The Official 2008 Maple Syrup Thread.

[Up North Louie]

That's really nice. Makes me feel kinda like smashing my camera But I won't.

We've only begun to crawl out of the dark ages here. It'll get better. But that rig is certainly inspiring. How many trees, and acres of trees, are you working?

Don

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by Up North Louie

That's really nice. Makes me feel kinda like smashing my camera But I won't.

We've only begun to crawl out of the dark ages here. It'll get better. But that rig is certainly inspiring. How many trees, and acres of trees, are you working?

Don

Hey, dont feel bad. I started out 12 years ago with a 3x3 flat pan that my grandfather made. We boiled all day, al night, all weekend, just to get 5 galons. It sucked.

I have 12 acres of my own that has about 1300 trees. The squirrels ruined most of my tubing so I only have a couple hundred on tubing there. My dad has 5 acres he will let me tap,but I havent come up with the money to tap it, and the neighbor had about 80 road trees along a fence line he is letting me tap. I tubed those, and put vacuum on them. They are giving me 3% sugar. Road trees are the way to go.

I am going to run new tubing this summer, then take it out of the woods, and store it in my sap house near the house so the squirrels cant get to it`.

we are suppose to get some more freezing weather so mabey I can boil again. Im probably going to have to buy 50 gallons to resell.

[Sparticle]

well i made the oddest batch last night. It is VERY dark, almost too dark. then this morning when i checked it (I canned it), it's thinner too. I thought I cooked it the same way as the last few batches. it tastes ok (saved a little off so I could sample it). i need to get to town to get a sugar thingy you guys are talking about. I guess getting the name of the sugar thingy would be the first start.

Other than that last batch everything is going well. I've really gotten a groove going and keeping the kitchen clean. I've been using a veggie steamer basket held into a bowl position by clothes pins (ok NOW who is in the dark ages) to hold the filter and it's working great. the steamer basket fits perfectly over a pot so I don't have to hold it anymore. The wire mesh strainer i have also fits perfectly over the pot so no mess in the final stages of cooking in the kitchen. The windows in the kitchen stay cracked so it's all working out.

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by Sparticle

well i made the oddest batch last night. It is VERY dark, almost too dark. then this morning when i checked it (I canned it), it's thinner too. I thought I cooked it the same way as the last few batches. it tastes ok (saved a little off so I could sample it). i need to get to town to get a sugar thingy you guys are talking about. I guess getting the name of the sugar thingy would be the first start.

Other than that last batch everything is going well. I've really gotten a groove going and keeping the kitchen clean. I've been using a veggie steamer basket held into a bowl position by clothes pins (ok NOW who is in the dark ages) to hold the filter and it's working great. the steamer basket fits perfectly over a pot so I don't have to hold it anymore. The wire mesh strainer i have also fits perfectly over the pot so no mess in the final stages of cooking in the kitchen. The windows in the kitchen stay cracked so it's all working out.

is the sugar thingy a hydrometer?

[Sparticle]

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

is the sugar thingy a hydrometer?

yes I guess that would be it, thanks!

[Up North Louie]

We hold our filter open through loops with one-inch lath. Clothespins would represent a Great Leap Forward for us, were there an edge to pin to...

We have been working with fundamentally the same rig since about 1940. Grampa cobbled it together and since then, we've just propped it back up.

But that works, if you only provide for family, and a little for the widders and the orphans. But it's time to expand. There are too many yuppies, guppies and buppies with money burning holes in their pockets. Might as well harvest some of it.

Don

[Up North Louie]

We have picked up about 150 gallons since yesterday, and it looks like it will run all night. Here it is, cold and dark, but you would think it was 2 in the afternoon and 60 degrees to see them drip.

It was hard to haul buckets yesterday and today. We trimmed feet and wormed all 26 horses [including both Belgians] and just to make it nice, I got to receive 200 garage doors at work today.

Oh, well, Tylenol and bed for me.

Don

[Sparticle]

well working on finishing up the last of it. i believe i am about done for this season. It has been fun and thanks, especially michiganfarmer for all the help. i might post pictures of my micro-setup. This was my first year, but it won't be the last. it's warm enough the woodstove was off today and so there goes the operation. I was ready for it to be over though, i have to focus on getting holes dug for the trees that will be here starting tomorrow. 17 holes dug so far, whew. Doesn't sound like much, but it is very rocky. Also time to get the beds ready. i LOVE spring.

[michiganfarmer]

The weather prediction was that it was suppose to be 21 during night.

No such thing happened. It is 35.

Oh well. There are freezing temp forcast for this weekend, and temps in the 50s for next week.

Im not pulling my taps untill the trees bud. I need to make as much as I can.

[michiganfarmer]

These 4 brothers milk 75 cows, finish 300-400 head of beef, plant and hand pick 40 acres of sweet corn, sell firewood, raise, and sell 4H animals, and make around 2000 gallons of maple syrup every year. They live 3 miles away from me, and have helped me a lot over the years to learn tricks, shortcuts, and generally how to make syrup.

When I bought my first evaporator, Jim came over, and spent close to 8 hours over 3 days showing me how to run it. I didn't ask him either. He just showed up one day and asked if I knew what to do. I told him no, and he said "Ill be back after milking, wait for me".

