Its a PDF, or Adobe Acrobat document, nothing to do with Windows version Galena...??Quote:
Originally Posted by Galena
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Its a PDF, or Adobe Acrobat document, nothing to do with Windows version Galena...??Quote:
Originally Posted by Galena
I didn't say I can't open, cause I could if I could download it. But I can't download it. Just checked my files and it's nowhere to be found.
My bad, just realized I was looking at the wrong element. Galena, what do you get if you go to;Quote:
Originally Posted by Galena
http://www.omspa.ca/download/brochur...eterchart1.pdf
Just tried it and it worked! Now I have it downloaded. Thanks Bugtrap! :-)
Hearing peepers tonight. That's not a welcome sound just yet.
Not surprised Karen,talking about warm temperatures and rain tonight or tomorrow,that should just about end it. Saw another snake out today,some sort of black butterfly or moth that comes out after sugarmaking,and there were a lot of small summertime bugs buzzing around the sap in the tanks. Only thing missing is a phoebe always shows up to claim the sugarhouse as her home for the summer.
Didn't see a phoebe today Bruce, but the bluebirds returned yesterday in the middle of the ice storm. They seemed happier today.
Well the sap was running like mad yesterday here. Everyone of my 5 gallon jugs and 3 gallon jugs were overflowing so I poured them all into my 55 gallon barrel. 4 hours later they are all overflowing again and I am completely out of storage. I might do one more boil but I will only get through maybe 30-35 gallons during a boil. My neighbor has taken some but judging by the weather here tomorrow and the next day, I will be continually be flooding the ground with sap. I collected about 100 gallons yesterday and I have no idea how much ended up on the ground. If anybody is in the Barrie area and wants to take away 50-60 gallons of sap, bring your containers. I'm getting ready to pull the taps tomorrow but if somebody wants the sap, I will leave them in until Thursday or Friday for you. I definitely need a more bigger evaporator for next year. Almost makes me cry to not be able to get through it, but hopefully somebody can.
I wish I could come get it...down in London area and its still flowing good here...I am surprised but my trees are sheltered from the sun on a low ridge..I am a newbee at best
Hey Bruce, your phoebe is here on my deck right now. I'll let her know you are looking for her.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce L
Either my sap is running (which means I must be here and boiling, because my storage is full) or my storage is full but the lines are frozen to the arch (which means I couldn't add any sap to my storage). But next year I am going to add some storage to my trailer so I can take such offers. But I should add that 60 gallons is not really profitable to drive to get...(but hey, I am 1 hour from Barrie, if I was in Barrie it would definitely be profitable).Quote:
Originally Posted by sluggish
I have 400 gallons of storage here and this year has been weird as I have run always near capacity. Yesterday I couldn't boil as my lines were frozen and I had 160 gallons of storage space when I went to bed, I woke up this morning to only 10 gallons of space left...lolz. So, you're not alone. I have 6 x 5 gal food grade buckets that I keep handy just in case...
I should add, no buds here yet.
Another good day of boiling (started at 2:00am yesterday and today). Sap flowed a little bit today, only 40 gallons from 216 taps. Forecast says I can boil for 2-3 days before more potential sap, looks like I might finally get caught up. Still no sign of buds, heck I still have snow on most of the forest floor. So, I am currently behind on syrup produced since first sap flows, but every sap running day has been mega...so my fingers are still crossed for a very good year.
Is everyone else finished?
The trees are no where near finished. Me on the other hand? That's a different story.
I know the feeling.....just got back from and collecting and everything over flowing. Looked long and hard with hopes of seeing some swelling buds but no luck. I do agree that things could go for another week or two but don't think i'll make it.......Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
Alas, you need to do like I did, count on maple syrup for some portion of your yearly income...highly motivates you...;-]
Your sap ran today? I had 144 L drop from what trees I have left yesterday, but today hardly a drop.
That's really odd c0ps. My trees were doing well today. You'd think that we'd be experiencing the same results as one another today.
That's why I was surprised to hear yours ran, we must be less than 20 min from one another. Maybe it's because I only have Manitoba maples left.Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
c0ps, I'd say my Manitoba maples were iffy today. A few weren't giving anything up, two were decent and one was really pumping it out. The taps on the north sides of the Manitobas were the best ones today.
Ahhhhhhhhhh, ok maybe that can be it. I tapped all the trees on the south east side.
That's a trick that I learned from this site. If you vary the location of the spiles as you tap, you can help to extend the season a little. Or, at the very least, help to spread out your harvest so it's not all or nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by c0ps
Noted. Thank you
I'm going to start pulling mine tonight after work, not all of them but probably the ones that are not as fast flowing as some, I am still not caught up on my boiling.
