http://en.cdlinc.ca/Data/Sites/7/Sha...hydrometer.pdf
just make sure your hydrometer is rated to the same scale.
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http://en.cdlinc.ca/Data/Sites/7/Sha...hydrometer.pdf
just make sure your hydrometer is rated to the same scale.
Thank You for the quick reply. I will have to study that. I think my syrup I packed in 2 qt jars is too thick and I didn't want to take it to a boil to check it. I can test it at 185 before I put it in smaller bottles.
Looking forward to drowning in sap for the last couple of days of the season up here. If only I can keep the flying squirrels out of the buckets so I don't have to dump the good sap. Collected yesterday and had 5 flying squirrels out of 150 buckets with lids.
I found one the other day in a bucket, it kind of took me back when I opened the lid getting ready to take the bucket off the tree. I took a photo of it floating around in the sap, as I didn't quite know what it was at the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by cowboy729
I donated a couple of bottles of syrup to a local fundraiser and over coffee yesterday everybody was commenting on the one old fellow that won a bottle and he opened it up and drank some on the spot. He was raving on how great the syrup tasted and I told the committee that it was made with "Tree Rat Sap" and showed them the picture. Everyone had a great laugh over this and commented that I have to show the ol' fellow the picture when he comes over to buy some syrup.
Anyone else getting sap worms also? I want to bottle one and see if it will be like a tequila worm :)
Jeez, flying squirrels, sapworms...all I get are bugs in my sap!
The sap ran well overnight on Monday so I had yet another big day yesterday. Sap quality was good and we made a couple drums of 48 LT (barely into Dark-Robust) syrup with great flavor! Filtering went well and it definitely didn't have the "end of the year" smell while boiling. When I turned the pumps off last night the new sap coming in was crystal clear. It froze hard so I expect a decent run today and tomorrow. We might finish up tomorrow, maybe Saturday if the quality is still good. We haven't made any Very Dark yet and there is some demand for it so one more boil on the weekend may be worthwhile. After that it's all over but cleaning 100,000 feet of tubing!
Sadly my trees have started to slow down quite a lot, from almost 22l yesterday to barely 7l today. Basically 1 active spile per tree, and only 3 trees are really doing the heavy lifting now. I think my little 5-tree bush is...well...bushed from the sap tsunami a couple weeks back. Can't complain though, record amount of well over 600l sap and 8 batches (though the latter may be augmented by the 'dirty diapers' - the nitre-soaked cloth filters I've kept in the freezer) depending on how much if any I get tomorrow and Friday.
Well I pulled all the taps today and hopefully finishing off the last boil tomorrow, 75% of the buckets were over flowing by late morning, and all the 5 gallon containers on the lines were full. By the time I got to pulling the taps from the lines there was still a steady little flow coming out. When I removed the first tap there was this long sucking sound so the natural vacuum was really working well. This has been one hard year for some reason, maybe it was the simple fact of trying to do too much with what I have in place. Too many taps for the evaporation rate so it was a huge bottle neck right there, this plus equipment brake downs were daily it seemed to the point the repair shop was saying see you tomorrow.:) Overall things are levelling out getting into the groove so to speak, but bone tired from all the lugging and splitting. I'll add up the numbers of what's what when I'm all done, then the wish list starts.
Approx 11l sap today, absolutely beautiful clear, scent-free sap from trees whose buds are only just starting to show...a good 2-3 weeks after my reds by now. I pulled the spiles on #5 and #6 today, the poor things seem beat. #1 is the little dark horse this season, roaring up the butt of this season's superstar, the big #2 (who is about 3x #1's size). And #9 is quietly sitting there on the north side of the property, quietly plunking out a couple litres each day.
*crickets chirping* Wow everyone must be busy boiling down the last batch and/or cleaning equipment, only reason I can think of for zilch activity for last day or so!
Can't complain. Three spiles left, one per tree, all dripping perfect sap, but all noticeably slower. The ones I pulled a day ago are bone-dry around the spile holes, thank gawd, as I hate to see the trees cry. Kinda bummed out, have those last-day blues.
Grand total (pulling last three spiles today, out of time): 700l sap, as there is definitely no more than 1l between those three last stubborn spiles, and somewhere between 25-27l syrup. About 1l less if you take into account all the tinkering I did to try and Brix it, and still no better at it than I was before :-( So I am just going to reheat to 185 and jug what I can, keep the rest in the fridge, maybe put another batch into the sugar production line. You can make an awful lot of sugar from syrup!!
We had one last boil on Saturday. We dialed the RO waaaaay back and pushed 2500 gallons of sap through the membranes for about 4 hours before firing up. I went to go pull taps and wash one bush with 450 taps just after we started to send concentrate to the feed tank. By the time I got back my brother had maybe 50 gallons left to boil! The auto-runoff was open more than it was closed for those 2 hours. The syrup was definitely in the very dark category (18 LT) but still tasted great! We will have no problem selling that as table syrup. We pushed 300 gallons of permeate through behind the concentrate and boiled until we couldn't get any more runoffs.
Yesterday we drained the pans and filled them with 300 gallons of sap so they can sit for a month. The RO got put away and we managed to pull another 750 taps in the afternoon. All the drums are back are in the basement at the house (is my back ever sore!) and you can finally turn around without running into something in the camp. We will get the rest of the taps pulled and washed this weekend.
