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Serving Mifflin County and the surrounding area.
The Valley A free newspaper dedicated to agriculture, self-reliance, frugal living, and modern homesteading. Take a Break From the Mainstream Madness Volume 9, No. 3
As we age, we tend to take a different view of our activities, and the realization that there is more time behind you than in front of you causes you to start knocking items off of your “bucket list.” Part of my list included a sap bucket, although I am not entirely sure why. Perhaps the connection to home in New England, perhaps part of that quest for more and more self-reliance, or perhaps knowing that I can enjoy something I wouldn’t otherwise afford very often, with just a little effort and know how on my part. I’m not sure, but it really doesn’t matter, because I do know that I LOVE real maple syrup. Several years ago, local friends and long time syrup producers John Long and Bob Shellenberger allowed me to tag along for a couple seasons with them exchanging help for knowledge, that was all put to the test this season. The first week of February found me once again thinking about the upcoming “Sugarin” season, and just for fun I checked out some YouTube videos on the subject. Four hours later I had spouts and tubing ordered from Bascom Maple Farms up in Alstead NH. After a couple more hours of watching videos of home made evaporators, I settled on a simple cinder block design due to the fact that I already had stain-
The Valley, March 2018
less steel pans made by Reuben ers was wise. pieces of stainless to serve that Peachy out on Green Lane. He Once constructed, I decided I purpose. needed a door to control the draft This is NOT an efficient way does fantastic custom work by the and ran to Peachey’s for a couple to make maple syrup, in fact, it is way; take him an idea and he can VERY labor intensive, but make it. Looking at the long again, I was crossing off range forecast, I knew once an item from the list. things started it would be The first two days of a flurry of activity, so I boiling were long, but began scouting out my own with delightful weather and my neighbor’s sugar during mid February it maples as possible sap dowas great to be outside nors. The neighbors I spoke soaking up some sun. You with all gave their consent might think that spendso as soon as my tubing and ing two days down in spouts arrived, I started tapthe back yard boiling sap ping. I was right too, things would produce all the syrhappened FAST! Before a up the town would need couple days went by I had for a year or so, but it buckets of sap stacking up! isn’t like that. It requires There was snow cover at approximately 42 gallons the time, so as the buckets of sap to produce 1 gallon filled, I buried them in the of syrup. Of course each snow. Sap is perisihable, two day session outside and you need to be ready to boiling had to be followed process within a few days by several more hours after collection. I wasn’t. “finishing” the sap on the Off to Lowes for stove. Finishing is the cinder blocks and sand. The critical step, and a step design called for 24 cinder that in an instant can ruin blocks, 6 half blocks and and foresake all of the 4 solid blocks. The sand hours spent to that point. was to fill the blocks of the Once you get your sap firebox and chimney base reduced to a point where to hold in heat and prevent it starts thickening, the them from cracking. The temperature will rise, and blocks that made up the care to prevent scorching chimney and were therefore A couple dozen cinder blocks, a couple stainless steel pans and boil-over is critinot filled with sand, proved and some firewood, and you can make your own maple cal here. A good candy the decision to fill the oth- syrup. thermometer is essential if
Veritas vos Liberabit
Complimentary
you do not have a hydrometer to test with. Once your sap reaches 219 degrees, you have syrup and you should remove your pan and bottle it immediately. I experimented with several different kinds of filtering methods and have settled on using coffee filters to remove any niter or sugar sand, byproducts of the boiling process. All in all, I am very happy with the results. The syrup is wonderfully mapley, with just a slight hint of smokiness, I was shocked and even more ecstatic when Lynn expressed her approval and suggested we might have a breakfast for dinner that night so we could use some syrup. It was just as I had hoped, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. My grand total for the season will be just shy of 3 gallons of syrup, I gave some to the owners of the trees who graciously let me have access, and still we have plenty to last us until next year with perhaps a few bottles to give away at Christmas. It was something that is very easy and inexpensive to do if you have some time. I spent less than $100 for everything I had to buy, as I already had pans. I am sure commercial steam pans would work just as well as my pans for boiling. I am already eyeing a
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