who's ready to make some maple syrup?

[JohnM]

Ray, I was thinking (it happens sometimes!), the sand from the town likely has salt in it (ours does) and I'm betting that leads to more cracking in your blocks.  The 'thinking' part is the salt retains water and when it heats up it expands that much more.  Just a 'thought'.  All my blocks cracked last year but only the one with the pipe cracked on both sides.

I'd say whoever suggested going three blocks high owes you some blocks! : ;) ;D

[thecfarm]

I betcha right with the town sand.Three blocks does work better, higher,don't have to bend over so much,can get more snow covered wood in too.  ;D Next year be better. I should be all set now. I think the ground is all thawed out under the blocks now. It just about fell over twice. We got almost a pint yesterday. BUT that was from collecting for 3-4 days too. We did not start a fire for about 5 days.

[Chuck White]

Above freezing, snow and wind here today!

We gathered enough sap to make 5½ gallons of syrup today!  8)

Now the weather reports call for freezing temps for the next few days!

[thecfarm]

I think my high was 33 here today.  :  And that was not until about 2 o'clock. The wind blew hard here today. I checked one bucket, did not bother with the rest.
Of all the years to try to get some syrup,I had to pick this one. 

[5quarter]

I can finally join in the fun! Sap finally started running this afternoon. Got in 10 taps and this evening collected about 6 gallons. a couple trees are running fast, others are just now getting outta bed.  :D I'll get in another 10-12 taps in the morning before work and get my burner set up by the wood shed. next couple days look real good weatherwise so I'm hoping for a decent run.. it ain't spring til the saps boilin!  ;) :D

[JohnM]

We finally boiled on Sat.  The arch worked great, the digital thermometer not so much.  Hit 217 outside brought everything in in two big pots, about 3.5gal.  I started with about 20gal of sap so the 3+gallons didn't seem right. :-\  Started to boil one of the pans on the stove and the temp quickly climbed to 220, then 225 and then 234.  Took the batteries out of the thermometer, corroded connection.  Thermometer in the trash. >:(

Put everything in the frig and came back to it last night.  Had another thermometer, got everything boiling again and 2.5hrs later we 'canned' three and a half quarts of syrup (nearly a full gal! 8))!  That's pretty darn good for 20 (+/-1gal) of sap.  It's not the cleanest batch, most of the sap was over two weeks old (but frozen solid for most of that time) and I think I'm getting quite a bit of 'debris' (read: ash :) from my arch.  I needed new filters for each quart.

Pancakes for breakfast this morning! 8) ;D

[thecfarm]

That sounds good John. End of the week looks good for us sapers.

[21incher]

JohnM I am glad you finally got enough to boil and that arch worked out. I also noticed that the first sap I boiled took about 40 gals to make a gallon of syrup, and then the last batch only took a little over 30 gallons of sap per gallon of syrup. Makes me wonder if the trees are trying to make up for all the bad weather. I was going to purchase a digital thermometer but wound up buying a glass and mercury candy thermometer and after hearing your story am glad I did. Enjoy your syrup

[OH Boy]

For our 200 taps, we had some great runs last week. about 400 gallons of sap and took me all weekend to boil it down. guess that means I need to build a faster evaporator. just to warn you "newbies", this seems to be a very addictive habit and you just seem to want more taps and boil it faster. I think we're going to wind down soon with the weather here though. Been a better season than I thought it was going to be. I'll keep taps in until the trees bud.

[thecfarm]

This newbie wallet only has so much money to spend on sapping. No matter what the wife thinks.  :  This sapper is not about to go out and spend a bunch of money on boiling when I can go about 15 minutes from me and flop down about $20 and buy a quart of it. Or whatever a quart cost.  :D The wife is looking at 2x4 and 2x6.   : I did not even know what that was last week.

[Alcranb]

Cfarm, what's 4 grand for an evaporator?  ;D besides your close enough you can pick it up and save yourself shipping charges maybe even bring the bride and take her out for lunch 

[thecfarm]

I will tell the wife.  :  Is that a 2x4 or 2x6  :D
But I think I will build a small sugar shack for her. It will look just like a big one,but about 6 feet wide by 8 feet long,I think. With the vented roof top and all. I have the trees,I have a sawmill. I have some steel roofing that was going to be used on another horse run in, but sold the horse. So I have the steel.I want to build her a boiler. Just about the same size as the cement block one that she is using.

