Search:

I used to filter as i drew off finished syrup(Usually a little over brix) with cone filters into a stainless container. It was a pain because sometimes the draws were an hour or 2 apart and the...

Not too sure about labels. But you are lucky to be in Maine with their new updated cottage food laws. Cheers to that!

I am not certain on an answer but am equally interested. I think it would be important to make sure the barrel you are storing it in was cleaned really well if it has previously held sap. Keeping it...

In 2015 i purchased a 2x6(2x4 sap pan,2x2 syrup pan) flat pan with dividers and preheater for about $800 and used it on my cinder block arch for 3 years. I have since built a steel mostly airtight...

Anyone out here doing birch again or for the first time? They should be running in this area right about now.

A low stress season is always nice, and making more syrup with less sap is too. Hope you can scramble to together the funds for a preheater, i am in the same boat. Enjoy the off season.

Hauled in my last 80 gallons of 1.3% sap last night and boiled that off. Just need to cook down what is left in the pans and ill be done with maple for the season. The buds are getting real close...

Sounds like you have quite the event planned. I think the raw sap and RO concentrate tasting is a great idea for comparison. I saw someone who set up a decent size maple log outside the sugarhouse...

Great info M&M Maple Grove. I do the same thing with the search, i find google narrows things down a little more than the site search.

I used a 12v blower from a double layered greenhouse. I...

Looking forward to taking a look at that, Thank you for the update.

I think he may have been referring to high vac systems. The increase in sap from the 2nd or 3rd taps on the same tree are minimal. I think gravity on tubing or buckets would be different.

I totally agree with that statement. I don't have flues on my rig yet, but from what i have read it is worth it to clean it at least the 2-3 times a season you are doing. Some people clean after...

I agree, if it was collected shortly after the snow you should be fine. I used to have snow/rain dripping down the drop tubes into my buckets, sometimes it would look like urine after only 1 day. Now...

I always leave my taps until I'm burnt out or the you can taste the buddy flavor in the sap. I tap a lot of red maples so my season ends abruptly every year. I am typically 1 week or so behind you...

What are the filters going in to or suspended from? I found that having them fit snuggly into a container helped keep the heat in which keeps the bottom of the filters hot for better filtering.

This past weekend i entrusted that task to my girlfriend while i worked on other things around the sugarhouse. I got a lot done and never had to worry about burning syrup, this was the first season I...

I built a simple and ugly version with a 2x4 and a circle cut from plywood. Added an eye hook with a few washers and locking nuts. It worked well hanging it from the mainline but doesn't sit on the...

Glad to hear your new setup is working well and making the process easier. Having to add wood every 15 minutes really takes up more time than you would expect, i would be happy to cut that number in...

I sort of used my sugar shack as storage on my property for a few years as it was the only shelter. I have since built another 12x16 gambrel shed and was able to move everything not related to...

It sounds like you are using a little too much DE but if that's what the manufacturer suggests then there may be another problem. I have a wesfab filter press with the guzzler hand pump. I had...

I would be very happy with those kind of boil rates. How does that 5 hours for 3000k gallons compare to your old rig? It would take me 150 hours to boil that much sap off with my little rig and an...

That should keep you busy for a little while. Crazy what a difference there is in weather between your location and mine. It's only a 1.5 hour drive.

Bringing it up to 7% is still a nice improvement, What was the sugar content measuring at when you hauled the sap in?

In the early parts of the season i think you will be perfectly fine with 3 or 4 days. Once it gets more warm and sunny each day and the bugs start showing up it's a little different. If you're real...

Could be from some rainwater dripping into your container if it looks that way on a fresh run. If the container was sitting in the sun for 2 days with sap, it could be early spoilage.