First Boil!

[DairyVet]

I’ve been reading this site daily since getting a tapping kit as a Christmas gift. I really appreciate all the expertise shared by this forum, it’s been invaluable in preparing for my first year of syrup production. So thanks for all the advice and experience provided by the backyarders and pros alike!

Tapped late last week in west-central Wisconsin and had a few gallons collected as of this morning. The kids and I were both impatient, and I wanted a test-run of the evaporator before I got flooded with sap. The photo shows the block arch and pans right before the fire was lit. Overall it worked out great, and I think I need to just fill in the back of the arch with sand a bit to really get the back pans rolling.

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[maple flats]

Nice start DairyVet. Glad to have you aboard. Keep the kids interested and keep it a family affair.

[Pdiamond]

That's your first time building an arch!!! I am impressed. You are correct if you have the fire closer to the bottom of the pan in the back it will really roll.

[Shirefisher]

Sweet! I hope to see some syrup shots soon!

[DairyVet]

Thanks, Dave and Pdiamond! Spent a good chunk of January looking at arches built by others on this site as well as a few on YouTube. Got to see what worked well vs poorly and the research really paid off. The weather forecast for my area looks about perfect this week after today, so I should have a lot more sap to work with next weekend!

[mdm1]

Hey DairyVet. Where in WI are you? We boil up in Clark cty at the cabin. Keep the kids involved. Good luck.

[MapleLady]

That looks awesome DairyVet! I have been boiling on a similar design for quite a few years now and it works well. This is a fun family activity and I am pleased to hear that your kids enjoyed your first boil too! I finish and can my syrup in my kitchen. Have a great season!

[Mvhomesteader]

Congratulations on a nice looking arch. The block chimney is particularly interesting.

I have a nearly identical arrangement now going on four years. No complaints at around 6-7 gallons an hour. I'm sure you'll enjoy the product!

One thing my wife and I started doing last year to make finishing easier is only filtering through a thin cloth to remove ash, etc prior to finish boil on the kitchen stove. Once at temperature it goes right to the canning jar-no more filtering. I find a final filter wastes syrup. There is some niter that settles out, but we eat that as well. Still sweet, just a little gritty and it represents a very small volume of the jar. We keep it all for in-house use anyway! Less work and mess.

Good luck!

[DairyVet]

Hi mdm1,

I’m west of Black River Falls in Trempealeau county. I spend quite a bit of time in Clark county for work, though, so I’m decently familiar with that part of the state.

[DairyVet]

Thanks Mvhomesteader, and thanks for the tip. I’ll play around with it a bit this year and see how it goes. Can’t remember where I saw the chimney idea first, but it certainly wasn’t my idea. Much cheaper and simpler than what I’d originally planned!