Finished my first batch!

[MidMichMaple]

I ended up with about a quart of syrup from less than ten gallons of sap, the majority of which came from a single black maple. I have taps in four other trees, but they only contributed small amounts of sap.

A few thoughts about the process...
-A big thanks to people who suggested boiling down to almost syrup and then saving it in the freezer. I did that about four times and then threw my frozen blocks into a stock pot, melted them down and then finished.
-I was worried about ending up with very dark syrup from combining small batches, but it didn't turn out that way. It is much lighter than the grade B from the grocery store that's in my fridge.
-I am still feeling somewhat guilty about the money I spent to get started, but having all of the proper equipment made everything go smoothly. I splurged for a hydrometer, slim hydro cup, proper syrup filter and pre filter, and a filter basket. I don't blame others for not spending so much on a hobby, but I figured if I was going to devote so many hours to this I might as well make true syrup!
-Finally, a general thanks to all on this forum! I spent hours reading and absorbing wisdom before I finished my syrup. That was an enormous help.

Here are a few pics:

http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l487/vboon26/9D2D0F66-692D-4B02-9A40-64D88AC62E9F_zpsa3bzf3sq.jpg

http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l487/vboon26/F3B77A72-45CC-4B50-A11A-18E8F927B204_zpsgmn4usaj.jpg

http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l487/vboon26/7B6ABD19-3F1B-4C90-90D0-9AB3365CC05F_zpsnfgrl8jg.jpg

[PACMAN]

Good job,looks like medium.Sure does make ya proud when everything turns out good dont it?

[MidMichMaple]

It sure does. Can't wait until I have enough to try it again. I might wait until the season is done and hopefully I'll end up with more next time.

Oh, there was one minor hiccup. I found that those little plastic jugs are difficult to fill without overflowing. And it's not fun to watch my precious syrup spill down the side of the jug. It's not like I had a lot to spare...

[TerryEspo]

Great pics, looks delicious !!

Cant wait for my trees to start running.

Thanks for sharing.

[Run Forest Run!]

MidMM, your syrup looks beautiful (or should I say MMM good). The equipment that you purchased will last you many years. Just think of it as the money you might have spent one evening at a nice restaurant. You can only enjoy that for one night. Instead, this will keep on giving with every batch of liquid gold you make, PLUS, you'll have the syrup. I think it's a bargain.

[campus189]

After My first run was boiled down and completely finished, I forgot all about the cost.
I upgraded from cinder blocks and 1- 3" food serving tray last year to a oil fired evaporator made from a 275 Gallon oil tank this year.
Cost to upgrade added up fast. However after I made 2 Gallons from my first batch, I didn't worry about the cost.
Job well done :) , Are you addicted even more now? :cool:
If you didn't purchase the proper equipment like I didn't my 1st year. You get upset when this don't come out well.
I ask myself constantly why I keep making Maple Syrup, but I wont ever stop.lol

[MidMichMaple]

Oh yes, now I am more addicted than ever. It is nice to know that I can now make syrup for years using the equipment I bought this year. I will probably try to tap a few more next year, but for now I like doing it as a small time hobby. I am maxed out with the maples on my property, so I might have to find the farmer that owns the wood lot behind me and see if he wants free syrup. :). I can tell just by looking back there in the fall that there's a good number of sugars back there, just waiting to be tapped...