We went to Maple Sunday,6 sap houses,and only one was using wood for fuel.

[thecfarm]

We went to Suga Country products in Vassalboro today.



 

Note the sign,Custom Milling. He has a LT15. I did not have a chance to talk to him. Looks like he had some white pine logs piled up. A customer had a leak in his arch and he was dealing with that problem. His wife did know what he had for a mill. Some wife's I ask and they say,I don't know,it's a sawmill.  ;D

She had me buy her something.Ten sap buckets.



 

We have seen some others,but these looked like new inside. Nice and clean. Prices were was very good. Much better than the hardware stores we have been going too.  : Also 2 more covers and a 3 foot square piece of filter cloth. She said it would work much better than our coffee filters.  ;D
It was a good day for a ride. I hour to get there. Sap did run,might of got a quart from 8 taps. Looks like the end of the week things will start to happen.

[JohnM]

Sounds like a nice road trip, Ray.  Wish there was a place like that in Bangor or nearby.  Closest that I know of is Kinney Maple Supplies in Knox.  I want a hydrometer so I can stop guessing when it's syrup! >:( ;D :D

[thecfarm]

Brenda wants one too.  : If I'm a paying ,it ain't gonna happen. The hydrometer is not all that bad, But the thing that is needed to dip the sap and than put the hydrometer into is the killer. Seem like $30.

[Chuck White]

Brenda wants one too.  : If I'm a paying ,it ain't gonna happen. The hydrometer is not all that bad, But the thing that is needed to dip the sap and than put the hydrometer into is the killer. Seem like $30.

If you buy the metal or glass ones, they cost a lot, but you can also get them, made of clear plastic!

[thecfarm]

They did not have the plastic ones. Or she did not mention it. I think she would of the way I acted when she said how much.  ;)

[Alcranb]

If you have a home brew supplier close by they should have a hydrometer and container to go with it.

[Chuck White]

Here's all you need for the hydrometer!

These are plastic and range in price from $8.50-$8.99


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydrometer-Test-Jar-Cup-Bottle-Plastic-Wine-Beer-Wasted-Proof-Tralle-Without-Lid-/221358257444

[JohnM]

If you have a home brew supplier close by they should have a hydrometer and container to go with it.

I know nothing about hydrometers but a friend offered me his beer hydrometer and that one, at least, didn't cover the 'range' that syrup falls into.  Judging by Chuck's post there are quite a few options out there.

[thecfarm]

Might be a reason why the 6 sap houses we went too all had the stainless steel ones. Maybe the plastic ones don't keep the heat as a SS ones. I sure don't know.
We have questioned all 6 places we went too and the one that sells supplies about getting the syrup just right. If you are just making it for yourself and you like the way it taste than what more do you want? Good point,I thought.

[Alcranb]

I used my brew hydrometer years ago in a deep Tupperware container as I was afraid the plastic hydrometer container wouldn't be able to handle the heat of the syrup. Learned three things, one the hydrometer once calibrated worked, two....what a mess, more stuff to clean and three, just like you said Cfarm, just making it for ones self. So long as it looks and most importantly taste good who cares?!!
I found after a while you get an idea of when it's right by the looks of the boil, how it slides off the spoon and of course how it taste. I only do it for myself and those who I've given some to have never complained 
Hey, it's suppose to be a fun hobby right?  :D

[21incher]

My local tractor supply sells the stainless cup listed here http://www.tapmytrees.com/starter-kit.html . I hope they go on clearance soon because they have quite a few left.

[thecfarm]

The TSC stores that I go to did not have much at all. One only had an end cap and was all gone. That price on the test cup looked good. The splies I brought today was $2 bucks each.

[Chuck White]

The problem with the stainless steel hydrometer cups is you can't read the hydrometer through them!

When you use the hydrometer to test your syrup, the syrup is only 60°F or just over!

edit:  Certainly not hot enough to melt the cup.

We fill our plastic test cup right out of the draw-off and it hasn't melted or deformed yet!