Official " I'm Boiling Right Now" thread!

[DonMcJr]

Stoked the fire at 1pm and have 110 gallons to boil on my leader half pint... News reporter came by yesterday and did an interview and video... photographer coming by today...

Let the fun begin!

[saphound]

I wish I was boiling today..turned cold and hardly a drop all week here. :(

[Cedar Eater]

I'm boiling right now, adding two gallons of sap per hour. I'm up to 30 gallons for the first time. I'm almost out of sap. Time to collect.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Been boiling since 7 pm last night took a nap from 1 am to 6 am still boiling . 120 gallons collected this week. Can't wait for the end results. Sap finally started to run decent this week.

[bawplank]

been boiling since 6 pm last nite. trying to wrap up here real soon. only second batch ive ever done . so ive been thikning im almost done for about the last 3 hours

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Been there before.

[DonMcJr]

Had to flood the pan and walk the Sugarbush with the local paper photographer...still have 75 gallons to boil...its gonna be an all niter lol pun intended!

[motowbrowne]

Wasn't planning on cooking today, but saw this thread and figured I'd start a fire so I could play along. Ran pretty good here today, though it didn't start until about 1:00. Tomorrow could go either way, might be a little to chilly for much to happen. Got another 40 gallons in the head tank, so I'll finish that off before dinner and take care of the rest tomorrow.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Still boiling here in PA . Probably go late into the night. Got up to 50 here today , the 4 inches of snow we got yesterday didn't last long. Have a good boil tonight.

Just a Hobby since 2012
36 on 5/16 gravity
12 Buckets
3 burner propane
Building a 12 ×16 sugar house
Probably going to wood in 2016
7.5 gals. 2014

[Troy D]

Just got done with 40 gallons of new sap and some "concentrated" sap from the other night ended up with Just over a gallon of syrup. I could not get WIFI in the back yard so I could not post while I was actually boiling. :)

[DonMcJr]

Wonder how many miles I walked...hey i got a pedometer on my phone just started it lol

2 minutes of Making Maple Syrup: https://youtu.be/Kka9rcSK_TI

[Run Forest Run!]

Boil on Don!

[bcarpenter]

Hi Don - what were you using to record your you tube video a Go-pro camera or something else? Its funny how you get a routine boiling.
Thanks
Bill C.


Wonder how many miles I walked...hey i got a pedometer on my phone just started it lol

2 minutes of Making Maple Syrup: https://youtu.be/Kka9rcSK_TI

[Tom59]

Did my first boil today. Only had about 20 gallons to do. Slow sap run so far here. Boiling with a hotel pan on a propane burner, preheated from a pan on the woodstove. Hoping to finish up a new barrel stove tomorrow.

[slammer3364]

Just came in the house at 11 been down the shack since 9 this morning. Started with an empty evap.had 80 gal. of sap grand kids picked up 60 gal. today. Boiled everything down ended up with one and a half gal. of syrup plus whats in the little 18x48 D@G,looks like some good runs here if forecast holds true this week

[DonMcJr]

Just my Samsung Galaxy S5...

Rolling Boil!: https://youtu.be/1ZC1kNwnYI8

[stewardsdairy]

Just stoked wood in fire for last time. Hope I have enough sap in feed tank!

[Cedar Eater]

I finished my three day boil tonight with 34 gallons of sap in and 3+ quarts out. That's the biggest batch I've made. The flow of sap slowed way down today. High winds plus cold front plus warm night last night I guess.

[DonMcJr]

Smoky Lake Maple Complete Steamer Filter/Bottler Promo! I LOVE IT!

Smokey Lake Complete Steamer Filter/Bottler Promo: https://youtu.be/MKyoXcT6wNQ

[Daveg]

No above freezing temps here until Tuesday. 36F on Tuesday!

