Vermont Maple syrup

[Gary Laudermilch]

I stand corrected Edgar. It bugged me so I found where I read that NY was the lead producer. I misread it to read the leading producer when it said one of the leading producers which in fact they are. My apology to all Vermonters.

[edgarspencer]

That’s ok Gary. Everyone produces more than. CT but it’s the quality that counts not the quantity ( unless you’re selling) I sold about half of what I made every year which covered the cost of containers, filters and misc. But if I ever tried to recover the equipment and labor, pfft! Forget it.

[Tom Flanigan]

Originally Posted by Gary Laudermilch

The going rate here is $18/qt for first run light syrup. My neighbor makes about 500 gals in a wood fired evaporator which aside from what he sells locally goes to Vermont. I actually prefer the late run darker syrup. I think it has more maple flavor and is considerably cheaper. The last I heard NY was the largest producer in the country.

Question Gary. I've never made syrup but back in the day I tapped a lot of trees but didn't have much success making syrup. I had thought that the darker color was a result of heavier carmelization by uneven heating. I am probably wrong. I didn't get far enough into the process to gain much knmowledge.

[Gary Laudermilch]

Tom, I am not a syrup producer but am a forester that assisted producers quite a bit with the health of their sugar bushes. Edgar suggested that cooking time/temperature is at play with the color produced and I have no reason to doubt it. However, I think it is a bit more complex than that. Trees store their energy reserves in the root system as starches. In the spring the starch is converted to simple sugars and pumped to the tree crown in preparation for the growing season ahead. The makeup of those sugars changes with time so that their makeup by budding time is considerably different that at first flow. How that relates to color of syrup produced I do not know. You would have to consult a plant physiologist for a more in-depth explanation.

[todd allen]

Originally Posted by Allan H. Swanson

The maple syrup season in Vermont was short and sweet.

My neighbors, Dana Brothers, produced slightly over 500 gals. of syrup and burned over 35 cord of fire wood---the old fashion way.

I will be bring 2 cases of first run fancy grade to the PGCA tent on Saturday the 28th for sale @ $20.00 per quart container. The proceeds go to the PGCA coffers check book.

Thanks for supporting the PGCA.
Allan H. Swanson

PS It is not a side by side, I am sure John Dunkle will approve

Allan, can you ship a quart of syrup? If so, put me down for a quart. Let me know what I need to do.

Edit: make it 2 quarts.

[edgarspencer]

Gary, you're text book spot on. I do remember a lot of what you say, 30 years ago. It is relevant in understanding how the sugar content if determined, but in the end, as far as the guy collecting and boiling (Jeez, how I hate this expression) "It is what it is" I used to wander the sugar bush with some whizbang thingy that told me what the sugar content of the sap was, but (here's another one I hate) "At the end of the day" What ever came out of the tree, gets dumped in the collection tank.
The advent of Reverse Osmosis equipment largely altered the final product, insofar as necessary boiling time. It requires an external piece of equipment that extracts the pure water, leaving behind a more highly concentrated sap (usually from +/-2% starting content, up to +/-10%) Since this sap is now more sugar (10% sugar, 90%water) and the evaporation rate of the equipment remains the same, that sugar will be in the pans for less time, than the same sugar that went in with 97-98% water.
The actual color of the syrup, and the perceived "maple flavor" are directly related, and Tom was 'kinda' right about caramelizing, but circulation in the pan isn't why. A well designed evaporator has a serpentine path, baffles, that the sap follows, as it increases in density. The inlet being the beginning, the draw-off valve, being the end. It's syrup when it floats the hygrometer, but that coincides with a specific temperature (219F at sea level, when the barometer is 30"/Hg.
So, here's the bottom line: Pay up! Because the guy doing the boiling didn't just wake up and say "I'm gonna make great syrup today"

[Bill Jolliff]

Originally Posted by Henry McRoberts

I have had both Vermont and Maine Maple syrup and they both are excellent. We have some local small syrup operations here in the UP of Michigan that do a great job, maybe not the volume but very good. I guess I have never had Maple syrup that I did not like.

Maple syrup (and some other things) are a lot like sex. It's all good, just some better than others.

And have you ever really had a bad one?

Every Saturday night, I have a dish of maple walnut ice cream with maple syrup on it. Yippee, tonight's the night.

[Steve Hodges]

Vermont is certainly the "Big Dog" in the New England Maple Syrup production. By comparison, New Hampshire makes about 90,000 gallons per year. I know where one of those goes every spring!

[Tom Flanigan]

The amount of knowledge on this board never ceases to amaze me. Just incredible.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hodges

Vermont is certainly the "Big Dog" in the New England Maple Syrup production. By comparison, New Hampshire makes about 90,000 gallons per year. I know where one of those goes every spring!

That number would, no doubt, be much higher, if Bascom, in Alstead, reported the actual amount of syrup they continue to boil in their production of granulated maple sugar. The last time I recall hearing Bruce Bascom say how many taps they had out, was on the order of 70,000. A number that seemed to be a universally accepted was a quart per tap, in an average season. That's about 17,500 gallons right there.