Maple Syrup

[Ike]

Here is a link to some old photos of my grandparents making maple syrup in their "sugar bush" near Custer, MI.

Making Maple Syrup

Ike

[Don McCombs]

Cool pictures, Ike.

[Joe Malinowski]

Those are great ! The industry sure has changed.

[Billy Fussell]

Ike,

Did the evaporator pans have baffles in them to allow the use of a long handle skimmer? The pans used around here for cane syrup did. The set ups around here looked like yours did except the cooker was not inside a building. It did have a shed roof built over it. Ours were fired by pine knots.

Billy

[Ike]

Billy,

I don't know if the pans had baffles or not. I never had the chance to be there when they were making syrup. I was in the sugar house a few times when we visited in the summer, but the pans were stored upside down.

Ike

[NoSnooz]

I'm gonna try to make some this year. This winter I moved to a new place with 5.5 acres and a third is wooded.
I might be able to cook up a pint or two.

Neat old pix. I go thru Custer, MI once in a while while on the job, btw.

Curt

[Bill Hudson]

...I might be able to cook up a pint or two....Curt

Curt,

Plan on about one quart of syrup per tap. Assuming 2% sugar sap you will need 43 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. That means you need to boil away 42 gallons of water. I'm not trying to discourage you, just trying lay out the realities. Is is worth the effort? YOU BETCHA!!! You just can't beat the real thing.

Bill

[dakcub]

Nice pictures....Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong generation.....times were hard back then...but at least their cell phones wern't ringing off the hook.
Robert

[XFARMA]

I will be tapping this Sat. 2/21. Have a little over 400 taps and made 70 gals last year. Don't know what this year will bring. Chuck

[ScottyD'sdad]

Curt, don't boil it in the house. Makes walls and ceiling sticky, and wife crabby. Don't ask how I know. Ed

[Redman]