Maple Syrup Season 2017

[Lawdwaz]

This Dinsdale cat does NOT mess around.............trust me. 

I'm just about out of syrup..............HINT

[Mr.Zach]

I'm switching from buckets and stainless taps to tubing.  I have 30ish buckets and taps if anyone wants to make an offer.  I bought tubing and taps for 250, though I won't put them all in.  I plan to set up a second cast iron bath tub so that I can have two fires at once.  The amish sell food grade totes and barrels for $5 and $20 respectively so I might set up some storage and gravity feed stuff.  My goal is to make more than I can use, and not to spend much money

[Paula]

On 1/11/2017 at 9:50 AM, Dan.NY said:

Anyone making syrup who is interested in trading some of your syrup for my honey.. I have 5 hives and honey from a good fall flow... Seriously...

I wish I had time and trees for syrup. Add to the retirement list I guess.

I am curious about the honey. Do you bottle it right up with doing anything to it?  It's not the same as you but in the store correct?  

I am at the end of my supply and now I am curious 

[Mr.Zach]

A guy down the road sells it raw ($12/quart).  My wife raves about how she can "taste the hive" but it seems like normal honey to me.  Is anything added to commercial honey?  Its naturally bacteria resistant so I wouldn't see why there would be a need?

[Paula]

Not sure if anything is added to store bought but I have seen raw and organic honey at the store. 

 

[wdswtr]

Busy Busy in the metal shop finishing up new evaporator builds for customers.  Here is a sample of a 2.5x10 raised flue evaporator that we built for a customer.  Made more 1500 gallon and larger tanks than I care to recall this year as well.  Still have 2 more smaller 2x6 drop flue evaporators to finish yet.  Good times.

 

Edited January 16, 2017 by wdswtr

[wdswtr]

Couple things I like to note, for you guys tapping with buckets dont cut your season short by tapping in this early.  You will make some syrup in this warmup this week but you will lose sap production when it gets good.  Buckets and even gravity setups will stop producing sap if they are tapped in too long.  Bacteria will build up in the tap hole and your season will be done before it gets good.  Think of it like cutting yourself, after a while your going to stop bleeding as the cut starts to heal.  Vacuum setups are a whole different ballgame.  I have gone 13 weeks of pulling sap by tapping early in the past.  6 weeks is about all your good for with buckets. 

[wdswtr]

Heres is a quick picture of the evaporators in my boiling room of the sugar house.  Not the greatest picture.  On the left is the little 2x6 and on the right is the 3x12.  When both are running I have the capability of 190 gph boiling rates.  Both rigs have gasification arches under the pans.  The 2x6 I bought new and the 3x12 is one of the first evaporators I built.  I will be adding a custom built Steam Pig to the 3x12 in the near future when I get caught up on other orders first.  I think Im going to top out at 2500 taps on high vac for this year.  Was hoping to get 3000 on line but just running out of time.  I will say that sales are very good now that we people are more health conscious about natural and organic farm food.  Last year was a great year for syrup production. Sugar content was low but sap quantity made up for it.   Im skipping out on this early run, not ready and usually sugar content is rather low this early on.  However it should be a good season for better sugar content than last.  Nice hot sunny summer usually means good sugar following spring.  Here is a quick youtube video of the 3x12 spitting out some steam on one of the first boils last year. 

 

[landtracdeerhunter]

  I have collected nearly five gallons of sap on 20 taps since some trees opened up past Tuesday. All outer trees. Boil down is about 62 to 1. here. 

 

[wdswtr]

Thats pretty typical for sugar content tapping in this early.  Takes a lot more wood and time to process.  Wont be till mid February before I start drilling.  Sugar content should be much better then.  

[landtracdeerhunter]

I will tap the rest of my trees; fluid on the temperatures. This season's looking very close to last season.  I like to tap a few early so I can show off that light golden syrup to friends and family. The color of my syrup goes red very quickly in February.

