chris.brock Posted April 5, 2014 Report Share Posted April 5, 2014 I'm guessing most of you guys are using battery/ cordless drills. I bought a new hand drill at Home Hardware a couple weeks ago, $20, a Chinese piece of pooh, it wouldn't work right from the start I just found this old drill at a flea market kinda thing, $10 works great, they don't make stuff like they used to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Caster Posted April 5, 2014 Report Share Posted April 5, 2014 I'm using the same thing Chris. Wife hates using it, I love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2014 I won't touch a drill for tapping my trees. Its just wrong LOL The good ole hand drill never fails! Battery never dies! S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakerguy Posted April 5, 2014 Report Share Posted April 5, 2014 Bottled another batch this aft. Looks like the end is near,syrup was pretty dark.still tastes great,but the forecast for this coming week looks-like not a lot of freezing nights.maybe it's a good thing......for my liver haha.i have the same old brace and bit similar to the pic. Great thread this is,I love it that there's people making syrup right from home.heck what else is there to do while the snow melts lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2014 I have whats left of 140l boiling now....its down to about 50. should get 3 or 4 litres to bottle. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Just finished 3.5l. Ive lost count, but somewhere around 10l of syrup so far. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Caster Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 I'd be more than happy with 10L this year! Good job. With today's sun and +6, I should see a real start to the run.... I was picking ice out of the buckets yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokestackLightnin Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Started my first boil yesterday afternoon, around 250 litres of nice, clear sap. I should be taking it off the main boiler around 3 into a large pot for the finishing boil. I usually filter it when it comes out of the large evaporator, I get most of the sand but there is usually a little bit of sediment that sinks to the bottom of the jar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Sand? From tree sap? How does that happen? I have been following this thread. Im thinking next year Im going to give it a go. Will a BBQ work for heat?Boiling down. I just want to say I made a bottle or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakerguy Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Sand? From tree sap? How does that happen? I have been following this thread. Im thinking next year Im going to give it a go. Will a BBQ work for heat?Boiling down. I just want to say I made a bottle or two. Sugar sand accumulates as sap boils. It’s a concentration of minerals and nutrients that collect as the excess water is boiled away. It is perfectly harmless and can be consumed. In fact, some maple syrup producers are unable to eliminate it completely even when using a filter press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Shearer Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 If people only knew the un-natural things that are in the foods they eat every day, they would not be worried about the minerals that come from the trees. Those minerals are concentrated 40 times, from boiling, just like the sap. You know that 'little crunch' you sometimes get when eating a hot dog? It would scare you to know what it really could be! Some ground has more mineral than others. Most filters out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Shes runnin good today!!! Brian, a bbq probably wouldnt do it. Each 5 gal bucket of sap should make a 500ml mason jar of syrup. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Caster Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Still a slooow day, but it's picking up. Question: Some of the buckets had 'sugar water' with a bit of a yellow tinge. It does have a slightly sweet flavor to it. Is this stuff still good? Any ideas what causes this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokestackLightnin Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 It's likely due to it being in the tree for a while during a cold snap and it has been tinted. I also find late season sap is tinted and it produces darker syrup. It is still good but what I do is I will store it in a different container then the clear sap and then boil it later in the season. I like the light syrup that comes with early sap. My theory as to why it happens is I usually see it after going through a cold snap that lasts a few days and stops the sap flowing. I think it's from sap that get stuck in the tree during the cold snap and when it start moving again it is tinted from the tree itself. It might sound weird but it is only a theory, nothing has been proven. And no sap was harmed when I thought up the theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I collected 60l this evening. My best one day run yet. It was still flowing when I collected after dark. Im hoping it gets cold enough tonight to stop it and run again tomorrow, but judging by the forcast, im done for the season S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJQ Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Put in a few litres of sap on sat..its just starting... still 2-3 feet of snow in the bush, but the weather looks pretty good, looks like by the end of the week, il, be busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokestackLightnin Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Sand? From tree sap? How does that happen? I have been following this thread. Im thinking next year Im going to give it a go. Will a BBQ work for heat?Boiling down. I just want to say I made a bottle or two. Brian, a good starting point is a turkey fryer burner and the pot. And right TSC has all maple syrup supplies on for 20% off which is cheaper then Atkinson, but only slightly cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokestackLightnin Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I collected 60l this evening. My best one day run yet. It was still flowing when I collected after dark. Im hoping it gets cold enough tonight to stop it and run again tomorrow, but judging by the forcast, im done for the season S. Due to the heading to the tackle swap we did not collect yesterday. Went this morning and collected 11 of the blue water jugs, almost half of my buckets were overflowing. I believe those blue jugs are 20 litres each so all I can say is it"s a whole lotta sap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Yeah, I just collected over 300l from 40 taps at work. Same thing, buckets overflowing, and its still running in the bush here. My place stopped last night, and I don't think it will run today there. If it does, and the forcast is right, that will be the end for me here. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJQ Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Thats crazy.. your gonna be done before I even really get started!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Yep, weird season for sure. I'll end up with about 12-13l finished. That's not bad for my little set up. Last year was a little too much for me. If I upgrade my boiler, I will tap 50 next year at home, but until my boiler is upgraded, I'm going to have to stick with my 25ish taps. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokestackLightnin Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Finally completed the first boil. Everything is jarred and ready for storage. Turned out real well this year, one of the best batches I have ever made. As you can see from the picture we still have a lot of snow and you can also see that the river behind my house and not crested the banks. Next boil will go on after this weather system goes through tonight and tomorrow. I have to say, doing syrup is therapeutic for me. Yesterday afternoon we sat out in the back yard, listened to all kinds of birds, heard the river flowing and listened to snow melting and the arrival of spring with a cold Coors Light and a few friends stopping in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 SWEET! Gotta love it! I hear ya on the therapeudic part! I enjoy it too. Good times, and what else are ya gonna do waiting for snow to melt? S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted April 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Collected another 30l at home last night, and over 200 at work today. I have 140l boiling at home now, so 3-4 more litres.....then I should be done. I think....lol....might get one more run if it gets cold enough mid week. We'll see I guess. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Caster Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Between work and at home, you are gonna be a maple-syrup expert in no time at all! I'm doing a mini-boil in my kitchen tonight. I just want enough to put some on snow like I did as a kid...the wife has never tried that, so it'll be fun! So far I've collected about 15l from my 7 trees. Only one tap is filling the bucket, the others are much slower. I'm learning alot about the trees and forest maintenance; lots of plans for this summer! I found out that if a tree has a massive curv/branch-off it doesn't make a good syrup tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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