Worldwide Beekeeping
General Discussion => Any and Every Thing => Topic started by: LazyBkpr on February 24, 2018, 10:57:15 pm
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So last year, we cut a 55 gallon barrel up and used it to boil our sap on to make Maple syrup.. It was kind of a pain, but it worked!
However.... Someone whos name I will not mention (CoughTedHCough) Bought a FANCY shmancy evaporator, so we had to step up our game...
Now, unlike SOMEONE, were just hicks, and don't have LOTS of money to buy commercial evaporators, or even a TOQUE.. what is a toque you might ask?
toque
tōk/
noun
noun: toque; plural noun: toques
a woman's small hat, typically having a narrow, closely turned-up brim.
historical
a small cap or bonnet having a narrow brim or no brim.
Canadian
a close-fitting knitted hat, often with a tassel or pom-pom on the crown.
Yep, that's a toque... Moving on....
Stepping up our game... so we graduated from a 55-gallon barrel to a fuel oil barrel! Pictures to follow as SAPZILLA comes to life!
(https://s10.postimg.cc/414xb3srp/DSCF4616.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/414xb3srp/)
Yep, thats me welding the arch into the old fuel oil barrel.... I won't go into excruciating details, but it took a good two days of welding and work to get this thing put together...
(https://s10.postimg.cc/42ev3yx05/DSCF4633.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/42ev3yx05/)
(https://s10.postimg.cc/6jqmb941x/DSCF4630.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/6jqmb941x/)
And below you will see SAPZILLA being delivered to the back of my shop to begin a new life!
(https://s10.postimg.cc/uapztetz9/DSCF4635.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/uapztetz9/)
SAPZILLA installed in her new home, and the first fire lit!
(https://s10.postimg.cc/vprki95dx/DSCF4639.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/vprki95dx/)
The sap is poured in, the fire is roaring, Beer in hand! YES! Making maple syrup at it's finest!
(https://s10.postimg.cc/6wi0hnrj9/DSCF4642.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/6wi0hnrj9/)
Now, to my buddy TedH... JUST to make you feel better, I took a picture of that Orange Crested Sapsucker AFTER He molted!!! You will NEVER Guess what happens to big male Orange Crested Sapsuckers after they molt??
THEY GROW BUNNY EARS!
(https://s10.postimg.cc/rgmug9pbp/DSCF4636.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/rgmug9pbp/)
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Looks like you boys are having a lot of fun! :)
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SapZilla meet The Beast:
(https://s18.postimg.cc/twgp6j5d1/20180124_122807.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/twgp6j5d1/)
In action!
(https://s18.postimg.cc/xsu12laxx/20180223_111131.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/xsu12laxx/)
(https://s18.postimg.cc/gfjqnqncl/20180223_142034.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/gfjqnqncl/)
(https://s18.postimg.cc/4doctkj91/IMG_3001.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/4doctkj91/)
It got pretty steamy there for a bit.
(https://s18.postimg.cc/bgw89abut/20180225_120814.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/bgw89abut/)
Let me just say that that'll make your toque limp. It hit 86°F in the shack. One heck of a workout but MAN! what a rush!
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hey you two, pretty cool! thanks for the pix! maple syrup is a great deal of work!
advance orders for syrup?! i would buy from you guys! loved the bunny ears......... :D
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The beast!! Wait, how come it looks all messy? Kind of like someone boiled it over? I mean, i tlooks like there is stuff stuck all over the beast, don't you own a towel to wipe the beast down? :laugh:
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Glad it's not me trying to clean that beast! That thing is beautiful.
Reminds me of when I had the bottom fall out of a half gallon on honey...all over the kitchen floor! :-[
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Ever had a pot of potatoes boil over? You wouldn't believe how much stuff comes climbs out on a 5' pan! Man that was freaky. As I said, what a rush!
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Yah buddy! That there was your heart check for the year. One good shot of adrenaline to give you a stress test. If it didn't fail and kill you your good till next year!
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We are having major sap flows weeks ahead of normal up here. Kinda freaky. :o
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I'm hoping to get into this activity next year. Been cataloging the best maples on the property. Hopefully I'll learn enough this year to attempt it next year.
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(https://thumb.ibb.co/jMsiKc/20180317_131742.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jMsiKc)
Maple sugar factory by Grampa Ted and Hunter
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I'll be this maple syrup project makes the house smell sooo good!
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My neighbor used to tap trees for maple syrup. It was not the best tasting syrup and we used tease him and tell him he must be tapping telephone poles. It’s alot of work, good for you.
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I sent some syrup to a guy in Vermont, he's a buyer for a large maple company and judges syrup at different contests. He said our syrup would probably do well in a competition, quickly adding, in our area! Its probably not the best but we enjoy making it and people can't seem to get enough of it. We'll be sold out in a couple weeks. Ted
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(https://s13.postimg.cc/tj73x7srn/20180315_100906.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/tj73x7srn/)
I like this shot and couldn't resist posting. Ted
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nice pic ted loved it!!!
also, i would be interested in purchasing a jar of maple syrup from you! let me know!
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(https://thumb.ibb.co/jMsiKc/20180317_131742.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jMsiKc)
Maple sugar factory by Grampa Ted and Hunter
Tedh, what are we seeing here? We don't do anything like this in my neck of the plains. :D
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The process for making maple sugar:
1) get your wifes permission ;D
2) heat pure maple syrup to 260°F (hard ball stage) - that's the pot on the stove
3) pour into mixer and stir - on the counter in the corner
4) at this point the sugar, yeah, molten liquid to sugar, poof! just like that!, is moist like brown sugar- in the pans on the table
5) we dry the sugar in the oven for long term storage, run it through a sieve to seperate the larger pieces and bag it up
On a side note: you can take the sugar backpacking, get up before the others and add 1# sugar to 16 oz. warm water, make pancakes and coffee and wake the others. They'll love you for it! Ted
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My sweetie tells me that the old timers in these hills used to cook the maple syrup down into cakes for long term storage. Then it was available as needed.
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That's right Neil, usually in a cone shape, then they'd shave it off as needed, or so I've heard. It's easier for me to use dried. I made a pumkin pie with it a while back, absolutly delicious. Ted
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SapZilla making her final run. We pulled buckets.. SOMEONE was supposed to just dump them, but, they ended up bringing 80 gallons of sap back with them.. I expected it to be sour, but, to my surprise, it wasn't sour at all! It made DARK syrup like you see in the store on the shelf, but wow it still tastes amazing!
(https://s10.postimg.cc/f354yi26t/DSCF4670.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/f354yi26t/)
Really need to try making sugar next year. Maybe this fall? Dang that's a SWEET sugar shack Ted, you put the bar up really high, and "we" have to jump over it! (According to the orange crested sapsucker)
(https://s10.postimg.cc/4ucns9lqd/DSCF4668.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/4ucns9lqd/)
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I have seen the cones at Latino food stores. I never knew how they were used and I'm still am not sure how to use it. Do you use it in place of brown sugar or white sugar? Do you grate it with a grater? This sounds like something that would be good sprinkled on oatmeal.
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Hey Bakers, I'm begining to wonder if I'm confusing the sugar in latino stores with the maple sugar Neil was talking about. If so, I apologize to both of you. As far as using maple sugar goes, you can use it in place of white or brown sugar, wherever maple flavor might be a good addition. My sweet wife burned through about 15 pounds in a couple months a few years back, baking everything with it. Currently we only use it now and then for baking and in my 1 cup of espresso per morning. Too expensive the other way.