Maple Syrup Report

[maple flats]

My season is over. Will finish cooking down what was the tail end in the evaporator. Season here was below average qty for the 2nd year in a row. Started too late and ended too soon. On 300 taps I made 35 gal so far and will finish off and can the end as a batch. Looks like it will end at about 40-42 gal. On 300 taps I should get about 75 gal or 1 qt/tap. In 03 and 04 I did 1/3 gal/tap, then 05 and now 06 gave between 1/7 and 1/8 gal/tap. The weather is everything however I did end up having to dump about440 gal of 2.9% sap (which would have made just under 15 gal more) that spoiled when I was at the hospital while my wife was in for her surgery. I have others who will help bottle but no one who dares boil because it boils very hard and things happen real fast which need to be addressed NOW, such as foaming, temp for draw off and many other things plus add wood to capacity every 7 minutes, keep track of remaining sap so you shut down before it is too late etc. They are just uneasy trying and i don't blame them. Many a evaporator have been scorched and many a sugarhouse have burned to the ground by failing to do everything just right. Now I need to decide what I want to donate to the auction, not sure yet but will pick out something soon. (If I had ever figured out the picture posting I could get a picture and show some shots of the operation, maybe someday!

[maple flats]

I finally got the last of the syrup made and ended up with 42 gal total on 300 taps. My average from 03 and 04 would have given a hundred gal on 300 taps and industry says a qt/tap without vacume is average. I guess that is where averages come from. I have cleaned some of the equipment and pulled most of the taps. I start vacation after tomorrow and will get the rest done then. I have decided to donate 2 one pint bottles of syrup to the FF auction but hopefully furby is good enough to get picture posting 101 thru my head before it becomes official, as he said he will attempt it, brave man. I will get pictures taken this next week and then find out when he and I can put our schedules on the same page. He has his work cut out for him, may be the last time he ever volunteers to try train anyone on picture posting after he attempts to teach me.  ;D :D :D ;D .  Did someone say you need to remember steps or do you need to understand a concept? Encourage furby not to give up in less than 6 or 8 months please when my training begins!

[SwampDonkey]

My cousin has been still collecting sap and I see the buds are starting to flush on my yard maples. Need a picture I guess.  He doesn't seem to have a full tank on each trip, maybe 50 gallons a day. I always found that when the maples start flushing the sap is green, but he must put it through a filtering process as well as the osmosis machine.

[SwampDonkey]

Buds beginning to flush: box elder on left, sugar maple on right.

[Dana]

Maple Flats, Don't worry no one could be as dense as me. :D It took over a year for me to learn that picture posting thing. One small step I kept overlooking. It sure is easy once you get the hang of it though.