about the sugar content. They say the same thing about sugar
maple vs other maples but we alway get at least 3% from our silver
maples and this is the nominal quoted always for sugar maple.

I've read somewhere about syrup producers using reverse osmosis to
extract much of the water, so they start boiling at maybe 20% instead of
3%. You can imagine the energy savings.

Not to mention the time. Never heard of this but sounds interesting.

js


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On Mar 29, 12:00 am, Jack Schmidling wrote:
Theodore M. Kloba wrote:
Silly question: If you plan on using it for brewing anyway, why boil
it down to syrup? Why not just boil down to the gravity you need
contributed to your wort?

Good question. The answer is,that's exactly what we do when making
wine. Saves an awful lot of boiling.

If I ever found myself in posession of a quantity of maple sap, I'd be
tempted to try this "wine" recipe I found on a Lithuanian folk culture
website:

FERMENTED TREE SAP
Rauginta sula

Fill a wooden barrel with maple or birch sap. For extra flavor add
black currant, cherry or birch branches. Cover top with oats. Oats are
light and remain on the surface and sprout creating a 5 cm/2 inches
thick cover. This method of covering the sap creates a flavorful
fermentation. Such fermented sap can be kept for several months in a
cool place and be available to satisfy summer thirst. Cut a round
opening in the oat cover to allow a ladle to enter the barrel. Replace
the cut out round when enough drink has been ladled.

When adding to beer, you would have to deal with all the water in the
original calculation for the batch. I presume the person who added the
syrup to beer purchased the syrup so it was not an issue.

Makes sense... I guess you'd be pretty much limited to extract or a
really long boil otherwise.

On Mar 27, 9:31 pm, Jack Schmidling wrote:
Last week we showed how we collect the sap and this week we are boiling
it down to syrup.

The kettle on the right is the pre-heater and collector. The bags of sap
are poured into this kettle as they are collected. It is held in the
kettle to not only begin heating but to allow it to flow into the
boiling kettle on the left at a controlled rate.

If this looks familiar to brewers that's because it is our brewery
serving another purpose.

js

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PHOTO OF THE WEEK:http://schmidling.com/pow.htm
Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber,Gems, Sausage,Silverhttp://schmidling.com

Very nice.

I like the furnace/foundary you use for boling. Where can one find
plans for such device?

Thanks,

Brian

bhath wrote:


I like the furnace/foundary you use for boling. Where can one find
plans for such device?

Unfortunately, only in the junkyard of my brain.

Check out my silver page to see some of the things I have done in the
furnace mode.

Not to mention, handles and bearing plates in the early days of the
MALTMILL.

JS


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