[Chris Zeger]

Boiling down about 60 gallons today finished 1 and half gallons this morning

[wnybassman]

I was going to post this morning when I was about to boil, but forgot. Now, I guess I can say I just finished boiling. lol Ran 130 gallons through between 7:00am and a little over an hour ago. So weird to have that much and be done so early.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Finished up this morning . 2.75 gallons of sweet goodness. Started with 115 gallons . Walking up to the line soon to see how the sap ran today . Back to work tomorrow, it is looking like we will be busy boiling again next weekend. Here's a picture of what we ended up with when the steam cleared.11269

[Kilroy]

Got 7 pints this morning from about 40 gallons of silver maple sap. Completed in 4 hours on 6 steam table pans.
Air was heavy & damp the whole day - made for "cloudy" boiling conditions.
About to try a "test sample" on ice cream...

[sugarmangraham]

Looks like no one else is boiling right now but me. I got a late start today, er yesterday now, I had to watch my Michigan State Spartans play today. I only had about 20 gallons left when I had to shut down to go to work(midnights). Luckily for me we were out of parts and they sent us home so I fired the evaporator back up to finish off the rest.

[DonMcJr]

Wish they'd send me home...

[saphound]

Got 7 pints this morning from about 40 gallons of silver maple sap. Completed in 4 hours on 6 steam table pans.
Air was heavy & damp the whole day - made for "cloudy" boiling conditions.
About to try a "test sample" on ice cream...

Wow that's pretty good, Kilroy. How are you heating your pans?

[motowbrowne]

Well, the sap is running, so we're back at it. Brought in about 550 gallons in the last 24 hours, so after collecting this afternoon, I started a fire. Just pulled off my third batch and opened a Summit EPA from St. Paul Minnesota. Some buckets with 2 or 3 taps running into them are 2/3 full four hours after being emptied. Feeling very lucky right now.

[Cedar Eater]

No sap ran for the past two days, but I just finished boiling a batch of "Eye of the Swine". I saved about a half gallon of fresh sap to rinse the tools I used for finishing the last batch. I rinsed syrup from canning jars, ladles, a spatula, a funnel and a pan. I got a little niter in the mix but I decanted most of that as I switched to boiling in smaller pans. I ended up with 6 ounces of primo whiskey sweetener. :mrgreen:

[Kilroy]

Saphound -
Block arch, two rows of three pans. Pans suspended by rebar, so I get the "steam pan scorch", but doesn't seem to affect flavor.
Got interupted...
The back of the arch is earthen ramp. Whole thing lined with metal roofing gotten cheaply from Menards clearance rack in the yard. Had a fireplace grate in storage, worked excellent for air under fire. Door is a piece of sheet metal. Chimney is 8" stack with a clean out that serves as the intake. Stack is partly buried in the rear earthen ramp for stability.
Fed a steady diet of fine split oak, ash, & maple.
Front two pans acted as 'preheat', rear two were 'concentrate', mid two were 'syrup'. Filtered into turkey kettle over propane - finished & bottled from there.

[Hannah]

Just finished bottling our second batch. Boiled down 110 gallons over the weekend and ended with 3 gallons bringing the season total to 4 gallons of syrup off 35 taps. Checked buckets this afternoon and appear to be frozen solid:o Thats O.K. need the break ;)

[wlatrout]

Started boiling Friday had two days that it didn't run but had sap again this morning . Boiling the last of the sap now.\
12 tree's and 20 taps. Boiling on a turkey fryer and a small wood stove. hoping to build a new arch for next year.

[sugarmangraham]

Hey Don I am at sterling axle now. They run things a little different here than at Romeo.

[Islander]

First batch boil under way
11348

[Troy D]

boiling again, I need a bigger pan.

[Cedar Eater]

I'm boiling right now. We only got about 2 gallons of sap out of the last few days, but when my wife saw that it had a slight yellow tinge, she got worried. So I'm boiling it down so she can taste it. This is all new to us and she's really worried that a big batch will be completely spoiled if anything is a little bit off.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Just started a 130 gallon run . T.G.I.F.
Boil on.

[sweetwater sugar shack]

Just finished boiling started at 8 this morning boiled off 200 gallons 4gallons filtered and bottled time to rest

[Snappyssweets]

Im jealous ive been boiling daily for almost two weeks now and I have 110 gallons of sap in containers waiting, Glad its cold

[DonMcJr]

Started at 930pm and just winding down on 40 gallons of sap...about to make a good size batch and bottle it...

