Red Roof Maples 2020

Brad I got a good freeze here last night and a decent run today. It's still running right now but will freeze soon. The weather for next week looks good.

It's good to hear from you again Nate. I was going to send you a pm to see of you were still alive but now I don't have to. Good luck with the new season.

Today was a day of lasts. It was the last day that I had to deal with the morning traffic on 106 and the last evening too. It was the last time that I have to punch in and out of work and the last day that I have to wear a work uniform. No more cold meat sandwiches either. I'm officially retired! From now on it's all paid time off.

Congratulations Russ.

Congrats on the retirement, you got this part wrong,

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From now on it's all paid time off.

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. I thought the same thing when I retired and now I have more irons in the fire and work harder, but it's all for me. I also have a harder boss..... the Mrs. :lol:

Congratulations Russ

hey Congrats man... when my Dad retired I don't think it sank in for a bit. he said it was like being on vacation for a while then he filled in the time. I am sure you will too. have fun!!!

Congratulations Russ, I know you will enjoy your hard earned retirement.

Thank you for the congrats. My first day of retirement was a good one. In the morning I collected another 220 gallons of sap from my woods tank. that put the total for yesterday's boil at 1,035 gallons. The valve on my woods tank was giving me trouble so I bought a new one and changed it out while the tank was empty. I was able to boil in the afternoon which is the way that I want to do it now. It went great and I made 17 gallons of syrup. I also had some visitors which is always a good thing. One of them was my 96 year old father. He got to taste some of the hot near syrup which something he always did when he made syrup himself.

As a bonus the sap ran pretty good yesterday despite the cold wind and high temp in the upper 30's. At 4:00 I had over 300 gallons in the tank and it was still running good. I decided to leave the sap down there so that I can wash my storage tank at the sugar house before I bring it up.

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Originally Posted by buckeye gold

Congrats on the retirement, you got this part wrong, . I thought the same thing when I retired and now I have more irons in the fire and work harder, but it's all for me. I also have a harder boss..... the Mrs. :lol:

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What I meant by that is that is that I'll be getting my monthly benefit from SS and my IRA while I'm doing work for myself, basically getting paid to stay at home. I'll be able to control how much I do and when I do it. I can drink on the job too! So far the wife has only requested that I stay out of the house between 2 and 4 which is her time to watch her afternoon shows. That will be easy to do this time of year but will be a challenge when it's stormy or too cold to be outside.

Yes Day boiling is nice!!! but you have to have everything cleaned up so its not a mess when people visit!!!

I went down this morning and found 400 gallons in the tank from yesterday's run. The sap is running good today too. I've got my 600 gallon tank full and the 325 on my sap trailer is full too. The sap is still coming in and it looks like it isn't going to freeze tonight. I'll start ROing first thing in the morning and boil tomorrow afternoon. The ssc is testing at 1.6%.

I saw the sap coming into the releaser yesterday afternoon faster than I've seen it come in in a long time. It was dumping every 12 minutes at 25 gallons per dump. It was pretty exciting to see.

This morning I turned in my uniforms and brought my tools home. I've been so busy since I retired that it hasn't really sunk in yet. I went out a 5:15 this morning to start the RO. The first pass finished in time for me to start the second pass before I had to go get my tools.

I made another 15 gallons of syrup this afternoon to bring the season total to 59 gallons. The sap is still running and it's not going to freeze tonight. I emptied the woods tank tonight and hope to find a lot of sap in the morning.

It was 70* here this afternoon. I'm hoping that we get some cold weather soon. Too many more days like today and the trees are going to bud.

Like with any new piece of equipment there's a learning curve. I replaced the 1 cup mason jar that I used to measure filter aid with a 2 cup scoop. I'm filtering along and all of a sudden with 3 gallons to go the pressure spikes and the air pump stops. Before changing measuring devices I figured out that 24 cups was the max. I quickly took the press apart to change papers and found that it was packed full of filter aid and that's why it stopped. It looks like I need to use a couple of scoops less!

I still con't seem to get the amount of filter aid right and I have had this thing for 5 years now!!! sometimes too much sometimes too little... usually as soon as I get right the season is over!!!! then have to learn all over again the next year!!! :lol:

I also struggle to get my filter aid correct. Same issue as Red Maples, I either put too much or not enough. I have this stainless cup I got from some fair I use as my filter aid cup, and I started using a full cup, now im at 3/4" and I think I may need to start just trying to get half a cup in. Im doing only about 8-10 gallons at a time on my small Maple Guys Jet Press, but it works well for me.

Sometimes I struggle with the press too. The other day, I my draw-off tank was backed up because the canner was heating to pour into a keg. I didn't put enough DE in when I filtered the drawoff tank, and the press slowed down for the rest of the night. Not sure how you get the flow rates back after a layer of DE plugs up. I usually mix in enough DE until the color of the syrup looks "right". I find it usually works well. The lighter, early season syrup needs less DE, and the darker, late season syrup needs more...this generally works.

I got a new 10"' press this season. You don't realize how much bigger the 10" plates are until you go to clean them like you used to clean the 7" plates...they just don't fit in a 5-gallon bucket.

