Eastern Ontario 2016

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by a.clarke

Thanks for the tips Galena. I have noticed you and others mentioning this color/flavor progression before. I would definitely call this "marshmallowey" flavored syrup.

I am still not sure what "buddy" sap/syrup smells like though. Everyone says I'll know it when I smell it, so well see. Some of my sap definitely has more of a woody or earthy smell to it and has had it all season so I'm not too sure.

---

You're welcome...and if your sap ever starts to look really cloudy, smell funky or off, or you start to boil sap and it smells like you're boiling swamp water...I would think you'd want to dump it! As the season progresses I become more and more careful to keep track of which day I collected sap, and in different containers, so I not only know when I got it, but if the sap turns on you overnight (as happened last year at a second bush I had going) then the damage is limited. Hopefully anyway!

This is just crazy. I'm so glad to (hopefully) get a break.

In 4 days I have finished 16 litres of syrup.

Still have 160L of sap to boil.

Sitting at 25.5 litres finished.

I'm boiling in a 2ftx2ft flat pan on propane. It holds 100 litres. Getting about 20L/hour boiling rate. Not bad, but i've been collecting 200+ litres per day since Sunday. 46 taps on buckets.

Once I finish this last batch I need to spend some time on clean up. Sheesh, this place is a write off LOL

S.

Hey sinker. I've let over 200L hit the ground since Tuesday. It seems so wrong, but for many of us in this part of Ontario, we haven't got much choice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!

Hey sinker. I've let over 200L hit the ground since Tuesday. It seems so wrong, but for many of us in this part of Ontario, we haven't got much choice.

---

Blasphemy!! LOL

I have been able to keep up, but I have been off work for a week, luckily. Non stop boiling 24hrs straight......almost.

Madness I tell ya!

S.

Just about had to change my underwear...gave myself a good ol scare with batch #5...I was using my usual candy therm, it was going up to around 220 as expected...then it PLUMMETED to 215 and stayed there! My first reaction was OMFG now I've made a gorgeous batch of syrup with mercury in it...but then realized that the *faulty* therm was intact. So then I boiled a pot of water (yeah I know I should've done that first) and tested it there and it was definitely boiling below 212.

I dug out the probe thermometer and another candy therm, they both read 225 in the syrup as I expected it to. But having that one therm so wildly off really messed with me. Being in a maple zombie state doesn't help! And I promptly googled 'do modern candy thermometers contain mercury' and was glad to see that then no longer do, usually it's coloured alcohol. So thank gawd for both counts.

Oh and now I have to go get more sap...I just can't bear to dump it.

Hi
Well did a final clean out and boiled while it rained was hard to keep s good boil and steam was crazy in the shack.
I just went and kicked over all the drums full of sap that i pulled the taps on the other day.
What a shame over 1200 liters on the ground. we hope for great runs and when we get jt we cant kerp up.
On a good note total boiled just over 5000 liters and it looks like i going to have just over 32 gallons for market and personal use.
I should have rethought a bigger evaporator.
Now its to to cut split and pile next years 2 or 3 bush cords of birch for the arch.
Talk to you all soon !
!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffB

Hi
Well did a final clean out and boiled while it rained was hard to keep s good boil and steam was crazy in the shack.
I just went and kicked over all the drums full of sap that i pulled the taps on the other day.
What a shame over 1200 liters on the ground. we hope for great runs and when we get jt we cant kerp up.
On a good note total boiled just over 5000 liters and it looks like i going to have just over 32 gallons for market and personal use.
I should have rethought a bigger evaporator.
Now its to to cut split and pile next years 2 or 3 bush cords of birch for the arch.
Talk to you all soon !
!

---

I hear you Jeff about the bigger evaporator part and the starting of dumping of sap back the nature. I dumped 130 gallons today and it looks tomorrow will be the same story as I have just too much and getting through it with what I have is simply impossible. "Oh it's so easy to drill a hole into a tree."

I've started a new thread in general discussion, would LOVE to see site admin go with my idea and implement a whole new rung to the ladder here...the only thing more willing to work brainlessly hard is a zombie, right? And I believe historically too, it makes perfect sense cause in Haiti a lot of zombies were used to work the sugarcane fields. Lots of hard backbreaking work with mind-numbing hours, yet each year we look forward to doing it yet ago...

So I think that this season qualifies LOTS of us for the status of Maple Zombie!!

For sure, I am burnt out but not complaining.

Lesley, in an attempt to answer my own question about different flavour profiles of syrup made over wood vs. propane I conducted a major experiment yesterday. From the same storage buckets I split the sap, with half going to wood fired and half to propane fired. The nearup is very close to syrup now and I'll be able to offer up my thoughts on any differences very soon. My sample size was something upwards of 75L+ being directed to each cooking method.