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Kevin,
100 would sure be better, but either way, just take whatever comes and be thankful. It has been a hectic 12 months with helping my parents move and getting started on their house, building a new sugarhouse of my own and moving and resetting up everything, have a baby, whew, need I say any more. 8O
What do you think about my line in the stream. :?:
It looks to be below average year here. Tommorrow will make 5 boils. :?
Stream mainline :?: Good idea to keep the sap cool but with all the dips and humps sap is going to settle and be a day or several before it makes it to the bottom of the hill into the tank./Myself i would run an aerial mainline and be happy with that knowing you got it all in that day and none was left behind..
Kevin,
The problem with an aerial mainline is it would be about 250 yards in direct sunlight. By the time the sap got to the tank, it wouldn't be fit for anything on a 1 percent grade. I can keep the sags out fairly good in the stream. Guess I will know by this time next year. I may just burry the thing about 12 to 18 inches deep permant. Our frost usually never goes over a few inches deep. :)
I boiled off around 500 gallons yesterday in 9 hours and was finishing syrup the entire time I was boiling. Was the best evaporation rate I have gotten so far for an entire day which included startup and shutdown. I would have done a little better if I had just concentrated on boiling, but I hadn't finished any yet and had people waiting. I canned everything I had drawn off and ended up with 20 gallons of light, 14 med and 14 dark for 48 total. Everything yesterday I boiled was dark or b, but I mixed it with some lighter to ensure it was a dark A. The syrup yesterday tasted med or dark, but it was extremely dark in color. It has been a weird year with 2 or 3 days every week with 50's and 60's temps and it really makes it difficult when you work 40 to 50 hours @ week and live 1/2 hour from sugarhouse. :D
My little helper is sick, so I am sitting on my rear relaxing all day as I can't take him to church so my wife and I can alternate. :(
Well it sounds like your handling things pretty darn well with all the things you have going on . Just think, it will be all over for us down here verry soon. I think i'll get one more small boil this week and that's it. Good luck with the rest of your season.
Gerry
Gerry,
Thanks and it looks like my last week also. I am hoping for my best week like it did last year. :D
Hey Brandon I find it amazing that you are winding down and we are just getting started. If it were not for this websight it would never have occured to me that there are sugarmakers that far south. Rob
Rob,
Last year I went two weeks later than this. The last two years the season lasted six weeks, but this year I don't think it will make it 4 weeks. Not to be a gloom and doom, but I'm afraid it may be the same up north the way the weather has been all this year, :(
I collected sap at 2 of my 3 bushes this evening and got 290 gallons. Probably 75 to 100 at the other bush but will leave it till Wed and collect it then. Hope to collect all 3 again on Wed and boil off what I collected today without mixing any of the sap. Cold tonight and tommorrow night and then warm for next 10 days. Likely this will be the last week and hoping for my best sap week of the year to make it a decent season. :D
I collected 430 gallons yesterday and 280 more today which put me at 1000 for the week. I pull all the taps in 2 of the 3 bushes today and flushed all the lines. I left the taps in on the north side bush and will collect it one more time tommorrow evening and flush it. 60+ today and temps in 50's and 60's all the way thru next weekend. This is my 4th week and we have had at least 2 or 3 days every week where the temps have been 50+ and it has made it difficult this year with all the warm weather.
I should end up around 70 to 75 gallons and considering it hardly froze the entire month of Jan and the 1st few days in Feb, a good year considering those factors. Sugar content was lower than I have ever seen it and it looks like it will be around 52 to 1 ratio. Not suprising with the warm weather we had all winter.
I have about 300 more gallon to boil off tommorrow evening and I will be finished. Just have to wash up a few tanks and about 30 buckets and I will be ready to wait for next year. Not as much syrup as I would have liked, but just grateful to God for the awesome privelege. :D