2013 outstanding year

[Luneyburg]

Up at 3-3:30 am out the door before 4 and not home until 7-8 pm each night , grueling days so no time for evaporator and sugaring . But I do heat my house with wood a large wood stove (takes 30" sticks) which dries out the house to say the least. So we always have some pots of water to add some moisture to the house but decided last year would throw sap instead during sugaring season. Made a few gallons last year just from the wood stove and they were delicious .
This year the weather has been pert near perfect for sugaring and I managed to make 4 gallons of the delightful nectar. Was an insane year for sap runs as they have been pretty much consistent here in Central MA.
Stuff looks dark in the picture (dark porch) will take some better ones when i gather and clean them up to store away .

Same as last year which i guess is common with small batch making as you can easily keep everything clean . Mostly light amber with the remainder mostly delicious medium amber , once again that buttery flavor is present. Second image will give you a better idea of the color .

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/wrathlon/f6987daf-971b-4ee7-81bb-000fdda9e1b2_zps1d0ba364.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/wrathlon/syrup2012.jpg

[ShLUbY]

Those look fantastic!! :mrgreen: I'm in my first year of sugaring, and have been having trouble getting the correct seal on these mason jars with syrup. I am wondering, do you place them in a carefully monitored water bath (180-190) for 5 or 10 minutes, or do you do the oven method, heat jars in 180 degree oven and remove when ready to bottle with hot syrup? Thanks in advance for any reply! Also how do you filter your syrup??

[TreeTapper2]

shluby,
When you are canning male sure the syrup is between 180 -200 degrees. Fill jars,put on lids and turn them upside down for half hour or so. This heats the lids so they seal and sanitizes them. You could put them in the oven and preheat them, this wont hurt at all. We just did that to our last batch. I feel better knowing things are as bacteria free as possible. Especially since we sell the syrup.

[Luneyburg]

Those look fantastic!! :mrgreen: I'm in my first year of sugaring, and have been having trouble getting the correct seal on these mason jars with syrup. I am wondering, do you place them in a carefully monitored water bath (180-190) for 5 or 10 minutes, or do you do the oven method, heat jars in 180 degree oven and remove when ready to bottle with hot syrup? Thanks in advance for any reply! Also how do you filter your syrup??

Don't pre-heat them at all with the exception of setting them on the mantle above my massive wood stove, mostly to dry them out after I wash them out. They seem to have some bit of a funky smell the jars received from the factory, probably the seals on the lids. As TreeTapper mentioned the most important thing is to make sure the syrup is hot (180) has never failed me . In the last two years I have not had a single one that does not seal . You will see the lids will bulge when you seal the cap on a hot jar of syrup and once it cools down you will hear it draw down and seal . I store them on my back porch which does become fairly hot in the summer but never once a problem with bad syrup .

Good Luck

[Ravenseye]

Your syrup looks like mine. Some light and some dark. Buttery flavor is awesome. Shluby, I filter through paper and felt on top of a canner that I keep heated to 195 in the oven. Once it's filtered, the syrup goes right into the mason jars. The lid goes on and they get turned over for a bit. All of the jars sealed nice and tight.

[TerryEspo]

I like that idea of sitting in the oven, good idea if you need time for something else, then get back to it and it is perfect temp.

Gonna remember that one.

Thanks.

Terry

[amherstmaple]

Throw your lids in a pot of water. Bring to boil to sanitize, then put on jar. We save all of our spagetti sauce jars and just boil those lids as well. They seal great. Also alot cheaper to give away than your mason jars.