North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Parker Henry <parker@worldpath.net>]

Mark asked about maple syrup:

Maple syrup is legal with 76 degree Brix (sugar density) in most  
states (varies slightly among state laws). Legal syrup boils at 7.3   
or 7.5 degrees (state variation) above boiling water, which varies  
with the atmospheric air pressure.  SO the better way to find the  
boiling temperature of syrup, in my opinion, is to use a barometer  
since the air pressure changes hourly.

A way to calculate the amount of sap needed to make a gallon of syrup  
is to divide 88 by the brix of the sap. Since sap sugar content (brix)  
may vary from 1.5% to 9.5%, there is a wide variation of the ratio.  
2.2% sap gives 40:1 ratio of sap to syrup.

Hank parker
syrup maker in NH