DaveB
04-04-2017, 10:46 AM
Just to add to the "craptactular" end to seasons, I had one that I've never seen before. I was finishing up boiling what I collected the end of last week this past weekend and still had about 100 gallons or so I wanted to push into the evaporator before I started clean-up on Sunday. I did my usual opening valves and loading the firebox and blasting it with a torch to get the fire rolling when all of a sudden I noticed something floating in one of the syrup pan sections - it was a MOUSE! I have been boiling for 25+ years and I've had that happened.
Thankfully I could tell that it landed in there over night but my plan for the day was ruined. All I could do was remove him (my son buried him) and flush my pans and start cleaning up for the season. I lost all the sweet I had in the pans and the syrup I would have made from the 100 gallons but there was nothing I could do.
Has anyone else ever had that happen?
Outside of the crazy start and missing the early runs in January, I had a pretty normal season. I started with late season weather when I tapped around my normal mid-February range and then went back to mid-winter weather and had several good runs, including a surprise run last week. My season ended just about when it normally ends.
Thankfully I could tell that it landed in there over night but my plan for the day was ruined. All I could do was remove him (my son buried him) and flush my pans and start cleaning up for the season. I lost all the sweet I had in the pans and the syrup I would have made from the 100 gallons but there was nothing I could do.
Has anyone else ever had that happen?
Outside of the crazy start and missing the early runs in January, I had a pretty normal season. I started with late season weather when I tapped around my normal mid-February range and then went back to mid-winter weather and had several good runs, including a surprise run last week. My season ended just about when it normally ends.