Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9” x 13” pan or line muffin tins with papers.
Combine everything but nuts and raisins in a food processor or powerful blender. You can slightly cook carrots to make this go smoother but it’s not necessary. Blend until smooth and stir in nuts and raisins if using. Pour into pan or tins. Bake until center is set about 45 minutes.
Let cool. Cut into slices and serve topped with pure maple syrup, nut butter, honey or fresh fruit. Store in refrigerator. Makes approx. 6 servings.
Keyword carrot cake recipes, cooking with pure maple syrup, healthy carrot cake, high protein breakfast recipes
Maple sap cooking methods range from super simple to full-blown sugar shacks with high level equipment. So where do you start as a home sugarmaker just wanting to boil a few gallons of sap into pure maple syrup? This article will walk you through the most common DIY, proven, at-home cooking methods so you can get ready for the season.
Steamy kettle of maple sap over wood fire.
Start with Safety
Before we get any further into the boiling, let’s talk safety. During this process, you will be working with fire or flammable gases and handling large quantities of boiling hot, sticky syrup. Please be careful, especially if children are helping you. Wear long sleeves, pants, and gloves to protect from splatters. Don’t try to pour sap from large pans without help. Make sure you have a first aid kid and a bucket of water or hose nearby for emergencies.
Why Do We Boil Sap?
Maple sap is approximately 95% water and your job is to remove the water and concentrate the sugar into pure maple syrup. The flavor of your finished syrup is created by the caramelization of the sugars during the boiling process. The longer the sap is boiled in the pan, the darker and stronger the flavors become. Along with the tree qualities and storage/collection issues, flavor can also be affected by the cleanliness of your cooking and storage systems. Stainless steel is the best choice for boiling and glass jars or bottles are the best.
Indoors or Outdoors
You will be tempted to boil your sap down on the kitchen stove – be warned that everything around the pot will be sticky! Even the steam coming off your pot contains tiny bits of sugar which will cling to every surface. Instead of dealing with a sticky mess, make a space for yourself outside. You’ll need overhead shelter in case it starts to rain or snow or the weather turns cold while you’re boiling. This is why many build a “sugar shack” but a temporary outdoor space with a tarp ready to cover overhead works just fine. For small batches you can finish your syrup inside on the kitchen stove.
Maple Sugar Shack with steam coming out the chimney.
What Type of Cooker or Fuel Source
The boiling down process will take many, many hours and greatly depends on how much sap you’re starting with. The choice really depends on your access to wood or propane, how much space you have, and how much syrup you plan to make.
The key is surface area – the more surface area in the pan, the faster water will evaporate. This is why most people choose an oblong flat pan to boil in.
Small batches (10 gallons sap per year) can be cooked on a single-burner propane cooker (such as an outdoor fryer/turkey cooker). Larger batches require longer boils and bigger pans and most upgrade to a multi-burner propane cooker or a wood-fired evaporator. You can buy complete evaporator set-ups online or make your own. The DIY options are endless as long as you have time, space, and are a little handy with basic tools.
Outdoor boiling pan of almost-done pure maple syrup.
Building your own wood “stove” is fairly simple and does not require any special skills. Look online for “cement block evaporator plans” and you will find hundreds of ideas. Better yet, visit with another tapper and see how they’ve built their cooker. One of the tappers consulted for in our research used his brother’s metal working skills to build a cooker out of an old 55-gallon drum and an evaporator pan to fit the stove. The only requirement for your cooker is that it can sufficiently hold your pan 18- to 24-inches above the wood fire.
Along with your chosen cooking methods, you’ll need abundant fuel close to your cooking station – enough to last the many hours of boiling. Additionally, you’ll need sufficient lighting in case boiling or bottling goes past dark.
Evaporator and Boiling Pans
For a small-batch hobbyist the boiling process is less complex than for the commercial cooker. Large operations typically use a continuous-feed evaporator which continuously heats the sap, feeds it into another constantly-boiling evaporator pan, and then pours it off for finishing. This is necessary because adding cold sap to a boiling evaporator pan will cause the whole batch’s temperature to drop which will lengthen the boiling time. Most hobbyist tappers use multiple pots and pans to re-create this four-step process:
The first batch of sap for the day is poured into the large evaporator pan, leaving at least 6” to 8” of headroom to prevent boiling over. If all the sap you have fits in your pan, you do not need to do Step 2.
2. Once the sap in the evaporator pan starts to boil and condense, you can start warming extra sap in your other smaller pans.
3. After this extra sap is heated to boiling, pour it into the larger pan remembering to leave headroom to prevent boil over. Continue this process until all your sap is in the large evaporator pan and boil the entire batch to the finishing point.
4. Finally, as the sap nears the 216°F mark in the large evaporator pan, it’s filtered and poured into large kettle (usually the same kettle you used to prewarm it) and then put on a smaller heat source to finish it. This last step keeps the syrup from becoming too shallow in the pan which can lead to overheating or burning.
The rate at which your water evaporates depends on numerous factors such as: pan size and construction; type of heat source; and even the temperature of sap being added to the evaporator. If using a shallow, rectangular pan with lots of surface area, it takes between 9 and 18 hours to produce one gallon of syrup. With a deep, circular pan, it will take much longer.
DIY Evaporator Pan on three-burner propane cooker.
