This is the second year at the Frugal Upstate household that we have made our own, real, upstate NY maple syrup.
I have to admit, this project is completely Yankee Bill. He grew up with his Dad doing a very large scale maple syrup production out in the woods every year with a friend. It was an actual business-they made enough money each year to finance the family’s annual vacation. So obviously there are fond memories associated with the task.
Last year we started out by tapping the large maple that stood at the end of the driveway. We got tons of sap and made several quarts of syrup. . . but the tree had to be cut down during the summer (it was half rotten and blocked the driveway. . .) We were very happy to discover that the large tree shading the back of our lot is also a full grown maple, so syrup production was able to resume this year.
Yankee Bill has the taps , buckets and little tin bucket roofs left over from his dad. Actually-we only have 3 sets, but those are plenty for our purposes (although the tree could probably handle a total of 5 or 6 buckets). He drills in the taps and sets up the buckets.
As the sap flows he empties it (usually once a a day) into a big cooler we have that he has set into he kids radio flyer wagon. When the cooler is full he drags it to the back deck which is our impromptu “sugar shack”. There he has set up the big turkey fryer. Yes, you read that right, the turkey fryer.
Basically it is just a huge aluminum pot on an outdoor propane burner stand. So he pours all the sap (which at this point looks and tastes pretty much like water) into the pot and sets it to boil. It will boil along for about 8 hours total. He will frequently set the timer in 1 hour increments towards the end to make sure he keeps checking it. . . there was an incident of burned syrup last year. . . .Sometimes it just has to take a break because we will be way from the home, or asleep etc. Then we just turn it off and cover it-leaving it where it stands. At that point it will have boiled down to the point where it is only about 2 inches deep in the pot.
Then he brings the sap inside (it isn’t syrup yet) and pours it into my largest crockpot-which is then set to low with the lid off for another 8 hours or so. Again, it is checked at intervals. . . when the flavor seems right we strain it through a felt bag I made and into a large pitcher (there is a bit of sediment in it-not harmful, but not pretty) and then store it.
We have to go on taste as hubs has not been able to find the old hydrometer his dad used to have. Sometimes it comes out thinner than the standard store bought syrup. . . but the taste is fantastic, so who cares?
Thus far this year we’ve already made over a gallon of syrup. Today is another cold snap-which I hate for lifestyle reasons (spring, please just come already) but love for maple syrup production-those cold snaps followed by warming keep the old sap running!
Is this activity cost effective? Well, I guess that depends. Yes, we’ve used some propane. And it has taken several weeks (although much of that time has been unattended cooking time) and some effort. On the other hand, this brings back fond memories for Yankee Bill and he enjoys the process of making something (very satisfying as you know). To be blunt-real maple syrup is damn expensive-I’ve seen it for over $10 for a little pint, so our gallon plus is probably worth $80-$100 dollars.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Jenn, my son is doing work experience through BOCES right now. He is helping a local maple producer. He told me that a gallon of syrup goes for $40-50 right now. Quite a chunk of change!
If it were me, I turn it all into maple sugar candy, YUM!
I bet the kids are getting a kick out of helping Dad with this!
When you mentioned this the other night I was hoping you’d do a post on the process–fascinating!
Grade B maple syrup (which is darker than what you see on the shelves) is HUGE among the foodie community, and is very, very hard to find.
Well done!
The best place to find Grade B is at Trader Joe’s.
Wow I am impressed. I also felt like I was reading Laual Ingalls Wilder, I do not say that to make fun, they are still my favorite books. I had no idea you could really do that.
Thanks, Anonymous for the tip–next time I go to NYC I’ll look for it. (Unfortunately it’s a 5-hr train ride away!)
Thanks for posting about your process. I may watch for a second-hand propane turkey fryer just for this purpose. We tried to boil sap down out back on a wood fire and it just took forever and completely ruined the pot. And finishing it off in the slow cooker is genius!
My husband is a avid vegetable gardener and orchardist. He keeps threatening (jokingly, I hope) to chop down our big maple tree because it doesn’t produce anything the way his fruit trees do.
I showed him this post, and now he’s starting to research how to get syrup from the only true shade tree on our property.
Thanks!
