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Interesting weekend. Lots of lessons learned.
At the beginning of the season, I set some test taps, this was the weekend after Valentine's day I believe. These taps didn't flow very good, because the weather turned cold again. I also switched from the large 1/2" PVC water line spiles to the CDL Smart Spouts, 5/16". At only 19 cents each, I recommend these little beauties! Anyway, we built a cement block arch and collected about 10 gallons, and I took a Friday off work and boiled that down to make about 48 oz. of the most beautiful light syrup I have ever made. Then we collected, and collected, and the weather turned again, we had almost 50 gallons in our storage tank, and no time to boil. So it stayed in there a couple weeks.
Last weekend I boiled down 2 quarts of finished syrup, and it was very dark. I thought it was because I boiled it too long, but I think it was the age of the sap. I collected fresh sap this weekend, and it boils great, and fast. The old stuff, I could not get to boil. So the old stuff is getting pitched and my buckets cleaned and sanitized and the new stuff being collected will get boiled this week and this weekend. I'll pull some late nights to get it done.
Next year I will need a sugar shack for sure and a better arch. My trees are being very good to me, and I need to be able to keep up with them.
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Wow!!!!!
Collected 36 gallons of pure sweet clear as day Michigan maple sap tonight. Drip, drip, drip. Boiling late into the night. Finally got a good boil on and fresh sap. Love it!!
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Hopefully you'll get close to another gallon of syrup from your recent haul. Boil on J&T!
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Thanks Karen! We're on our way!
I've learned a lot this season. I can't believe the difference working with fresh sap makes! I finally got some heat out of my arch. I moved it out of the wind, to the other side of the barn, and I found some really dry wood, so things are hopping. Too bad I have a day job! I'm going to be tired tomorrow! I'm going tonight until I pass out! This is so much fun.
Jason
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Very cool Jason! Very cool!
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Jason we will all be expecting to read about the results of your all-nighter in the morning. Have fun tonight and be careful to not set fire to your yard if you get groggy after all the excitement you've had today.
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Well, it's now morning. . . .
How'd you do with the big boil last night Jason and Tiffany? Any syrup totals to report?
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Hey Karen,
I stayed up until 1:30 AM last night (this morning!). I finished off 1 1/2 quarts tonight. It's beautiful! Perfect light amber. We collected another 20 gallons tonight, sap has slowed, which is good. Boiling as I write this. I don't plan to stay up so late tonight! I took Friday off from work, so it'll be a full weekend of boiling, finishing and bottling. I'll post some pics tomorrow when I get the stuff I finished tonight bottled.
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Great job Jason! I've just packed it in for tonight after a long day of boiling and collecting. Good thing all of this is fun, otherwise it would kill us! Looking forward to seing your pictures. :)
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Thanks Karen!
Well, we collected another 20 gallons tonight. I pulled a few taps that weren't producing very much, I tapped those at the beginning of the season. I need to slow the amount I'm collecting a little. All my storage tanks are full. I finished another 30 oz. tonight.
Season stats:
Collected 138 gallons from about 46 taps. Discarded about 10 gallons because it was getting too old. I have boiled 68 gallons, resulting in just over 1 1/2 gallons of finished syrup (196 oz.). 84 oz. is light amber the rest is dark amber (from older sap).
I have learned that you need to boil the sap ASAP. If the sap in your holding tank starts to get cloudy, chuck it, it will result in very dark syrup, and the sap will take FOREVER to boil. Also, use dry, dry, dry wood.
I am up late again tonight boiling.
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