THE PRODUCTION OF MAPLE SIRUP AND SUd.Mi. 39 



fire, but where on a larger scale the sugaring-oft' pan (p. 20) is 

 used. In this concentration there is a further precipitation of the 

 malate and also a great tendency for the boiling product to froth 

 or foam. A small piece of butter or lard or some sweet oil or a piece 

 of fat meat, as bacon or fresh pork, run over the surface is used to 

 allay this foaming. These may be necessary to allay the foaming 

 at times, but great care should be used in the selection of the 

 fat to have a neutral one with little taste or flavor and then to 

 use it only in very small quantities, as the flavor of the product 

 is greatly affected*. If the precipitation of malate is rather heavy, 

 the white of egg or milk may be added and this skimmed off dur- 

 ing the boiling. Under any circumstances the boiling mass should 

 be skimmed. 



The harclneSvS of the sugar produced is to a large extent con- 

 trolled by its moisture content; also slightly by the inversion of 

 the sucrose during the heating. As in sirup making one should 

 " sugar-off " a charge before adding any more sirup, as this con- 

 centration and dilution and concentration again tends to blacken 

 the product and decompose the sucrose, making hard-sugar pro- 

 duction difficult. The proper point of stopping the boiling is 

 best determined by means of a thermometer. Various makers have 

 other means of determining this point, such as by dropping some 

 of the liquid in cold water or snow, but where a product of uniform 

 hardness is to be prepared the former method is to be preferred. 



In making maple sugar some consideration must be taken of the 

 grade and use, as. for instance, maple sugar for immediate use 

 should be softer than that for storage and cake sugars are gen- 

 erally harder than tub sugar. In the first runs the boiling should 

 be carried up to 238 or 240 F. (or 26 to 28 above the boiling 

 point of water at that elevation) to make a medium hard sugar, 

 while for a tub sugar (one that is sold in tubs) a temperature as 

 low as 233 F. (21 above boiling point) can be used. With later 

 runs of sap the finishing temperature should be 240 to 250 F. 

 (or 28 to 38 above the boiling point). These are not absolute 

 in all cases. The maker can experiment with the proper temper- 

 ature, but to obtain a uniform product it is necessary to use a 

 thermometer. 



As to the quantity of sirup that should be " sugared-off " at one 

 time, makers vary. Some " sugar-off " as much as 50 to 100 pounds 

 (4J to 9 gallons) at a time, w r hile others only from 15 to 25 pounds 

 (l^to 2^ gallons), the claim being that with the larger quantities 

 the sugar is made much darker, due to the longer time consumed 

 in boiling or concentrating. 



After the thick sirup has reached the proper boiling point, it 

 should be taken from the fire and stirred until somewhat cooled. 

 This gives it a uniform grain and color in the mold. The finishing 

 temperature can be made a little lower if there is vigorous stirring 

 during the cooling period, as by this stirring much evaporation 

 takes place. If it is not stirred the point of quickest cooling, 

 namely, the edges, becomes hard and coarse grained and the center 

 or part last cooled is mushy. 



51(5 