Laura-That's an interesting work study! Yes, the kids are enjoying the process-Princess brought sap, partially boiled syrup & completed syrup into class for everyone to taste
Amanda-Glad to please! It's actually a pretty easy (if lengthy) process. Interesting about the grade B syrup. Wonder if you went straight to someone who produces the syrup if they'd sell you grade B.
TWSave-I always think of Little House when we do this as well. I have always remembered the part where they poured the maple syrup in the snow and it hardened.
rmlrhonda-The slow cooker was my brilliant husbands idea
Julie-glad to give him a reason to love your maples!
When we made it in the business – the darker grade was generally sold in bulk to confectionery (sp?) companies. Don’t know if this is still standard practice or not. The stuff we’ve made has all been pretty dark – you can see 2 mason jars of it behind the crock pot.
As my frugal wifey said…we’ve made over a gallon this year (I pulled the taps yesterday and am cooking the last pot-full as I write this) I have burned less that $20 of propane and probably have about 50-60 hours of crock pot time. It is time consuming but not labor intensive – you just don’t wanna burn it dry, like I did last year!
It brings back lots of memories from my younger days, my dad and my “uncle” Ernie – God rest their souls. It is also an incredibly sought after gift for loved ones and friends (even a tiny jar). And there is not many things closer to heaven for this country boy – than a spoonful and the smell of that hot syrup! mmmmmmm
Most small sap-houses LOVE to have visitors – if you see the steam from the roof….don’t be afraid to knock on the door and ask for the tour. Be ready to get wet – sometimes when the outside temp changes…all that condensation turns to rain and it will pour for a few seconds inside the sugar shack!
Yankee Bill
We get grade B from the people right around us [there are probably 4 or 5 producers within just a few miles here], but they keep it for me because I ask them to – otherwise they would ship most of it off in bulk as well. The one closest us, is noticing more local demand and told me he is planning to keep some on hand this year.
love this!
I stumbled across your web page this morining, coincidentaly as I started to boil my first pot of sap from the four large maples that are in my yard.
And I could not believe my eye’s,
I too an utilizing my turkey fryer just off the end of my deck on the pavers. I had to hand it to you, great minds think alike.
However, this being my first season, i am curious about the sticky steam issue in the house with the crock pot. It sounds like a incredible finisher for the syrup. Is there any steam with the low setting?
Thanks for the well put together sight, enjoying it.
Woodwrkinut
Iron Mountain,Michigan
Woodwrkinut-Yes, great minds obviously think alike!!! Have fun with your maple syrup project
We didn’t have any problem with the steam. You could see a bit coming off the pot-but it was just water as far as I could tell. I didn’t notice any residue at all on the counter, cabinets etc (and we’ve done this for 2 years now)
the steam shouldn’t have any residue in it because sugar “shouldn’t” evaporate.
Good point John.
Oh, how jealous I am. I wish I had some maple trees!
Karina-I’m sure you have your own wonderful things where you live-every place has it’s own special pleasures.
Love the post, Jenn. I’ve never seen the crock pot method, its brilliant. DH would never consider us using propane or electricity though. We bought a sap pan and boil over a woodfire using yard waste, sugar shack style. We finish on our woodstove. Using a candy thermometer reading 7 degrees above boiling, the syrup is done to about 70% sugar. Boiling temp can vary with outside pressure. See what happens when you marry a chemist? Drain hot syrup through fine mesh, then high quality flannel. Pour into HOT jars. So worth the effort. Its truly amazing stuff. Last year we did 4 1/2 gallons of syrup and had most of our Christmas gifts done!
Chris-LOL–I can just imagine your hubs wanting to do it the “hard” way. Men eh? It really is awesome to have real maple syrup. We’ll have to try finishing ours with the thermometer. . .
My hubby and I live on 40 acres in northern mn. Our yard alone has at least 50+ maple trees! Many years ago the family that lived here ran a rather large syrup operation. For a few years we have been trying to think of a way to process sap in a small manageable way-i think we have found it thanks to you! We already have almost everything needed except for the sap collecting buckets. Its too late for this season, but I plan to prepare for next year. What a great educational (and tastey ) learning experience for my kids as well.
Katie-So glad that you think this way will work for you! I’m surprised that no one locally has asked for permission to tap your trees though. . . you should check with a local producer-they might be willing to tap them and pay you for the privilege!