[harrison6jd]

I didn't plan on boiling today because I am out of sap but a friend called and offered me 130 gallons he collected yesterday. he wont have time to boil it so its here and im cooking.

the evaporator is going and the turkey fryer is finishing some from Friday.

[wnybassman]

I didn't plan on boiling today because I am out of sap but a friend called and offered me 130 gallons he collected yesterday. he wont have time to boil it so its here and im cooking.

the evaporator is going and the turkey fryer is finishing some from Friday.

I need friends like that. lol

[sweetwater sugar shack]

2 more gallons made today now going to drain pan and clean that makes 10 gallons

[Jonnie Maple]

Just finished for the day, 10 hours, boiled 70 gallons of sap down to 2 1/2. Outside, in the snow, all alone. Have 65 gallons to do tomorrow.

[harrison6jd]

I am lucky and grateful. he will get some syrup back for sure.

[Kilroy]

90 gallons of sap.
Removed LOTS of ice. Can't wait for results...
-edit -
Two gallons after 7 hours of boiling.
Probably would have 6 hours, but had sporadic light rain over the course of about 4 hours.
Somewhat disappointed, as I removed roughly 8 gallons of water in the form of ice. Thought it might be concentrated enough to squeeze out another half gallon of syrup. Forgot to mention I pulled out even more ice yesterday.
This sap came from sugars & reds from nw Wisconsin, not my silvers here in Minnesota.

[jrm]

Mesmerized watching the steam. First boil of the season. Roughly 18 gal to boil today, more based on what we collect today. Better boiling than either of last year's. Plywood windblocks, barrel on cinder blocks -- thanks to those who suggested the latter, much better height to work with. My younger guy whose doing this endeavor with me made us hot cocoa over a homemade wax and cardboard fire starter he made. How can we go wrong?

[Islander]

Second boil of my season. When one just isn't enough.....
11469

[Cedar Eater]

Second boil of my season. When one just isn't enough.....
11469

Sure looks like you'll get your exercise running from one end to the other to stoke those. :D

[The Fireman]

Got our second boil of the season going right now, collected about 20 gallons of sap over the last few days, would have had a lot more but we have been back in the deep freeze around here.

Already planning on building an arch for next year and a smokey lakes flat pan...and modifying a shed thats not being used for anything productive into a sugar house...yup we're hooked and loving it.

[wnybassman]

About 60 gallons into a 110 gallon boil tonight. Started at 5:30 after work.

[sweetwater sugar shack]

Just came in boiled about 40 out of 200 collected today going to b a busy week

[SeanD]

224 gallons in. Late, crappy start. Had to drain and clean my back pan b/c it had globs of ropey sap in it! Had to dump 30+ gallons of sweet and start over. Not sure where it came from or how it grew so fast. I don't wish it on anyone.

Sean

[Brenden]

1149011491

This weekends take in Stamford CT - just about 2+1/2 gallons.

[Run Forest Run!]

That's a beautiful setup and piece of property Brenden. Nice work on the syrup. :)

[Cedar Eater]

I'm boiling right now. The trees finally woke up again and gave up about a gallon per tap today. It's supposed to drop into the twenties tonight and then be good running weather again tomorrow.

[one more]

I'm boiling today, been averaging 45 gallons of sap a day on 55 taps for the last three days. It's 40° and sunny the beer is cold and the sap is bubbling. Way better than going to work!

[Cedar Eater]

Welcome, one more. I see this is your first post.

[one more]

Thanks, yup finally signed in to an account so I can see everything and not just portions of the site. Still cooking and just gathered 50 more gallons. The wife is going to disown me after this week. Lol

[sweetwater sugar shack]

Just finished boiling started 8 this morning boiled off about 175 of my 300 and just collected 125 more and still have about 100 in the woods to collect busy week

[wnybassman]

It's gonna be a long one tonight!!

[Hannah]

Just bottled another gallon tonight, have 100 gallons to boil tomorrow. Pulling taps this weekend. It has been a great season.

[DonMcJr]

I was caught up and empty Sunday...sitting on 130+ gallons as of 9pm last night and didnt empty buckets yesterday.

Ill be boiling Thursday night friday night and even Saturday night so i can watch for the Easter Bunny...

