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After the boil, which went well, I collected 55 gallons of sap, the pails were still dripping and the lines still running. I will check the barrels again in the morning and may get an additional 10 to 20 gallons.
Right now I have collected 43% of expected sap. I hope to get to 60%.
I finished today’s boil tonight and bottled it and I guess it was just all water taken out, as I got 5 3/4 L out of the 42 gallons.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
https://share.icloud.com/photos/069a...nz8I-gUJUut-pg
Busy day.
Collected another 22 gallons before starting to boil this morning, so I am boiling 77 gallons today, which I will do in two batches in the one boil.
I have now collected about 45% of expected sap.
Looking at the long range forecast, there are not many collection days left. I would really like to get to 60% expected sap before it ends.
The wind today is in the right direction so the smoke and steam are quickly leaving the shelter.
Once before I had checked one pail and it was 3% sugar in the sap and I checked a second pail and it read 4% on my refractometer. I told my buddy and he said that was unlikely.
Today again , I checked one pail and it was 3% and a second pail read 4%. I went back to the first pail and it read 3% again and I went back to the second pail and it read 4%.
I know by how much syrup I make, I am doing better than 40:1, it 4% sugar possible straight out of a tree?
All I can tell you is that if you really are averaging 3.5% then never mind 45% of your goals by sap. For most sugar makers you would be at 90% of your goals by syrup!
I have to pick and choose which trees I tap, and even so, I average about 1.7-1.8%.
Gabe
Are you running an electronic refractometer, or an optical unit?
Optical.Quote:
Originally Posted by Willen
When I posted my syrup yield from the gallons I boiled, another poster said that would be 3.07% sugar concentration. I went out and check my sap and the refractometer said it was 3%. That is why I trust it to some degree. It said 4% both times I checked the same pail and correctly repeated the 3% for the other.
I would not bet my friend’s truck that it is an accurate reading, I was just curious if it is possible or likely?
http://mapletrader.com/community/sho...-sugar-contentQuote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
Certainly is, this sap was straight out of the tree in 2020 in my post
Yes. It's possible but rare. I have a sap hydrometer calibrated to 3c. I have one tree that produces 3.5 up to 4 early in the run. It's the only one I know of. Have 400+ taps all on lines and only 20 or so pails near the shack. My bulk containers averaged 2.1 early and now about 1.9 steady. Hard rock sugar maples.
Definitely possible. There are a number of people here who regularly report well over 2%. I have one tree that has put out 3.4% in the past.Quote:
Originally Posted by Swingpure
Just consider yourself a very lucky man, because there are a lot of things you can control/optimize in your operation, but you can't control what the trees put out.
GO