february Journal

Matt, without an evaporator are you planning on making syrup in your RO machine?

Lou I am going to have to try the 21% in my own evaporator. I didn't get a chance to taste much of Theron's, he was being stingy with the sample cups. The stuff I did taste had a first run with new tubing flavor to it that someone else might think was good.

Jeff the CDL is bone *** stock. The only modification was to add a concentrate line that went back to the main sap storage tank. The RO runs a lot longer but not very hard.

Guys- Im not going to be on here for a little while. If I dont answer messages dont be affended. Its running pretty good and Im kind of struggling getting kinks out of things. Gonna boil again tonight. Still not up to a full hard run but seems to be adding up. Im pumping stuff and countering freezups and just trying to get in the groove. Update soon. Looks like its going to run steady till thursday night and as the ground loosens up it just keeps picking up. Theron

You go man. I hope in a couple of weeks I won't have time for this either!!!

I forgot this is the Feb Journal, not the watch and see how far below the sap line Theron gets!

In NW Wisc we are having a major thaw right now, 3-4 days of above freezing and rain. The snow is going down fast. Next week is suppose to get back to normal, highs in the mid 20's to 30.

I am done with one side of my woods, finished connecting one big releaser and securing the vacuum line. I have about 100 more trees I can get to on this side of the woods, though they are widely scattered so I am not sure if I am going to push for them right now.

I have started working on releaser/pump house #2, with is below perhaps 1000 maples on the other side of my woods. My goal is to have 300 or so on line by March 1, and keep working at adding to it until I run out of trees. I would think by the end of the season I could get maybe 5-600 going to this pump house, all of them by next season.(push push!)

I am going to initially shoot for 12% sap coming from the RO and if I can, try the recirculation to the big tanks and push the % up. Pete Roth thought I should go easy with standard concentration until I get used to boiling on the 3x12, then try experimenting from there. Good Idea!!!

Getting the itch big time. The plus side is I hope to be making syrup when some of you south easterners are writing away the hours complaining about clean up!

Good season to all!

Out taps have been dripping verrrrrry slowly since they went in on Saturday afternoon. I think the trees are just now starting to truly thaw out. Temps have been around 40, but with lots of cloud cover and a fair amount of wind on Sunday. Tomorrow we'll hit 55 or so and it should pick up significantly, but we're back down to the low 30's over the weekend.

Another week or two here I think. I'll put in 50 taps Thursday and another 50 next Tuesday. We're ready....

Sugar Daddy, where are you located?

Jerry- Ive already had to start putting it in the semi trailer to be able to not be up all night to boil. Theres probly going to be a lot for you this weekend. Theron

WAAAAHOOOOO!! Load 'em up Theron---I've been waiting to make syrup since last April! Pretty amazing it only took 1 boil to get them boys from the East Coast hooked on high concentrate. You, Russ, and Matt had better get some thick skin, there will be plenty of folks doubting your syrup flavor with high concentrate. I know that you fellas can now understand, it really is easy to boil the high concentrate. Keep your head above the sap, helps coming this weekend!

Its been a long time since I got to burn someone elses pan and blow up a membrane, ye haw.

Thats going to be more fun then destroying Mikes RO