[Snappyssweets]

Still boiling here.
Cutting through about 60 gallons a day with only propane.
I have 120 gallons in tubs on cold cement garage floor.
I am building this evaporator and shack if it kills my wife and kids this year. :D

I have done 8 gallons of syrup so far though and have a couple more to go.
Most important I AM HAVING FUN!!

[Cedar Eater]

I collected sap last night at 9PM and boiled until 2:30 AM. Woke up today to find 4 L bottles overflowing. Starting a new boil in a few minutes.

[wnybassman]

Back at it......................

[Run Forest Run!]

Fired up the burners at 12:45. Hopefully the rain will hold off.

[highlandcattle]

Sap is running and Ron and Ken are boiling

[wnybassman]

I need A/C in the shack.

[saphound]

Fired up the burners at 12:45. Hopefully the rain will hold off.

I fired mine up at 11:00, Karen. Finally get to use my new 185k burner and hotel pan instead of the turkey pot. Got the tank in a tub of water and that thing is boiling like mad. I actually turned it down some so the tank will last longer. Looks like I'm doin about 3 gph..maybe a little more. I need two of these things...

[Run Forest Run!]

I fired mine up at 11:00, Karen. Finally get to use my new 185k burner and hotel pan instead of the turkey pot. Got the tank in a tub of water and that thing is boiling like mad. I actually turned it down some so the tank will last longer. Looks like I'm doin about 3 gph..maybe a little more. I need two of these things...

Hey saphound. My tanks are in a water bath too. I just turned one down because the sap had a tendancy to bubble up over the side of the pan. This is a tank that is near the end of its propane! What a great tip the water bath was! Good luck with your boil today and enjoy your new burner. :)

[fishman]

Boiling off 120 gallons (mostly today) and I'll finish tomorrow. First boil in over two weeks. Sitting in the sun reading a book, jamming to 70's rock and am ready to open the first barley pop. Waiting for the help (family) to get off work and help out. This retirement thing is pretty good.

[Cedar Eater]

Boiling off 120 gallons (mostly today) and I'll finish tomorrow. First boil in over two weeks. Sitting in the sun reading a book, jamming to 70's rock and am ready to open the first barley pop. Waiting for the help (family) to get off work and help out. This retirement thing is pretty good.

That sure is the truth right there. I'm boiling a small batch right now to see if I can make a nice light colored syrup for some small jars. Raining hard here, but my tarp is doing its job.

[DonMcJr]

Stoked the fire at 2am and have 165 gallons to boil down...Ill go til tomorrow afternoon then shut down and sleep and finish it tomorrow night...


https://youtu.be/CAct1JSPf1I

[Super Sapper]

I started the fire at 4 this morning and have 260 to boil then I will be caugh up and can start the shrflo pumps for the freeze tonight.

[Run Forest Run!]

Don, I'm exhausted just hearing about how much boiling you've got to do today.

[DonMcJr]

Shut her down cause it's 50 F here and my bees found me...gonna sleep and get back at it after dark when the bees are inside and its cooler! 95 gallons to go!

[sweetwater sugar shack]

Started a 300 gallon boil this morning at 8 hope to do finish late tonight did 5 gallons yesterday

[11-Nick]

Sitting here watching the last stream I'll make for the year. So sad. Pulled my taps a couple days ago then worked a couple of 12 hour shifts the next couple days and had to get some sleep in there somewhere. Kept the sap cool until I could boil it off today. This was my first season. Hate to see it end. Lots of fun. Big learning curve

[The Bee]

150 gallons in the tank and at least 100 more in my buckets. Going to be a long weekend. 2x4 evaporator, with small blower about 10 gallons an hour. Sap is dripping like crazy. This will be my last boil this year. Turned out better then I expected.

[Run Forest Run!]

Sitting here watching the last stream I'll make for the year. So sad. Pulled my taps a couple days ago then worked a couple of 12 hour shifts the next couple days and had to get some sleep in there somewhere. Kept the sap cool until I could boil it off today. This was my first season. Hate to see it end. Lots of fun. Big learning curve

Glad you had a fun first season. I'm sure you'll be back here next year. :)

[sweetwater sugar shack]

I need more wood starting to burn my house wood

[beaglebriar]

Worked 12 hours last night slept 2 hours been boiling since. When I hit 12 hours of boil time I'm gonna hang it up for the night. Hate the do it.... everything is glowing red and boiling like mad. A man can not live on Blue alone.....gotta sleep.