Sadly only my neighbor has been able to take some of my sap. The rest will be dumped on the ground. Too bad as it is likely about 100 gallons of sap gone to waste. Maybe not a lot to many others out there but it is a lot for my little setup. Going on holidays Saturday and will not have time to boil before then. Every 5 gallon bucket here is running over so lots is already going to the ground anyway. Can't wait to get my shack built and a bigger evaporator this summer so I can keep up with the flow and not have to dump again next year. Last year I ended up giving away almost 250 gallons. Never again dammit!
Started this morning boiling down what I was storing. 200 L of sap boiled! On my last bucket. Think im done.
Well, I read a lot of articles about how this spring was going to come early, be much warmer than average, and not last long. Right now things are pretty much right on target for a normal sap run for me. It started a little early, but there are still no buds and my 8 day forecast shows probably 8 sap running days. I don't know why so many of you seem to be finishing early, maybe I have a favorable micro-climate...but I don't see finishing much before the 15th (as usual).
The taps are quiet today, but I still had 100L or so in the sugar bush to collect this afternoon. It's the first time it's been safe to go there in two days because of the high winds. Every container had overflowed. And so begins today's boiling session. :)
Man im really being challenged for my first year of making maple syrup. Ice storm, down trees...yesterday I boiled down some sap, just as I thought I was close to start testing with the hydrometer...OMFG! It dropped out of my hand onto the granite countertop and broke. I almost cryed. Needless to say tommorow morning Im running to orillia to purchase another one so I can bring this batch to its proper brix. I think I got it dead on with the themometer but better to be safe.
Nice looking syrup c0ps. You can do a test tonight if you like. Put one of those bottles in the freezer and if the syrup freezes hard then it's too thin. If it ends up more like roof tar then it is the proper brix or even heavier. If it's the latter, you might just want to leave them be. It might save you the trip tomorrow and you can pick up a replacement hydrometer when you aren't having to make a special trip. You can also order one online from Home Hardware and have it sent to the Bolton store.
Thanks Karen. Just put one in the freezer
Update us tomorrow on what happened!Quote:
Originally Posted by c0ps
Here is something strange, I always put my syrup in the freezer just to check and see if anything freeze's, I have a refractometer but I still use the freezer just incase. I had 5 mason jars in the freezer in our fridge in the house, they were there for a few weeks, never froze, just got thick like Karen explained it.... roofing tar. I put them in the freezer in our garage... they are froze :( This threw me for a loop when I opened the freezer door and saw it, never had it do this before.Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
Do I thaw them out and added them to syrup I am boiling? Or say screw it !!! and give them to the Neighbors lol
So I checked the syrup in the freezer this morning. Didn't freeze at all. Thanks Karen for the tip.Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
After Karen told me to do this I read up on it...It says if maple sugar is at a brix of 50% a house hold fridge at -18 degree can freeze it solid. At 66 brix you would need a commercial freezer or dry ice to freeze it. So I'm guessing because it didn't freeze in your fridge inside, but did on your fridg outside. Your sitting somewhere between 58 and 64Quote:
Originally Posted by BrutemanAl
Forget about expensive tools, cook until it start to foam and then uses a wood spoon and keep dipping the spoon until the syrup starts to gather on the edge of the spoon.
Yesterday Morning I pulled everything but 1 tree, I left my best producing tree just in-case I need some more, I dumped everything back into the ground, figure I dumped about 200L. Kids just couldn't understand why I was dumping it, but they will learn. I am almost caught back up with boiling, the sap tsunami came at the wrong time for me, if it had of been a week or 2 earlier I would have been fine, but it caught me off guard a bit, and I just couldn't keep up nor did I have the room to store it. Definitely shouldn't have added more taps a few weeks ago when I was afraid the season was going to suck, that's one reason I just couldn't keep up.
Oh well each year is a learning experience
Tell the kids you're dumping it cause you already have a lot, and the trees are thirsty :-)
What a welcome relief with the freezing temperatures. It's such a luxury to be able to catch up on the sap without worrying that it's going to go bad, or that more is filling the buckets while you are boiling. *sigh* It seems we've got several more days of quiet in the forest before the taps thaw again.
Finished boiling up batches #5a (propane boiled) #5b (wood boiled) and #6. That added 8.6L in bottles now settling on the counter. I've never boiled that much syrup in so little time. Batch #6 has that unmistakable rich maple flavour that I had never been able to achieve in past years. I hope that means that the sap I'm now collecting will continue to yield more of that great taste.
Awsome Karen! You think more sap will run this week?