Spring is coming! (Fort Kent: kitchen, rating, golf course)

[txmom]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I have read both.

This is what I have so this is what I am working with.

I do have a selection of hydrometers from my brewing, later I will begin testing the sap. And we will know for sure exactly what percentage I am getting.

Which brings another issue, percentages of sugar, hmm. I do have a selection of brewing yeasts and a new strain of 'turbo-yeast' [guaranteed to bring a 30% sugar solution up to 29% alcohol].

Anyone brew maple?

Forest, maybe you could mix your maple syrup with whiskey, and make yourself a nice little maple liqueur.

Brewing a maple ale does sound interesting, though. Let us know how it turns out.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by txmom

Forest, maybe you could mix your maple syrup with whiskey, and make yourself a nice little maple liqueur.

Brewing a maple ale does sound interesting, though. Let us know how it turns out.

Sure, if I can keep some away from B and her syrup making.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by starwalker

ALL trees produce sap. But not all trees sap tastes good when boiled down. I learned from our Maple Sunday field trip that sugar maples have 2-3% sugar in their sap and that red maples have 1%.

I dunno about Norway and the others. I DO know that Norway maples are a non-native species that spreads somewhat aggressively and is considered to be a threat to the native maples.

FWIW its importation from Europe is not a recent thing. Geo. Washington ordered two of them, back in his day...

I am getting confuzzled here. I am on other boards where folks are tapping and they all say different things [in the topic of tapping only Acer Saccharum or Acer Rubrum]

So we found our hydrometers [ our eldest had broke one ] and we took some measurements.

At 53* using 3 different hydrometers we measure a Specific Gravity of 1.020.

One of our hydrometers also has a Balling scale on it [which measures sugar content] and it says 4.5%

Now at the scion exchange workshops it was discussed that as the season goes on the types of sugars in the sap will change and near the end of flow all Maple sap will turn bitter. As the opening buds need different things at different stages. So I expect that at some point the sugar content will drop.

So as best as I can tell, our maple sap is running at 4.5%.

Anyone with their own hydrometer is invited to come and test it for themselves. B and I both read the readings on our hydrometers, we even compared reading glasses in the process.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by txmom

Forest, maybe you could mix your maple syrup with whiskey, and make yourself a nice little maple liqueur.

Brewing a maple ale does sound interesting, though. Let us know how it turns out.

Actually I would be more tempted to mix maple sugar with corn mash.

Do the mixing before it gets stilled not after it has been stilled.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I am getting confuzzled here. I am on other boards where folks are tapping and they all say different things [in the topic of tapping only Acer Saccharum or Acer Rubrum]

So we found our hydrometers [ our eldest had broke one ] and we took some measurements.

At 53* using 3 different hydrometers we measure a Specific Gravity of 1.020.

One of our hydrometers also has a Balling scale on it [which measures sugar content] and it says 4.5%

Now at the scion exchange workshops it was discussed that as the season goes on the types of sugars in the sap will change and near the end of flow all Maple sap will turn bitter. As the opening buds need different things at different stages. So I expect that at some point the sugar content will drop.

So as best as I can tell, our maple sap is running at 4.5%.

Anyone with their own hydrometer is invited to come and test it for themselves. B and I both read the readings on our hydrometers, we even compared reading glasses in the process.

Interesting... I was just going by what the fellow said or had in a poster on the wall at the farm we visited on Maple Sunday.

[KiddinAroundFarm]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I am getting confuzzled here. I am on other boards where folks are tapping and they all say different things [in the topic of tapping only Acer Saccharum or Acer Rubrum]

So we found our hydrometers [ our eldest had broke one ] and we took some measurements.

At 53* using 3 different hydrometers we measure a Specific Gravity of 1.020.

One of our hydrometers also has a Balling scale on it [which measures sugar content] and it says 4.5%

Now at the scion exchange workshops it was discussed that as the season goes on the types of sugars in the sap will change and near the end of flow all Maple sap will turn bitter. As the opening buds need different things at different stages. So I expect that at some point the sugar content will drop.

So as best as I can tell, our maple sap is running at 4.5%.

Anyone with their own hydrometer is invited to come and test it for themselves. B and I both read the readings on our hydrometers, we even compared reading glasses in the process.

There seems to be confusing info out there, Forest.

Seems to me that each individual piece of land, located in different areas of the country, or even the same state can have varying amounts of sugar content. Did you test different trees of that same variety? What were the readings?

[KiddinAroundFarm]

Originally Posted by starwalker

Interesting... I was just going by what the fellow said or had in a poster on the wall at the farm we visited on Maple Sunday.

You are home already? lol Did ya get to Brewer? Find those dang muck boots??? I need some as well... so was wondering what you found. So far info I've looked up on our trek today has been favorable.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by KiddinAroundFarm

You are home already? lol Did ya get to Brewer? Find those dang muck boots??? I need some as well... so was wondering what you found. So far info I've looked up on our trek today has been favorable.

NO, I stopped at Family Dollar and decided to head out to AC Moores to get stuff for my class instead. Checked at the shoe place there in the mall area where K got his, but they only have womens down to sz 9... told me Millers is pretty much it for the full range of sizes.

I'll put them on the Thurs. list as I know I need them NOW (garden is getting soft!)

I can see that some of the blueberries survived, too... buds on them are not all dead (not bad for end of season close out plants put into the ground in the wrong season).

Saw a redwing blackbird they other day, too... and the birds that I used to hear flying in the late dusk, calling, are back.

That rain, cold as it was, DID SAY SPRING to me!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by KiddinAroundFarm

There seems to be confusing info out there, Forest.

Seems to me that each individual piece of land, located in different areas of the country, or even the same state can have varying amounts of sugar content. Did you test different trees of that same variety? What were the readings?

Have not done that yet.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by starwalker

That rain, cold as it was, DID SAY SPRING to me!

Tonight's weather says Merry Freaking Christmas.