Propane burners work good to finish sap that's already 3/4 boiled down, but it would take a awful lot of gas and boiling trying to map syrup from raw sap. 40 to 1 ratio with "high-test" hard-maple sap, and 60 t0 1 with red maple. I keep a close eye on the water content because I sometimes truck and sell raw sap, and I get paid by the sugar-content, not the actual gallons. I've had hard-maple sap that was 30 to 1 and also as bad as 50 to 1. Depends on the season, snow melt, etc.
A lot of places use propane-fired finish rigs since it's easier to conrol the flame and get the syrup just right without burning it or turning it into candy.
The reality is, you can boil sap with anything, and in anything and eventually it will turn into some sort of syrup if you don't burn it up. But, doing it in a deep pot or pan results in a long boil time and very dark and strong-tasting syrup. High quality syrup depends on very fast evaoporation in a shallow pan with lots of surface area. 6" deep and 6 feet long works much better then 12" deep and 3 feet long. That's why they are called "evaporators."
All depends on what you like and expect. Some people like dark-strong syrup, but it doesn't sell very well to the general public. Most of mine gets sold at 1/2 price as "B" syrup.
Many people have done it small scale in an old kettle or pot, and liked what they got. Pros try to get the syrup as clear as possible because that brings the "Grade A" fancy price. That means getting sap from the woods fast, sterilizing the sap with ultraviolet lights, then running through a reverse-osmosis macine to get half the water out, and then boiling down to syrup fast in a large evaporator.
If you do it for the first time, get a good thermometer or refractometer. It's easy to be out in the cold, standing over sweet hot boiling sap and think it's turned to syrup - when it's not. Don't trust your taste-buds. The stuff always tastes and looks better then it really is - when you're out in cold, standing over a hot rig.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Restoration Story: Fordson Major - by Anthony West. George bought his Fordson Major from a an implement sale about 18 years ago for £200.00 (UK). There is no known history regarding its origins or what service it had done, but the following work was undertaken alone to bring it up to show standard. From the engine number, it was found that this Major was produced late 1946. It was almost complete but had various parts that would definitely need replacing.
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