Russ, Can you run through the directions on how to do an acid wash? I have to head north Friday afternoon/evening, so I can't boil anyways...figured great time to let it sit for 24hrs. I already have the citric acid from CDL. At best, I figure the RO is down 1+ gpm from where it should be...more like 1.5-2 depending on the day.
I know the basics are:
rinse
wash
rinse
acid to a pH of 2, but how much citric acid is that for an 8" membrane? it sits for 24 hrs. Does it need to reach a certain temp. or do you just recirculate for a bit to get it well mixed, and then let it sit?
rinse
wash
rinse

Am I missing anything?

Josh- you've basically got it right. Wash and rinse first. Fill the wash tank, add the acid and let it circulate through the RO long enough to get an accurate ph 2. I don't know how much acid you'll need just add a little at a time until you reach ph 2. Shut the machine down and let it sit for 24 hours. After that rinse it and do a soap wash and then flush it with the rest of your permeate. With the acid you don't need to reach a certain temperature. It works while it's sitting. With my RO I use 100 gallons to rinse it with between cycles. If there's still some acid that didn't rinse out, the RO soap will neutralize it. Check the ph of the final wash and add more soap if you need to.

It took awhile to figure out how much filter aid I need with my old press which took 9 cups. I wrote that on the top of the bucket that I use for filter aid so that I wouldn't forget. On my new press I thought I had it figured out to be 24 cups. When I changed over to the 2 cup scoop I went with 12 scoops which turned out to be to much.

This warm weather can cool down anytime now. I'm starting to get a little worried.

thats a good place to write down the amount of DE. I don't thunk I am using enough right at the get go and its plugging up to quickly. My Press is a wes fab full bank 7" press but with only a 4 plates. (long story) I got it used. but I think its time to purchase the remaining plates.

I've been boiling every other day and getting around 1100 gallons of sap for each boil. Today was no exception. I had 1150 gallons of sap and made 18.5 gallons of syrup. That puts me at 77.5 for the season, not quite half a crop. It's supposed to get down to the mid 20's tonight and I sure hope so. Even with the bubbler I'm making dark syrup and struggling to get it lighter. Like last year there is a ton of sugar sand. I'm glad I've got the new press because I'm having trouble getting the syrup through it. I barely got the 18.5 gallons through it this afternoon. If I still had my old press I would have had to break it down and repaper it 2 or 3 times.

I'm a grade lighter this year too, and also noticing the high sugar sand.

Josh you are a grade lighter??? hmmm I am struggling with trying to keep it out of the vary dark. part of the problem is I am having trouble drawing off at the proper density don't know why... I am usually spot on or at the very least 1 or 2 over. I figured out I am drawing off 5 or 6 over. probably why I am having issues filtering too thick combined with niter plugging things up quickly. So everything I have up before tuesday will lighten up a bit once I thin it out. not a whole grade but will lighten up none the less.

This is the first time since 2013 when I built the Bubblemaster that I have struggled to make light syrup. It's all been dark or very dark and very hard to filter. I have some borderline syrup that I want to check with my Hanna grader. I was going to do that this afternoon but can't find my tester.

I got a good enough freeze to recharge the trees last night. The sap is coming in clearer today and there weren't any moths in the tank. So far I've collected just under 6000 gallons of sap which is about a 1/2 seasons worth but haven't made a 1/2 seasons worth of syrup yet. If things continue the way that they are now I should break the 100 gallon mark in 2 more boils. I'd like to make 200 gallons of syrup this year but I don't think that's going to happen.

Thanks for the directions Russ. I set it up for an acid wash tonight and added about one time to citric acid for could only get the pH down to 2.5. CDL sells it in 2.2 lb containers and after the acid wash it did last year, there's about half the container left so I figured that's what I should use. I'll let the acid sitting there until Saturday morning and then rinse it out followed by the soap wash

Sorry red, I meant to say I'm making a great darker this year overall. I'm still making it dark, but barely after tonight.

Glad to help Josh. I hope that it works for you.

I want to get down to see you and Brad after Maple Weekend. I've never to Brads sugar house and you've made a lot of changes since my last visit.

Do you think a pH of 2.5 is low enough to open it back up?

It's been ages since you've been over last...like when I got my first RO I think...a Lapierre 250. Things are a bit different now... It'd be great to have you come over...def. after maple weekend.

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Originally Posted by Amber Gold

Do you think a pH of 2.5 is low enough to open it back up?

It's been ages since you've been over last...like when I got my first RO I think...a Lapierre 250. Things are a bit different now... It'd be great to have you come over...def. after maple weekend.

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The pH 2.5 is low enough I think, it's pretty close to the target number.

I think the last time that I was over there was when we put the membranes into the Lapierre 250 and hooked it up. I don't remember when you were here last. It might have been for a trip to Bascom's or the NHMPA annual meeting. Either way it was before I did my remodel and expansion.