[DonMcJr]

Had to run around and find parts for my finishing pot burner propane hose...got it all set gonna stoke the fire in about 10 minutes to boil a long time and alot of sap lol!

[Cedar Eater]

Doing a small batch right now.

[sugarmangraham]

Just finishing my last 40 gallons. It was a smidge cloudy but it sure smelled good boiling. I had just enough split wood to finish.

[beaglebriar]

About 20-30 gallons left to boil in the morning. Then wait and see what really happens with the weather.

[DonMcJr]

Looking at the weather...Saturday might be the last day it runs...

70 gallons of sap left...

[DonMcJr]

Wait radio just said 29 F Saturday night so 2 more days!

[Islander]

Last boil, dumped 5 buckets, trying to salvage last 6, pulled the taps, will be hanging it up for the season tonight

[stewardsdairy]

Waiting for RO to wash and evaporator to cool down. Will make two trips to sap tank while waiting to have ready for tomorrow. Got a late start today and I'm paying for it now!

[Kilroy]

Going on 3 hours now.
Last batch for the season.
Air is cold, damp, & heavy... But at least it's not raining (yet).
Fog bank rolling across road sporadically, drawing in the occasional inquisitive neighbor.
-update-
4:30 pm, no end in sight. I have a feeling I'll be reading the hydrometer with a flashlight.
-final update-
150 gallons down to 3 gallons in just under 12 hours. 12.25 gph on 6 steam table pans. Not too shabby.

[Run Forest Run!]

Sap is out of control today. Collected 100L this morning alone! Sap is still rushing and I'm grabbing any container in the house that I can find.

[ridgerunner394]

Same over here - collected 36 gal. sap today and they are still running - should hit 0 C tonight so it may calm down again ?

[wnybassman]

Got 110 gallons to get through this evening. Might be the last of the year.

[Run Forest Run!]

Same over here - collected 36 gal. sap today and they are still running - should hit 0 C tonight so it may calm down again ?

In think tomorrow could be a repeat of today.

[NhShaun]

I've been boiling for 6 hours now, got a little over a gallon. Collected 80 more gallons today and will probably be boiling for 4 more hours. I've been cutting and splitting fire wood as I go, it's getting pretty darn tiring.

[highlandcattle]

Ron spent yesterday walking the woods. Took all afternoon to fix squirrel damage and other stuff. Turned on pump and it was gushing. The 600 gallon bulk tank is full from just this afternoon. He's been boiling since 8 a.m. will finish for the night soon. Yeah!!!!

[ridgerunner394]

you have to wonder why great days like these can't happen at the beginning of the season and not the 11th hour? All my trees are on a steep north facing ridge - after this mild weather large patches of thawed leaf litter atop frozen patches .... well kind of like walking on a wet bar of soap as you carry buckets of sap. Good news is only wiped out once! Better news - no one was around to hear me :{)

Boiled off a batch this afternoon to get rid of all 'old' sap on hand = 3.5 litres of a really nice dark syrup. Collected just over 36 gal new today and it was still going so in a.m. I expect I will need more buckets.

[Cedar Eater]

I bottled 6 pints and one 12 Oz. bottle from a batch I reduced on Thursday. I made my first ever batch of Maple Nuts. I reduced 6 quarts of nearup down to 3 quarts of very nearup. I reduced about 48 Oz. of birch sap down to less than one Oz. of birch syrup, just to taste it and decide whether to make more (we will). And on top of all that, I've collected 12 gallons of sap and I'm boiling that down to nearup, now. I've boiled an average of 10 gallons per day at less than 2 gph for the last 5 evenings. It's a good thing that I'm using propane and can just make an hourly check and then go back to other things.

[Run Forest Run!]

.......still boiling. Trying to finish off 200L.

[wnybassman]

On my last 4 gallons of 110, and getting a draw just before I call it quits.

[fishman]

Got 90 gallons underway this morning. Hopefully another small run today to add this afternoon. My last batch was 4 gal 1 pt off 125 gal of sap. I'd take that every time.