Syrup season!


Siddhartha said:
@Spenser I originally wrote something snide but I don’t want to be “that” guy
Click to expand...

And yet by stating this you are indeed 'that guy'. Personally, I could care less what you originally wrote as it only highlights you & your personality and not mine, nor was I looking out for you, but rather providing some information for others that may be interested in selling their syrup. (no offense, just don't know you)

Edit: you replied as I was also replying, here is your explanation of why previous above post was edited:

That link was not for you, and I originally stated 'other than NY' but I accidently copy and pasted over the text I wrote stating that the link was for other states. So, I guess I should say thx, as I now retyped what I accidently posted over, now that I am aware of the mistake I had made.

I should note it varies with Grade level
1771528518013.png
 
Last edited:
HillbillyHiker said:
I’ve never made syrup. I find it extremely interesting though. I don’t envy the weather you guys up North have, but I do find some things like ice fishing and syrup making pretty cool!
Click to expand...
Me either but you don't necessarily have to be in the frosty north to make syrup. This video was made quite close to where i'm from in Kentucky. Matter of fact, I went to camp there as a child.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
youtu.be youtu.be
Maybe i'll get brave & try someday.
 
We called 'Processing grade maple syrup' sludge. It is used commercially for coloring and flavor. Its late season stuff and can be bought by the barrel from large producers.

Don't 'grade' your home prodcuts and all is fine.
 
Kia ora
We do not have maples here but I do know of some good stands of Silver Birch, It is summer here going into Autumn, I think I will order some taps tonight for spring and have a go at using this resource, Birch Champagne looks good to me!
 
BagheeraNZ said:
Kia ora
We do not have maples here but I do know of some good stands of Silver Birch, It is summer here going into Autumn, I think I will order some taps tonight for spring and have a go at using this resource, Birch Champagne looks good to me!
Click to expand...
I hear birch syrup is good! I know the north Europeans and Russians like it.
 
It’s a big step up from this being a seasonal hobby to it being a side business. I couldn’t do that volume with the few trees I have and my equipment. As it is I have never made pure maple syrup because I only can store about 30 gallons of sap and I don’t have the boiler capacity to do more. To get any kind of volume from that amount of sap I do cheat the recipe with white sugar and augment the flavor with bourbon on the boil. It’s just for use at home, no label, no claims…I just say it’s homemade pancake syrup with maple syrup/oak flavors. My wife prefers to buy pure maple syrup and that’s fine, I enjoy the taste with the bourbon added which has all the alcohol boiled away.
 
TWill said:
It’s a big step up from this being a seasonal hobby to it being a side business. I couldn’t do that volume with the few trees I have and my equipment. As it is I have never made pure maple syrup because I only can store about 30 gallons of sap and I don’t have the boiler capacity to do more. To get any kind of volume from that amount of sap I do cheat the recipe with white sugar and augment the flavor with bourbon on the boil. It’s just for use at home, no label, no claims…I just say it’s homemade pancake syrup with maple syrup/oak flavors. My wife prefers to buy pure maple syrup and that’s fine, I enjoy the taste with the bourbon added which has all the alcohol boiled away.
Click to expand...
It's a lot of work and resources to make it for sale. If you charged what it actually took to make a quart of good syrup, very few people would buy it.

Now, if it was marketed as "artisan" syrup....which it would be, that might be a different critter...🤔🤔🤔
 
gohammergo said:
It's a lot of work and resources to make it for sale. If you charged what it actually took to make a quart of good syrup, very few people would buy it.

Now, if it was marketed as "artisan" syrup....which it would be, that might be a different critter...🤔🤔🤔
Click to expand...
The going rate in my area is $17 a quart from small scale syrup producers—this is at farmstands and the like, nothing commercial
 
15 more gallons of sap on to boil today. The math says we should get around 48oz. The sap really flowed the last couple of days and we should have a few more weeks left still

IMG_9879.jpeg

Edited to add: 15 gallon took 6hr 10min fire to jar. Ended up with 52oz today. That puts us at 138oz so far with probably one more batch to boil in a couple of weeks
 
Last edited:
We collected another 21+ gallons of sap in the last 5 days. The sap is REALLY flowing right now but I went ahead and pulled all the spiles anyhow. My goal was to process 50 gallons this season and we’re already at 60.

One more boil tomorrow and the 2026 sugaring season will be complete.
 
Also something interesting that I forgot to check until just now…the left is from our first boil and the right is from last week. Quite a color difference

IMG_9911.jpeg
 
The lighter color gets a premium price commercially. Did you compare the flavors of the two before putting the lids on? The difference is probably one being fantastic and the other exceptional.
 
TWill said:
The lighter color gets a premium price commercially. Did you compare the flavors of the two before putting the lids on? The difference is probably one being fantastic and the other exceptional.
Click to expand...

I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even think to check until today. Once we had them jarred up they went straight back into the pantry. I’d open one for a taste test but I don’t want to break the seal on one just yet. I’ll try to remember to check tomorrow once we finish the last boil

The Google says that lighter syrup is where the demand is but if I were to choose one without knowing anything about it (lol which isn’t far from where I am right now) I would choose the darker syrup, strictly based on the fact that typically a darker liquid (ie beer/wine) or sauce tends to have a deeper, richer flavor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top