Northern Ontario 2022

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Originally Posted by Mrk59rsk

Syrup looks great! You using the bucket filters?
I purchased some after seeing your post on them, syrup showed cloudy
after filtering. { 3 prefilters than orlon }

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I am using a homemade vacuum filter, that 4walls shared with me how to make it. It works super fast and filters extremely well.

I use two thicker round filters and four, sometimes five round pre filters.

One thing I have been doing the last few times, is I have a five gallon bucket mostly filled with water and after I finish filtering, I take all of the filters and drop them in the bucket and it is amazing how well it cleans the filters, before I have a chance to really rinse them clean.

I'm working on a little youtube video to share with the maple bros on how I made my vacuum filter and how it works. Need one more clip of the final stage then have to get my teens to put it together and make it presentable. Will be up shortly. Don't know why I cant just insert a picture here on this forum.

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Originally Posted by 4Walls

I'm working on a little youtube video to share with the maple bros on how I made my vacuum filter and how it works. Need one more clip of the final stage then have to get my teens to put it together and make it presentable. Will be up shortly. Don't know why I cant just insert a picture here on this forum.

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That's great
Looking forward to your video so I can make a filter as well

Swingpure were you boiling today, all I could smell in Parry Sound was maple sap evaporating

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Originally Posted by Someclown

That's great
Looking forward to your video so I can make a filter as well

Swingpure were you boiling today, all I could smell in Parry Sound was maple sap evaporating

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I am boiling! Almost done the 62 gallons. Great boil.

I was able to collect 17 more gallons this morning before the boil to bring me to 62.

Today as mentioned, I boiled the 62 gallons. After supper I thought I would collect the little bit that ran and get it out of the barrels and pails before it froze. I was surprised to see that it ran not too bad today while I was boiling and I collected another 42 gallons, enough for another boil tomorrow. Since I do not have the RO working, I need to keep up. I expect Saturday the sap will really flow, maybe the best of the season.

The boil today went really well. I boiled it to 217°. Syrup temperature today was 217.93°. I collected a hair over 10 L of almost syrup.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/088o...tqhe4DfcvK2E2Q

I am really pleased with the wood frames I made to hold the pails. Yesterday was a very windy day and the pails did not budge.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0ac2...c8KVTQyQGSVeDw

I'm jealous.
Haven't boiled anything since the big freeze started last week. Do to unforeseen circumstances I haven't been able to check my buckets but nothing really thawed here since last week.

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Originally Posted by Someclown

I'm jealous.
Haven't boiled anything since the big freeze started last week. Do to unforeseen circumstances I haven't been able to check my buckets but nothing really thawed here since last week.

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I spoke with a neighbour who is a sugar maker, and I asked if the sap flow this year here was slow, and he replied very slow. I have a friend about a half hour drive south and he is doing great. A few degrees difference, or a little more sunshine, can make a difference. We are at a higher elevation than my friend that is south of us.

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Originally Posted by Swingpure

I am really pleased with the wood frames I made to hold the pails. Yesterday was a very windy day and the pails did not budge.

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I like your frame. I have some giant front lawn maples along the road and last year had a couple buckets blow away by the wind that whips up over the field and pond, even with some weight on the top. I've taken to ratchet strapping those exposed buckets.

Big Eddy cautioned me about boiling, finishing, filtering and bottling in the same day as that is when a lot of mistakes are done.

He never said anything about finishing, filtering, bottling, boiling, then collecting.

I finished, filtered and bottled the 62 gallons I boiled yesterday, and got 8.25 L from it, which is pretty good.

So far over the 6 batches I have boiled, the colour has stayed pretty consistent.

I am pulling a lot of ice from the pails I left outside last night, so hopefully that will speed up the boil (42 gallons) and allow me time to collect in the daylight. I think today may well be the best flow of the season.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f5o...p1lJjP4NmAEI-Q

https://share.icloud.com/photos/04eQ...yprs3YG2BFYDeQ

We will see if I pulled all water out of the pails, or if there was some sap in the ice, when I make the syrup.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c4A...dLzw#McDougall