TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR MAPLE

D. T. from Ontario, Canada called with questions regarding making Maple Sugar.

D. T. asked: How high do you cook Maple Syrup before stirring it to Sugar?

TSFM answered: I take it to 290–295°F without any stirring, then I stir it with my cream machine.  In about 5 minutes I have granulated Maple Sugar.  The value is almost doubled.  Not all cream machines are up to this task.  Light weight paddles can bend.  Try smaller batches to test your machine, or stir it by hand.  Caution:  Do not cook in soldered pans.  The high heat will take out the solder.

D. T. asked: How much sugar do you get from a gallon of syrup?

TSFM answered: About 7.5 pounds is the usual yield per gallon.

H. M. writes: I am making Maple Syrup at home.  I would like to know why the syrup has a bitter after taste.  Thank you for your time.  H. M.

TSFM answered: There are so many things that can cause off flavors in Maple Syrup; from cleansing agents not well rinsed to late season “buddy” flavors.  I would like to know more about the syrup and how it was handled and cooked.  Call me at 1-800-50MAPLE and we can discuss it.

A. B. writes: Hello, my name is A and I work on a farm in Michigan and we collect sap and produce Maple Syrup during the “syrup season”.  We started using the tubing method to collect our sap 4 years ago, and leave 95% of our lines up year round (it would be too much work to take down and put up each year).  In the beginning, the animal damage to our sap lines was minimal, but it seems that the damage is getting worse each year.  This year it’s to the point where the animals, (which we have figured to be raccoons) have chewed through and destroyed days and days worth of repair work to our lines.  Its obvious the animals have figured out that they like something in the lines.  We flush the lines every year with a solution of ammonia and vinegar and the animals keep chewing the lines.  We are getting desperate now, and the only thing we can think to do, other than hunting the raccoon, is to spread something on the lines that the animals don’t like.  We were wondering if you could help us with any suggestions, we were trying to think of something that would resist washing off in the rain, so it would work year round.  Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated.  Please respond, thank you.  A. B.

TSFM answered: You’re on the right track with using a repellant.  There are good ones available that are water soluble.  They may be sprayed on with a garden sprayer and may be found at some of the syrup supply houses.  They should be applied yearly at least.  I use a very concentrated cayenne pepper sauce mixed with heated petroleum jelly.  Two ounces of concentrate mixed with ½ gallon of petroleum jelly convinces the little devils they don’t like tubing, unless they are Mexican squirrels or raccoons.  We apply to drop-lines and tubing that is near to or touching the trees.  You wear rubber gloves and just dab on a little. Complete cover is not necessary.
I would question your choice of cleaning solutions.  Doesn’t it make your syrup taste a little strange?  It’s my opinion that animals don’t chew plastic after it’s first put up because it smells like plastic.  After a while, it loses some of the stronger smell and they chew it ….because it’s there.  They do it for sport.  Washing with any bleach solution, however, baits them to it.  The salty tasting residue on drop-lines after washing with bleach draws animals to it.  Clear water or water with milk pipeline cleaner are the best for cleaning tubing.

My E-mail address is tdmaple@dsnet.us if you have any questions, comments or corrections.

Phone 1-800-50MAPLE
Fax 1-888-50MAPLE
Terry DeLoughary
N17934 Eustis Road
Bark River, MI 49807