I will spin the wheel;  roll the dice; take a chance; then do the maple dance.

Edited January 22, 2017 by landtracdeerhunter

[Dinsdale]

Put a few taps in and have enough to make some early light syrup tomorrow. Those lines are coming out and being re done in the future and didn't plan on using them this year, so its a bonus.

I'll keep that for me as its what I like.

Will see how weather plays for a "real" run, but where I am is often a full month before folks upstate. Usually done and wrapped up down here when others are just starting.

Ticks galore in the woods today and mostly finished up repairing, reorganizing tubing on new mainline. Eliminated a few trees, added some new ones I couldn't get pitch too before; think its about the same tap count for this section, and the tank is easy to get to now.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Does anyone celebrate the Vermont tradition of " Sugar On Snow Party." with homemade donuts and sour pickles. They use to  heat the maple syrup and pour it on snow which turns waxy. Then eat.

 

Edited January 24, 2017 by landtracdeerhunter

[stubborn1VT]

We always did when I was a kid.  Of course, I live in Vermont!

[Dinsdale]

Never heard of the pickles thing? But have done the syrup on snow.

I like hot off the evaporator on some real good vanilla ice cream tradition.

Yum!

[wdswtr]

8 hours ago, landtracdeerhunter said:

Does anyone celebrate the Vermont tradition of " Sugar On Snow Party." with homemade donuts and sour pickles. They use to  heat the maple syrup and pour it on snow which turns waxy. Then eat.

 

Oh you will love this video.  A member on SBI shared it with us. Around the 13 minute mark it shows and talks about the sugar on snow party, pickles and all.

 

Edited January 25, 2017 by wdswtr

[Dinsdale]

Nice day for a boil so ran what I had......made about a gallon.

Since weather doesn't look to sappy in the near future; bottled too.

 

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

My grandfather used to have a sugar shack up in Malone on the farm good memories...

[wdswtr]

Spent part of the day washing and rinsing syrup barrels,went to buddies and help him with his steam hood we repaired, plowed out the sugarhouse again.  Getting closer till the season starts, hoping for a cold month and a good base of snow before it starts.

[landtracdeerhunter]

I don't know what it is about the first boil of the year. Maybe it's that long wait between the seasons; the fresh smell of sweet steam; the look and taste of that beautiful golden syrup;  having success of a home built arch; or people telling you how good your syrup taste. I'm sure I have left out many reasons; but it sure feels good!

[growalot]

Quote

Does anyone celebrate the Vermont tradition of " Sugar On Snow Party."

Jack wax!...yep I remember eating that as a kid...good memories...good eats....

[Dinsdale]

50* and sunny today; nice run from what I had tapped. Still haven't drilled main area.....hmmmm.

Boil tomorrow and will get a couple gallons.

[landtracdeerhunter]

I was hoping for a mild  Tuesday, but temps didn't make it above freezing till 5 pm. with plenty of freezing rain. We did manage to warm to 50 by midnight and the trees ran into Wednesday morning with just enough sap to fire the evaporator. Still getting a nice golden color, but the boil down rate is still quite high. I still am debating when to tap the rest of my trees. Most likely be around the 20th.

[Arcade Hunter]

1 hour ago, landtracdeerhunter said:

I was hoping for a mild  Tuesday, but temps didn't make it above freezing till 5 pm. with plenty of freezing rain. We did manage to warm to 50 by midnight and the trees ran into Wednesday morning with just enough sap to fire the evaporator. Still getting a nice golden color, but the boil down rate is still quite high. I still am debating when to tap the rest of my trees. Most likely be around the 20th.

This is my first year.... I am going to tap saturday or sunday, Feb 18 or 19.

[landtracdeerhunter]

My tees just showed up a the door today just in time for tapping the rest of the maples today and tomorrow. Excited about the warm up this weekend into next week. Hoping for a good run. Good luck to everyone!