Some seasons you are sad to see the end - but not this year!!!!
Finished back washing the tubing yesterday morning,lots of snotty looking yeast came out! Vacuumed the arch clean of any ashes this morning,brought the generator home so it wouldn't grow legs. Back pan has lines in it already where the crap is lifting off the flues. Not sure how we'll wash next year if I get a steam away on top of the pans.
And so goes 2016. It's been great talkin to y'all again this year. Thanks again for the hat, Galena...I'll get that pic one of these days. Hope everyone has a good rest of the year enjoying the fruits of your labor! See ya's around next January.*wavin* :cool:
*sniffing* Bye, Saphound! Send me that pic when you get it and have a good rest of 2016! :-)
Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, scraping, more scraping and final density adjustments for the last three batches. What a great year we had! 2016 sap and syrup numbers coming soon.
Hi all
Hows your summer going.
Here is a update on the sugar shack im making
Made a few changes in size but will add on later due to cost .
I have gon to a 8x12 instead of 14x16.
I am looking for framing ideas for the copula i plan in 2ftx4ftby2.5 high but not sure how to frame it into roof. Does any one have pictures that could help.
Here is my progress so floor walls ridge beam are all done and squared and its ready to start framing copula and the rest of the roof.[ATTACH=CONFIG]14453[/ATTACHAttachment 14453Attachment 14453Attachment 14453Attachment 14454
Not sure if this will help, but attached below are interior and exterior photos of the cupola on my 8X12 sugar shack.
The shack is timber-framed so a little different then yours. But the concept is the same.
The cupola opening is basically a box made of of 2X6's attached to roof rafters on either end. The "walls" of the cupola sit on top of the box.
Attachment 14460Attachment 14461Attachment 14462Attachment 14463Attachment 14464
Hope this helps.
good luck.
Mark
Ok thats great thats what i was thinking.Just wasnt sure how siding and flashing would run together. Did you leave a portion of the 2x6 raised above the common rafter or keep it flush then build the box walls on top
Not sure I understand the question completely.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffB
But if you look at the 2nd picture in my post, the end of the 2X6's are more or less flush with the top of the rafters at the end of the "box". The rafters in the middle of the shack butt up against the side of the 2X6.
Hope this helps.
Mark
Ok that's the info I was looking for . Good pictures to go from i like ur design. Looking at your pics I'm assuming your length is six feet long how wide and tall did you go .I'm going to try and copy the look of your shack. My plans also include a lean too off the side of shack for wood storage. If possible I plan on adding another 8x12 shack right in front of this shacks doors to add length for a bottling/ sitting area.
Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffB
The cupola is 8'X4'. I built the shack with plans and materials from Jamaica Cottage Shop. The cupola is probably larger than it needs to be. 6'X4' is more than large enough.
I don't recall the height of the cupola walls. I think they are 20". I am on the road all week traveling for business. I'll check the plans when I get home this weekend.
Mark
That would be great thanks .I look forward to hearing from you. I'm on road this week as well and hope to get framing complete this weekend. Then roof then siding then .. then ..then..Lol. It never ends with sugaring your always building fixing improving something !
Hi
Here is a update all framing is done trusses copula and a 63x24 window I managed to aquire from a friend that just replaced his home windows.
Thanks foAttachment 14491Attachment 14492r the help and pictures.
More to followAttachment 14489Attachment 14490
Hey all....
Just a quick update the main part of the roof is on.
Hope for better weather Sunday.
It never fails weather man called for showers and as soon as i set up to start working is started raining.
I managed to plow forward in the rain and got the roof on , not near finished but panels are on.
Attachment 14516
Looks great!
Cupola is a nice size in proportion to the sap house.
Now that the roof is on, at least you can stay dry when you work on the inside!
Mark
Here's a pic of completed so far . Finding time to build when I can with work, family and other household stuff is cutting into my free time .lol.Attachment 14542
looks great let me also try ....and wait for me i am also going to post my pictures within a week or more....
Happy Thanksgiving everyone...
Worked on shack as much as I could pretty much done. The stain hads been started and arch is moved in.. still a lot more to do tho...
Attachment 14622Attachment 14622Attachment 14623Attachment 14624
Outstanding job the only thing missing is..............SAP:lol:
Who needs sap I test boiling water as soon as i can to see my new copula work it's magic .Lol
I am reworking my blower I had alot of trouble getting my front pans to boil last year some tests are gonna be needed
LOL Funny I boil water then draw off the hot water to wash all my buckets spouts ect........oh and you can always burn a maple scented candle :)Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffB
Finally it's done ...didn't think I would I get it done ..
Only need to stain the front and side of copula. Will be alot easier with the wood shed roof to work off of.
Installed my homemade double Ridge angle roof jack and installed evaporator chimney.
Electrical and sap plumbing can be done through the winter.
To day seems like a great day to move all the firewood over to the newAttachment 14669Attachment 14665Attachment 14666Attachment 14667
Looks great!
Well it's done evaporator moved in electrical and plumbing are done . I completed a test boil to see if new air under manifold needs more holes drilled in it. Pan was boiling in 10 minutes and I was impressed had flames running the entire length of My drop flues.
Looks good Jeff,my concern would be your stack,looks pretty close to cupola