Making a Maple Syrup Evaporator
Maple Syrup Evaporators were a very important part of rural America some time ago as every farm had its own evaporator. However, in recent times it has been more convenient to but a maple syrup bottle from the nearest store.
The Maple Syrup Evaporator is easy to make at home with the help of a large cylindrical drum. The drum acts as the evaporator and maple sap is added to it until the water from it evaporates and gives the liquid a dark, sweet look. In the end, the maple syrup can be taken out of the evaporator when it reaches the desired temperature. All impurities and excess fluid evaporate and leaves pure maple syrup in the end.
Things Required:
– Large 10-to-20 gallon cylindrical drum
– Wire brush
– Stick welder
– Stirring Paddle
– Large stones and bricks
– Cooking thermometer
Instructions
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1
Clean and sterilize the drum with the help of boiling water so that it is completely clean. Use the wire brush when the boiling water is being poured so that every side of the drum can be reached and treated. Make sure that the drum was not previously used for any toxic or beer as that can be harmful. Rinse the drum several m ore times so that it is completely free from any dirt or bacteria
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2
Weld out the top circle of the drum as that part has to be open so that the maple sap can be poured in. Leave the bottom attached as that will be exposed to the fire. Set small fire in a place where there is danger and surround it with large stones and bricks to avoid it from spreading. Place the drum over the fire so that and wait until it’s hot
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3
Now add fresh maple sap to the drum and stir the sap with a stirring paddle. Make sure the drum is not filled to the top as some sap can be lost when it boils over. Allow the evaporator to heat and stir every 15 minutes. There will be steam coming out from the evaporator which is the water from the maple sap
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4
The level of sap will go down with time as the water continues to evaporate. Continue adding fresh sap to the drum and follow the same process. The temperature of the evaporator has to be monitored continuously as the maple syrup is ready when the temperature is 7°F higher than the boiling point of water at the respective elevation
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