Actually making maple syrup

Beer brewing, wine aging, whiskey fermenting, soda pop carbonating.  Talk about it here.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

5 gallons of sap in the cooler, 3 more to bring in this evening, and 4-6 more gallons to collect over the next few days, depending on how many more milk jugs I have.

Topped off my 2 propane tanks this morning.

Going to borrow unk's outdoor propane cooker burner thing.

Looking good for this weekend.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Going to be fucking cold tomorrow morning but I am going to start boiling sap at about 8am.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Set up all the equipment on the porch. Started the boil. Then the snow started. Sure wish that had been in the forecast.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Eat a dick, weather.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Over 12 hours later, and I am still boiling. Have at least another hour to go. Ugh.

It smells good and everything, but I don't think I have the kitchen equipment to do this properly.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Over 15 hours to boil 12 gallons of sap.

Tastes gooder than hell, but waaaaay too much work.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

This morning after it cooled over night in the fridge, i took a taste..... SLIGHTLY less thick than the stuff you buy, but I am OK with that because I was worried I had overcooked it. Not much good instruction on the internet with this and I had to guess. It isn't runny by any means, it oozes off a spoon and leaves a string and whatnot, just slightly less thick. Sweet as hell. I will need to buy a bottle of the $8 real maple syrup just to compare, because this stuff is night-and-day from the fake "telephone pole syrup" you get from Log Cabin and Aunt Jemimah.

Sort of worth the work, but sorta not. Not sure if I will be doing this again.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53726
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

Log Cabin = yum
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

After tasting what I made yesterday, I now know that log cabin is shit.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53726
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

Eh, it's what I grew up with, and forever associate with growing up, etc. You can't get that from maple syrup.
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

That's like saying you enjoy beatings because you got lots of beatings growing up and now you're nostalgic for getting beaten.

But that's, like, just my opinion, man.


Buy the expensive stuff sometime... you can tell the difference.




Edited By GORDON on 1395535422
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53726
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

My wife loves the expensive stuff, so yes, I've tried it in recent memory. It doesn't do it for me.
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Ingredients comparison:

LOG CABIN, ORIGINAL SYRUP
INGREDIENTS: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Sugar Syrup, Water, Pure Maple Syrup, Salt, Artificial Flavors, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Sodium Benzoate, and Sorbic Acid, (Preservatives) Caramel Color.

Real maple syrup:
INGREDIENTS: Maple syrup

Canadians call the fake stuff "telephone pole syrup."

Just saying.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53726
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

I'm not saying it's wonderful stuff. I know it's just sugar water. But I like it.
It's not me, it's someone else.
TPRJones
Posts: 13418
Joined: Fri May 21, 2004 2:05 pm
Location: Houston
Contact:

Post by TPRJones »

Yay, syrup!
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

My 1.5 quarts will bring the canadian syrup cartel to its knees.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TPRJones
Posts: 13418
Joined: Fri May 21, 2004 2:05 pm
Location: Houston
Contact:

Post by TPRJones »

It's about quality, not quantity.
"ATTENTION: Customers browsing porn must hold magazines with both hands at all times!"
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Had a big plate of waffles for lunch with my syrup that came out of the trees in my back yard (no big deal).

Not dead yet.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
Site Admin
Posts: 53726
Joined: Thu May 20, 2004 11:15 pm
Location: Cary, NC

Post by TheCatt »

Bacterial infections usually take time.
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
Site Admin
Posts: 54397
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:43 pm
Location: DTManistan
Contact:

Post by GORDON »

Nah, I'd be puking by now.

I know.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Post Reply