Chris - Did the kids have some of that good sauce you make with their hot dogs?
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Chris - Did the kids have some of that good sauce you make with their hot dogs?
Pdiamond,Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
Of course we did there is no other way to eat hot dogs! Must have Maple Mustard and Maple BBQ!
Some updates:
Well the Maple Taste and Tour is here!
Why in the world am I up at 2:00 in the morning? Sever leg cramps! Maybe from the lack of sleep and minimal hydration this week??
Come see us and the other sugarmakers that are taking the time to put on the best Maple tour in the country right here in our small Maple world. www-pamaple.org
Some updates:
Maple Cream made this morning in my mini gear pump machine, powered by the Hobart. I took a lesson from Amtt Hicken and added a little water as I mixed it and that helped reduce the instant set up problems that I have had in the past. Just made 12 of the 8 oz jars. Always good to keep learning about making maple products.
https://i.imgur.com/A5Appqy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/y0kxUUh.jpg
Yea its now big but it works very well and not much waste:
https://i.imgur.com/oeptqvg.jpg
Since I can only post 4 pictures at a time, I may have several posts strung together here.
Regards,
Chris
Folks,
Getting set up in the new "Maple Shop" for the Taste and Tour. Daughter Kelly, Granddaughter Marly and Owen made the first batch of Maple Cotton Candy last night to stock the shelves.
https://i.imgur.com/xEzzKrZ.jpg
This will be the second event for the shop (We had the Fall in Love with Maple event last Oct)
We added heat in the shop this last week and hop it can provide a comfortable place for family and friends to enjoy the 18th annual Maple Tour
Yes this installation of a Lochinvar boiler (I call her Nessi) is a work of art! Must be seen in real life! Andy's Heating and Cooling went over the top detailing out this system! Nice and warm at 65 degrees F right now!
https://i.imgur.com/frUyQWP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gw8tmkQ.jpg
Yes that unit is heating the domestic hot water too! (DHW) Very nice!
https://i.imgur.com/ZOaF9Q6.jpg
Regards,
Chris
Folks,
Some updates from the sugarbush from this week while I am awake and on a roll!
Our 325 gal tank in the old F250 with boat winch to raise the front for almost complete drainage.
https://i.imgur.com/knj3Sjd.jpg
Look close I think that is a Black maple leaf? We do have some of those in the area:
https://i.imgur.com/XAIG5Kt.jpg
Friend Steve Y learing to make syrup on my old King evaporator. Boiling raw sap (ok a steam away helps) at about 120 gallons per hour Steve is going to fire for me this week end while I run around and visit and pretend I know whats going on here:
https://i.imgur.com/lPkmGgj.jpg
Yea several days of this:
https://i.imgur.com/EG2PqRU.jpg
Regards,
Chris
Folks:
Our small operation made 60 gallons of syrup in a couple days this week. Not bad for the road side maples!:
The Dup and Pump station:
https://i.imgur.com/94ByXdT.jpg
Pumps plugged in and ready to play:
https://i.imgur.com/ZiI1o8M.jpg
After this truck had its liver removed last year, it just sets there and purrs! Dang, these 6.7 Power Strokes will haul!
https://i.imgur.com/FvqJPpa.jpg
We did a lot of this kind of stuff getting Maple coated peanuts ready for the T&T. By the way get the good Planters nuts! They just taste the best!
https://i.imgur.com/evZ2Wy8.jpg
Regards,
Chris
Folks,
My home built 10 gallon canner is still working well! The key to this is the piece of cheese cloth on the fill spout. Does two things. Its the last filter before the customer opens the bottle ( yes it does find things that have magically got into and through your systems) and it makes the stream of syrup go straight down into the jug! Not swirl around ! Try it! It really does work better for a big spout (1/2 inch)
https://i.imgur.com/wTwukij.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KDQbuRR.jpg
Class stickers to be applied along with date code and name label, yep always the paper work!
https://i.imgur.com/tgTtfbO.jpg
Jars of Maple Peanut Butter ready for customers. Since glass seems to be in short supply our son Adam found and ordered the nice plastic jars, which I actually like better that the glass jars. These have a one piece lid so easier for the customer to get to the product easier too! They come in a 24 pack, less costly to ship too. The plastic will break too!
https://i.imgur.com/zAq0aCi.jpg
I think we are caught up??
Hey it is 26 out! Guess what that means folks! Yes we will need to gather Saturday evening. And may be in full boil for the Tour on Sunday? Weather looks pretty good for making syrup next week too!
We have gon through about two stacks of the red oak slabs some of the chunks are way to big (perfect)!
Yea good thing I gathered that 120 gallons of not so great sap and washed the containers! Syrup might go back near Golden class?
FYI we did get to the 100 gallon make for syrup last night. Have made all three of the upper classes of syrup so far. Those couple 70 degree days were comfortable but not great for the class of syrup.
Looked at the data, and so far for 2021, think we gathered around 4700 gallons of sap from our rented trees, two neighbors, and the Great grandsons sugarbush.
Keep boiling!!!!
Regards,
Chris
Wow Chris you have been busy!
A few people from work went on the Taste and Tour...tour. Everyone said they enjoyed seeing the different setups. I boiled all day Saturday which brought by season total up to about 2 gallons of syrup. I'll be working on an efficiency improvement project this summer, but until then, I'm tapped out. Pulled the buckets Sunday afternoon even though it looked like it was a good run.
Folks,
Jason, Ryne,
Yes occasionally I get off the couch and do something!
The Taste and Tour was great it seems we have more people each year. Friends family and familiar faces (behind masks) and lots of newcomers too!
Our Maple Shop worked out very well to provide more room for visitors and to display out various maple products too. Plus it was nice and warm on a cool sunny windy weekend.
https://i.imgur.com/F3xSilu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/OsoM2eL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/IaPtxYz.jpg
Our products were totally gone at the end of the event except for about 6 gallons of syrup that I canned up on Sunday.
We have some rain today. May run some? We have made all classes of syrup this season. Not as light as the FiIRE & ICE process produced last season. That F&I syrup was about the lightest we have made in the 20 years we have been making syrup here. Very special!
Big Thanks to Friend Steve Yoder for coming to learn about making syrup in our sugarhouse. Steve ran the evaporator and talked about syrup production while I got to run around and visit!
Also Thanks to Cheryl, Kelly, Marly, Addi, Owen, and Martha for helping folks in the display area!
Going to try this weekend to get to a sugarhouse in Ohio very near where my Great grandfather made syrup 100 years ago.
Regards,
Chris
Maple nuts,
Well busy as usual. Worked in the shop yesterday morning and had friend Scott stop by and visit and we solved all the worlds maple issues. Then Grandson Mike and his daughter Bugga came by to chat too. Maybe she will be the maple queen someday??
Then off to NE Ohio to Gordon and Marilyn Pifer's very nice Sugarhouse event:
https://i.imgur.com/RH74ezq.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QHSIQ6v.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2OoXFb3.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Ai3QsDj.jpg
Back on the road to gather 400 gallons of sap with Neighbor Keith T who just decided to hang up the scoop. Keith will be 90 this August and felt he shoud stop making syrup on a high point. He had made 30 gallons of Amber and Dark this spring.
Steve Y came over and helped boil, How nice to have some one that can run the evaporator too.
Regards,
Chris