Beavertail Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 TJ, that looks like a slick system. Rodcaster, good idea with the wire. My spiles are leaking a bit too(made the holes a bit big I think - next year will be better) so I might add some wire too.
Beavertail Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 I'm also getting the boat out of storage today...getting wafts of maple scent in the garage while I work - God I love spring!
TJQ Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 This tap leaked a lot, so I hung this little wire and it now drips into the bucket. Very interesting idea.
SmokestackLightnin Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Well that's it, third boil is complete and all cleaned up. The syrup is definitely amber and very good. We have collected another 250 litres of sap and will only need 100 more for the fourth and final boil. Now to get packed and get my sorry butt on a jet plane for 7am takeoff from Pearson tomorrow morning.
Rod Caster Posted April 3, 2015 Author Report Posted April 3, 2015 It was nice today, +5 and partial sun, but the sap still won't drop. I'm starting to think that the deep snow around the trunks is keeping the sap low. It's going to -14 tonight, so I'll check again on Monday or Tuesday.
Beavertail Posted April 4, 2015 Report Posted April 4, 2015 So I'm boiling my second batch today and noticed one 5gal pail is slightly cloudy...is it still ok to use?
castgame Posted April 6, 2015 Report Posted April 6, 2015 this may have been discussed already, but help me settle a dispute with a friend: do you boil the ice in the pail that forms overnight, or do you toss it aside because it has much less sugar than the liquid sap?
Rod Caster Posted April 6, 2015 Author Report Posted April 6, 2015 So I'm boiling my second batch today and noticed one 5gal pail is slightly cloudy...is it still ok to use? I'd like to know as well. I used my 'foggy' sap last year and it worked just fine, but I don't know if there are reasons not to.. this may have been discussed already, but help me settle a dispute with a friend: do you boil the ice in the pail that forms overnight, or do you toss it aside because it has much less sugar than the liquid sap? If it's just a bit of ice, let it drip a bit then discard; if it was very cold at night, don't throw it all out.
Beavertail Posted April 6, 2015 Report Posted April 6, 2015 Well, to say I'm pleased and surprised with this season so far (my first to boot) would be an understatement. The four maples on my property have produced 3.75L of delicious, amber coloured sap. Have one more small batch to boil I think, before the season is over. I always knew how much time was involved to make syrup but now I truly appreciate exactly how much work is involved. Looking forward to the upcoming seasons and refining my little operation!
Rod Caster Posted April 7, 2015 Author Report Posted April 7, 2015 3.5L from 4 trees is a great return! Nice work! It barely climbed over +1 degrees, but nearly all my trees were dripping this evening.They want to run pretty bad... otherwise like TJ said, it's been cold here. Can't wait to read your updates when the sap starts flowing TJ!
Rod Caster Posted April 8, 2015 Author Report Posted April 8, 2015 Today was good, but some trees are still silent Seems that sun exposure makes a huge difference. I'll boil my first batch tomorrow
Rod Caster Posted April 8, 2015 Author Report Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Double post Edited April 8, 2015 by Rod Caster
Sinker Posted April 8, 2015 Report Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Just back from cuba. Cant wait to see how much sap I have to boil! Battling TO traffic now, and freezing rain....BOOOOOh!! Cuba was mint! Not a drop of rain all week, beauty beach, nice breeze and all the booze and food I could handle! EDIT: 170 litres for the week. Not as great as I was hoping, but 4 more litres of syrup at least. That willl put me at around 16 litres of syrup. Not bad, but not great. I usually get closer to a litre per tap....25 taps. Looks like its done here now. S. Edited April 9, 2015 by Sinker
Rod Caster Posted April 9, 2015 Author Report Posted April 9, 2015 16 ain't bad, but that's a big drop from last year. Rough so far up here... Only collected 20L so far (17 taps) and things may shut down over the next couple days... Some trees haven't even started yet. Saturday and Sunday look like nice days but after that it may be too warm. My new, reduced goal is 5L.
Rod Caster Posted April 10, 2015 Author Report Posted April 10, 2015 Boiled my first litre tonight... Hardly worth the effort , but I wanted a batch of the early stuff. Took approximately 25L of sap to get nearly 1L of syrup... I'm happy with that ratio!!
Sinker Posted April 10, 2015 Report Posted April 10, 2015 Im boiling tonight. Going to start 120L and let it run as long as I can, then re-fill the pan, and let it boil all night. I collected another 60l last night, so have 230L to finish up. Pulling taps tomorrow. S.
Canuck2fan Posted April 10, 2015 Report Posted April 10, 2015 Oh Oh the way everyone is talking about this season, I won't be able to afford to make my annual maple sugar donuts. I screwed up 2 yrs ago and didn't get up and go to the local farmer's market on Saturday morning to get the maple sugar. So, on the Monday, I stopped at a pretty fancy sugar bush shop that I knew would have some for sale. I asked for a 24ozs and she said here and gave me 6 X 4oz bags at 6.99 each I was too embarrassed to refuse because the price was about triple what I was used to paying LOL.
Sinker Posted April 10, 2015 Report Posted April 10, 2015 Yep, a lot of the big operations are not doing well at all. I heard on the news they may have to dip into the reserves this year. S.
Canuck2fan Posted April 10, 2015 Report Posted April 10, 2015 Yep, a lot of the big operations are not doing well at all. I heard on the news they may have to dip into the reserves this year. S. If more of the reserve didn't get stolen.... http://globalnews.ca/news/1589998/how-did-18-million-dollars-worth-of-maple-syrup-go-missing-from-a-warehouse-in-quebec/
gowbush Posted April 11, 2015 Report Posted April 11, 2015 Sounds great that everyone is getting some syrup. The weather has been so weird that my trees have not even started, usually I start one week after North Bay starts. Looks like no sap this year.
Rod Caster Posted April 11, 2015 Author Report Posted April 11, 2015 Sounds great that everyone is getting some syrup. The weather has been so weird that my trees have not even started, usually I start one week after North Bay starts. Looks like no sap this year. Ouch... let's hope you get a few strong days I'm banking on today and tomorrow to save my season.
Rod Caster Posted April 11, 2015 Author Report Posted April 11, 2015 she's givin' 'er today!! I bet TJ has his hands full.
Rod Caster Posted April 13, 2015 Author Report Posted April 13, 2015 I'm at a whopping 3.5L.... I still have 2-3 feet of snow in places, so I might eek out another week of sap, if so I'll do ok.
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