They, like any farmers I have ever met, are a good bunch of guys.

http://www.record-eagle.com/archives...096095105.html

[Up North Louie]

And the beat goes on... We've gathered about 300 gallons over the last three days, in about a foot of new snow, and the trees still keep a-pumpin'.

We are out of buckets to stage the stuff. You empty 3 or 4 and fill them right back up again... it's like trying to decide which cow needs to be milked first. And you generally guess wrong. But oh, well,... at least we're getting syrup. It's beginning to darken somewhat, as well. That usually presages the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning, I'm no longer sure which.

This is as strange a syrup season as I have ever seen.

Back to it.

Don

[Big Dave]

Is there a chance to purchase some of yall's golden treasure?
If anyone is interested in a customer please PM me.

[Sparticle]

I thought I'd give you big producers a good laugh. Here is my rigged up filter basket and my syrup for this year. I took a veggie steamer and shaped it into a bowl using 3 clothes pins. Found a pot (my favorite) that it fit right over. I shaped the filter in the pot, then picked it up and put in the strainer basket. Worked great for me. As you can tell, some of the syrup wasn't canned or cooked properly. the first batches are on the left (well i think we've gone through 2 small bottles already) and the later ones to the right. The ones in the middle came out just right. The first 2 batches have sugar crystals in them, but the rest don't. I did like the ones in the middle the best, I kept a sample from each one to try. Next year should be much better. I kind of finally figured it out towards the end. Isn't that how it always goes?

[newman_maple]

As far as taste and being able to use it at home, sugar in your jars or dark syrup is fine. We prefer the dark stuff here. I would be cautious of the amount of air space in your jars. I have read that this will expedite mold. Of course, mold really does not hurt anything, but it does not help the looks any.... We usually keep a gallon jug in the fridge and put the extras from each batch in it. We have never had it mold before the next season begins.

[Sparticle]

Originally Posted by newman_maple

As far as taste and being able to use it at home, sugar in your jars or dark syrup is fine. We prefer the dark stuff here. I would be cautious of the amount of air space in your jars. I have read that this will expedite mold. Of course, mold really does not hurt anything, but it does not help the looks any.... We usually keep a gallon jug in the fridge and put the extras from each batch in it. We have never had it mold before the next season begins.

i agree, i didn't like the volume in the jars. but i made a bunch of small batches so for the most part, each jar is all that was made for the day. I had a few small jars that filled up to the top, but we used that already though. all i had left were the bigger jars and each batch for the day wouldn't fill it. just had to use what i had. we are going through it so fast so i doubt it'll be an issue.

[Up North Louie]

We have finished about 4 gallons in the last 2 days. As of 13:00 hrs CDT today, nothing had run. We went out just to gather the dregs at 19:00 hrs so it wouldn't freeze in the bags. We gathered 100 gallons of "dregs." It's on the boil. Tonight we'll get down to about 20*, and up to 55 or 60* tomorrow afternoon, so it'll be another big haul. The sap is still crystal-clear, not a hint of darkening yet. But then, we've only really been running 10 days now.

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by Sparticle

I thought I'd give you big producers a good laugh. Here is my rigged up filter basket and my syrup for this year. I took a veggie steamer and shaped it into a bowl using 3 clothes pins. Found a pot (my favorite) that it fit right over. I shaped the filter in the pot, then picked it up and put in the strainer basket. Worked great for me. As you can tell, some of the syrup wasn't canned or cooked properly. the first batches are on the left (well i think we've gone through 2 small bottles already) and the later ones to the right. The ones in the middle came out just right. The first 2 batches have sugar crystals in them, but the rest don't. I did like the ones in the middle the best, I kept a sample from each one to try. Next year should be much better. I kind of finally figured it out towards the end. Isn't that how it always goes?

nice job. Its always satisfying regarless of how much you make

[michiganfarmer]

I made another 15 gallons last night.

Yesterday afternoon, one of the Olds brothers stopped in, said they were all done boiling, they made 2800 gallons, and did I want them to leave their tubing hooked up for one more day so I could buy 2,000 or 3,000 gallons of sap from them.

IM like, YEAH!!!

SO I'll be busy for a couple more days.

It froze hard last night, and saturday night. Its gonna run well for 2 or 3 days now, but my buds are just starting to show a tiney touch of green on the end, so it wont be long before the syrup tastes bad. We are about done collecting.I might be able to collect today(monday), and mabey tomorrow, but I imagine the buds will be open by wednesday, or thursday. We are predicted to have 60 degrtee temps by tuesday afternoon.

Its been a long weird season

[Up North Louie]

300 gallons today. We picked up 3 times, and still had to leave a couple bags half-full on the trees. No more pails...

Woo hoo! Best single day for us since back in the 70's.

d

[michiganfarmer]

Up North Louie, thats fantastic! I like sap,LOL

I made another 10 gallons last night. If my dad doesnt boil for me today, I will take wednsday off from my sharpening business to finish up. THere is a big maple in my dads yard that has leaves. The trees in the woods are going to bud any hour, Im sure.

With that sap that the Olds brothers are giving me I might actually make close to 100 gallons. I have 45 right now.