Flowing in Ashby - finally

[David531]

We got a few small batches last half of February, fancy grade for making candy. Then some fits n starts for a few more gallons, but finally the other day we had a big run and today. We've got more sap at the sugarhouse today than we can use in our Leader Half Pint. We have resurected an old one that had been burned, but seems ok now. So we'll have 2 half pints going tomorrow.

Cheers, David

[Maplesedge]

Sounds like you need a full pint. ;)

Cheers

[David531]

Monday March 29th 2011

The kids pulled over 80 gallons of sap out of the woods after school, so we're still in the game. I didn't think it would flow with the wind. It's gonna be windy again tomorrow. I'm waiting for that buddie smell that comes off the evaporator at the end of the season. We call that the last batch and use it for cooking. It is interesting that I can't tell the budiness from just the sap, it has to reduce quite a bit before it's noticed.

Just as a test, we tapped some red maples but they didn't produce much, so we stuck with the sugars. I would like to make some syrup with just red maple to compare. A sugar maker i know says he prefers syrup from Red Maple.

We'll probably try making birch syrup again. Last year we burned it, so it's marinade. We will try going the last mile in a double boiler, to avoid burning the sugars in the birch sap. We've got a small forest of black birch out back, be nice to get the syrup making down.

Well, that's all from Ashby.

Cheers, David

[David531]

Incredible flow today, evaporator fired all day, no buddie smell yet, maybe we'll go thru the weekend. But we're running out of wood, had the kids scouting for firewood, lots of stuff just need to hit it with the chainsaw.... that snow comming friday might make it a bit difficult though.

[SeanD]

Hey David,

Is the buddy smell a "musty" odor. I had waves of it when I fired up the sweet in the pan, but it passed as I got into the newer sap.

Sean

[David531]

You could describe it as musty, it's an 'off' odor, not pleasant. I think it's an indication that the tree is budding, and there's some "other" stuff coming up with the sap.

When it is definitely present, I call it the last batch. The family does not seem to be able to smell it, and think i'm too picky.

Sometimes it's there just a little bit, even though it's not the end of the season, just a strong batch, dark.

The kids are off school today with several inches of snow on the ground already, they're in the sugarhouse boiling down, getting ready to draw off at my lunch hour. I work from home, awfully convenient this time of year...

[David531]

Buddy smell coming off the evaporator, we've started pulling taps. There are 3 collection points with barrels, and the kids say the sap at 2 taste off, but one is still nice n sweet, so they're going to run the sugarhouse off that one collection point today and tomorrow, but the other 2 lines are all pulled. Sad to pour out so much sap in the holding barrels at the sugarhouse, gone cloudy. Well, it's time to bottle some pails of syrup that are waiting in line on the porch.

Cheers, David