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All done; pulled my red maples 3/23 (no buddy sap, but buds were bursting and weather was only getting warmer). I let my sugar maples go another 2 weeks, but honestly just ready to be done. I pulled those today- it's a sunny day for cleaning buckets outside.
I had between 6-8 weeks this season- the longest for me.
Totals for this year:
Sap collected 500 gallons (plus a dozen or so that didn't make it into the ledger)
Finished syrup: 9.45 gallons bottled (plus some ounces in 'scraps' bottles for immediate use and not counting what you loose in filters/ pots and pans, etc)
This is a huge step up for me, having previously only had 2 trees and this year having 70. I'm hoping to figure out the legal aspect of becoming Dept of Ag certified for retail/ bulk sales next year (any help is super appreciated - I read myself in circles!).
Time to start the garden, as I suppose one cannot live on maple syrup alone. Believe me, I've tried.
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All done in Hale this weekend too. On Saturday the temps were almost 60 degrees and the sap was running fast and clear, however after 6 weeks of trips up north I called it a season. Final tally: 383 gallons of sap and 8 gallons of syrup. The last 2 cleanups had a lot more sand than earlier weeks and the sugar content was dropping. Saturdays sap was @ 2.5%. All and All, a good year!
All the buckets and equipment has been cleaned and put away; a big thanks to my wife for all the help, and putting up with my crazy hobby!
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I pulled all my taps sunday 4/2/17, done for the season. i still have a few days of putting stuff away, but i finished up with 38 gallons of syrup.
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1 Attachment(s)
Attachment 16324 I am a 1 man operation here and wrapped things up with my final batch last weekend. Total for the season was right @ 4 gallons.
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All done for this year. Collected 1636 gal of sap and made 25-30 gallons of syrup won't know for sure until we bottle. The week I was gone my "friends" didn't test the syrup and I know it was over 70 brix. I have one highly crystallized jar to prove it. Buckets and storage containers were all washed Saturday and stacked to dry. Now they just need to be put away. New sugar shack is started and it will be ready to go for next year.