The way that the sap was trickling in yesterday afternoon when I pumped my woods tank it didn't look like I would get much sap overnight. Wrong Again! I went down to pump the tank this morning and it was overflowing. I don't know how many times the releaser dumped after the tank nutted but it looked like more than once. I had 1050 gallons of sap for a boil tonight. Lit the evaporator at 5:15 and walked out of the sugar house at 7:28. Sap all boiled and syrup filtered and jugged. I'm at 91 gallons, all dark, for the season now which is about half a crop. It looks like the much needed cold weather is going to be here tomorrow and will stay for most of next week.

I got up at 2:30 this morning to see if I needed to turn the vacuum pump off. It was still 35* when it was supposed to be below freezing by midnight. It was supposed to get down to 26* overnight and didn't happen. Why can't these weather liars give us an accurate forecast?

I know there are some guys out there that would say leave the vacuum pump on 24/7. I'm pulling 27" with an old SP22 and I like to give it a rest when I know the sap isn't running. Needless to say but it didn't get it's much needed cool down.

Same here Russ. Was supposed to be be 20 this morning, still 36 at midnight and finally got down to 28 and mostly cloudy. Don’t know if there was enough time below freezing for the trees to freeze enough to recharge.

Same here. Was supposed to get to 28 here left the vac on all night. I was up at 6:30 and it was only 33.5 it did get down to 30 but it was overcast last night not sure what time it finally cleared our should be a good freeze tonight and a freeze every night until Thursday.

Good freeze here in Chatham N.H., froze up solid for about 8hrs, releaser just thawed and sap is coming in good. Its only 36° at 12:30 but the sun is warm.

After the marginal freeze I did get 250 gallons of sap today. It's going to be really cold tonight and may not thaw enough to get much of a run tomorrow.

I'm over the halfway point now. I made 10.5 gallons today to put me at 101.5 for the season. I'd like to make 200 gallons but probably won't.

:-(

I really hope we get a bit of a cold spell, but I am not seeing it after today.

I just got the news that the NHMPA is canceling maple weekend and the rest of maple month. I'll be around and will be open if anybody wants to stop by to buy syrup and value added products but I won't be setting up the sales and sampling table like I usually do. I'll boil in the afternoon if I have sap but won't boil all day and won't save sap for the weekend.

The NHMPA is talking about trying to do something in the fall. They tried that before and it didn't work. The people want to see a sugar house in operation, which means boiling and making syrup.

I am going to do the same, I'll be Open and I won't turn anyone away. But I'm not going to advertise or do soft serve icecreams or anything like that. Might do a couple Sugar on snow/ice , for a few die hards.

I did an open house 2 days over Labor day weekend a few years ago, I still had a pile of syrup, I had some customers and people that came but overall I didn't make but maybe 100.00$ after I paid all my expenses. So I decided that my holiday weekend was worth a little more than that and don't do it anymore.

I do fall open house anyway. Usually the begining of november, same weekend as NH OPEN DOORS. withe the NH league of craftsmen. We have since steered away from then as they have done stuff this past year we didnt agree with. It's about a 5th or less of the crowds that come out for spring maple weekend. I sacrifice a 1/2 gallon of syrup on the front pan and just us a stopper to control water flow from the back pan to the fro t pan to get the aroma. Works well. With advertising from the NHMPA and people understand we lost big money being open for maple weekend I believe they will come out to see us and support the locals.

I am at a solid 1/2 crop. 50 gallons finally. But with super low SSC and crappy sap and short boils I am back into VD. Very little sap in yesterday but we only to 36* after 20* low. And forecast is not favorable. I hope I make through next weeks without buds popping. 73* on Friday maybe but a freeze up for the weekend. Hope we get big sap when things start flowing again.

They're predicting 66* for a high here Friday and after the cold weather this week I'm sure that my trees will survive that. I brought up 285 gallons tonight that has been coming in since Sunday afternoon. I'll see what I get overnight to determine when I'll boil again.

I'm willing to give a fall open house a try. I think this weekend will be a flop. The good thing is that the people that come, if any do, will be looking to buy stuff and the ones looking to fill up on free samples will stay home.

Our special friends will still get samples when no one's looking.

Russ, I wonder what kind of crowd you would get if you advertise a free roll of toilet paper with each purchase?

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Originally Posted by mainebackswoodssyrup

Russ, I wonder what kind of crowd you would get if you advertise a free roll of toilet paper with each purchase?

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I didn't think of that but it would probably work. The problem with that is that I didn't hoard TP like all of the idiots that did and would run out of my own supply.

The sap ran pretty good today. I had 285 in the tank that I collected last evening. I got another 525 today which gave me 810 for tonight's boil. I made 13 gallons to bring the season total to 114.5 gallons. It looks like I'll be saving the sap from tomorrow and Friday for Saturday. My north facing trees decided to run today which was nice for a change.

The shop vac that I use on my bubbler died tonight. Looks like I'll be replacing that tomorrow. I hope that I can find one that will be a direct fit and not have to screw around making it work.

The sap ran good overnight and not to bad today. I decided to boil tonight and made another 10 gallons. It's Very dark and very tasty.

I bought a new shop vac and got the bubbler fixed today.