Maple Syrup Season is Here

[flyweightnate]

Is it possible to reroute the exhaust from your burner into some heat exchangers, to preheat the sap coming in?

[Painthappy]

That's pretty much what happens, but via steam heat. The sap (pre-heater) sits on top of the pan so the steam warms up the sap and gets it up to temperature for putting into the boiling sap. It may not be boiling, but it has warmed up enough as to not drive down the temperature of the pan as long as it drips in at a slow but constant rate.

[flyweightnate]

Very cool. If the steam condenses, there's a lot of energy to be released!

[bellicose]

What does the sap taste like straight from the tree's teat? Like sugar water?

[Painthappy]

Yes, but barely. You can tell there is some sweetness on the tongue if the sugar % of the sap is over 2% but really just similar to a tablespoon of sugar in a glass of water. Not really that different in the beginning. Once you concentrate those 40 gallons of water does all the true maple flavors stand out

[NONOBLITUS]

Going at my old school way with the hound hanging out.

[bellicose]

How much do you get from one tree?

[Painthappy]

The lofty goal is to obtain 1/2 gallon of syrup per tree per season, but the reality is most (including myself) only get 1/4 gallon of finished product.

I need to move to a vacuum system to get better I believe.

[bellicose]

You get gallons of the raw sap from each tree? That's crazy. Does it damage the tree, or stunt it in some measurable way? How old does the tree need to be to start tapping it?

[Mr. Hick]

A Vac system certainly increases output, but where do you find yourself at diminishing returns on your hobby? Sugaring is the only thing in NH more expensive than sports cars, strippers and cocaine habits.

[Painthappy]

Time is my biggest constraint. Then my pan. But trying to keep it just a hobby... for now. When I retire I’ll rethink it.