Pre-made hobbyist sized evaporators can be bought online. The advantage of these are they have a draw-off spout which reduces spills and potential burns from trying to pour the boiling sap or syrup out. When buying a pan, choose a heavy-duty pan that can withstand prolonged heat – preferably a large, flat pan with sides at least 6- to 8-inches high to prevent boiling over. Many commercial kitchen supply stores sell large, flat roasting pans which will work for the first stage of boiling but are not thick enough to finish syrup in without burning. A high-quality stock pot works best for the final boiling stage.
You can also find older enamelware or stainless steel pans at auctions, yard sales, or online trading sites – just be sure they are spotless and not corroded or rusty. Keep in mind, though, that whatever system you invent, you will be pouring or moving boiling hot sugary substances out of it! If the pan is too unwieldy or large to move, you could risk serious burns or at least end up spilling your almost-finished syrup.
Large, multi-channeled sap evaporator pan with hydrometer ladle.
Make it Portable or Make it Decorative
Many wood-fired cookers look similar to backyard brick pizza ovens and you could easily adapt that design to fit your pan. Then after the season, you can still use it! If you don’t want to look at your cooker all year, consider building it out of material you can easily disassemble it or move it once the season is over.
Community Syrup Making
Consider joining forces with friends and neighbors to build a community cooker where everyone brings their sap and shares the process. This is a fun way to build time with family and friends; grow an outdoor-centered hobby; and boil more sap than you can do on your own. Join up with your local online groups to find other sugarmakers in your area. You might be surprised by how many folks are out there doing this same thing!
¾cuppure maple syrup, divided (1/2 cup and 1/4 cup)
1largeegg
1tspvanilla extract
2 ¼cupsall purpose flour
1 tspbaking powder
¼tspsalt
¼cupheavy whipping cream
1 cupconfectioners' (powdered) sugar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream together butter, 1/2 cup maple syrup and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
Once combined, chill dough for approximately 2 hours.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a maple leaf-shaped or round cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill cut outs for another hour.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the maple cream filling, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and heavy cream until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more heavy cream until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
Put filling in a piping bag and pipe approximately 1 tsp into center of cookie bottom. Put other cookie on top and squeeze together to flatten filling.
Store in airtight container.
Notes
A delicious cookie recipe filled with maple goodness and perfect for snack time and lunch boxes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, coconut, nuts, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until evenly combined. For extra flavor, lightly toast the seeds and nuts.
In a medium bowl, combine the pure olive oil (or butter) andmaple syrup and whisk until it thickens.
Pour maple syrup mixture on top of the oat mixture. Stir well, until oats are wet and evenly coated. Spread evenly across the rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30- 35 minutes until evenly toasted, stirring every 10 minutes.
Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour, before adding dried fruit. Toss to combine and store in anairtight container for 1-2 weeks.
Keyword cooking with pure maple syrup, homemade granola recipe, maple syrup recipes
Why does my filter seem clogged or slow? This can have two answers:
1. The filter is full of sugar sand! Our one-quart filters are designed for small batches (2 to 3 quarts) and after that much syrup, they will start to clog up with sugar sand. To solve this problem, have a second filter set up to use to finish your batch.
2. Alternately, the syrup could be cooling down too much in the filter which makes it flow slower. This is an easy fix: pour only enough to fill one jar at a time. Just set the pan aside, cover it with a lid to keep the heat in, and keep refilling the filter as the syrup level gets down to about ½”. Note: be sure when lifting the lid off your pan, you tip it away from the pan so the moisture does not fall back into the syrup.
Why is the syrup dripping out the upper sides of the filter?
Our filters are made from filter material all the way up so syrup will go through all of it. If you fill it up to the top, the upper part of the filter will get saturated and syrup will start to drip through. Keep the syrup level low (as described in #1) and only as wide as the jar you’re filling.
How do I clean the thick filter?
Your filters should dry out between uses and could grow bacteria is allowed to remain wet. After syrup making, rinse the filter with hot water until all the sugar sand is removed. Filters may remain slightly darker after use and that is okay. Once through rinsed, hang upside down and open so it can drip dry. We usually balance it on a dowel (pointy end up) and prop it in a jar. Do not wring or twist the filter as that can break down the fibers and distort the shape.
Why is my filter brownish?
It is normal for the filter to take on a little brown color after use. Just make sure you’re thoroughly cleaning the filter after each boil with hot water. The spray setting on your sink nozzle works best to rinse away the sugar sand.
Can I reuse filters next year?
Yes! These filters last for a long time as long as they are properly cared for. Don’t wring or twist and always thoroughly dry before putting away. At the end of the season store in a sealed bag in a dry area.
Most years, it feels like the maple sap run has a mind of its own! We want it to start early and last for a long time but Mother Nature is in charge here. And all we can do is be ready to make the most of it.
If you’re a beginner,the most important thing to know: temperatures determine everything that happens during the season. When the nighttime temps fall below freezing and are followed by a daytime temperature in the 40s, the sap will begin to flow. This pattern needs to be consistent for a few days for it to really kick in. Then, as each day progressively gets warmer and the sap flows through the tree, it will start to wake up. Once a tree “buds out”, the season is done as this can make the sap off-tasting.
Typically, this temperature range happens in late February and early March and the sap run can last into April. It depends on so many factors: where you live (southern areas’ seasons start sooner) and the weather during that year. The key is to watch the forecast and be ready. It’s a lot like being a surfer! When the waves are good, we go out there.
We’ve put together a checklist to help you prepare. Most of this gear you already have in your garage or kitchen. You only need the specialized tapping and filtering gear to make your own pure maple syrup. Just click below to download and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
