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I usually chuck the ice. I've tested the sap sugar content before and after the ice melting and realized that the ice is mostly water.

Pulled the taps Sunday (3/18), which was early compared to "average" years, but the sap was turning cloudy and not tasting good. The peepers started in the woods later that day, which always signals...

I actually use just the tiniest spritz from a can of Pam--works a charm.

Finally up and running. The trees seemed to be kind of sleepy this year, but we are off. Revamped a bunch of the out-in-the-woods tapping/gathering strategies, so there's less tree-to-tree work.
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Gonna tap as many this weekend as I can. I'm currently working on a dump tank/pump setup out near the woods to save the bulk of the carrying.

Hopefully.............

Agreed-usually dark or xtra dark and proud of it. Tastes yummy.

What's a PMA??

To recap my Sunday of boiling:
1: Broke the chainsaw pull cord.
2: Fixed the chainsaw pull cord.
3: Repeat #1....

I finally got out to gather yesterday after work (hadn't in a couple of days) and was surprised, given the relative warmth: every bloody bucket was nearly full.

Every one of the buckets in the...

What I've done for show & tell with my daughter and friends is to get one of the little "nips" of syrup, usually about 1.4 ounces. Then, in a 1/2 gallon canning jar I put in 40 times that amount of...

My Experience after using a 1/2 pint since '97:
It's very easy to develop a HUGE boil under the pan, but so much of that heat is lost by going straight out the stack without really influencing the...

Sorry I didn't make it by this weekend--Saturday imploded and Sunday was gathering and boiling day.

When's a good time? MaineMapleSamantha is letting me use her (very nice) wooden sled as a...

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Ditto--I heat the syrup up to quadruple-check the density, then pour it into the coffee urn, put on the cover, turn on the urn and start bottling. All of which reminds me that I really...

It's worth getting a hydrometer and cup to be able to tell when it's officially syrup. I've found that it'll boil at the right temperature for a few minutes and sort-of sheet off a scoop before it's...

Will you be around on Sunday???

Will you be around on Sunday???

Hi Matt-
I get excellent boil fully across the pan from side to side and corner to corner--much more even than with the old arch. I followed Leader's bricking instructions pretty closely, except I...

I've been using a 1/2 pint since '97 ('96 was a roasting pan on the stove, producing a few ounces a day).

I'm not sure what everyone else is doing, but I have NEVER drawn off syrup, or even...

I think I'll take you up on that Matt--I had meant to come meet you last season (I live about 4 miles away), but "never got to it."

I'll make contact later this week--maybe Saturday??

Finally got the last of the taps in, MaineMapleSamantha got her first taste of fresh sap, let the fun begin. I'm going to tap a few more lines of tubing this weekend--I just can't get to it right...

MaineMapleDave's Maple Dill Glazed Carrots:
2 Pounds carrots, peeled, sliced on the diagonal and blanched in boiling water 3 minutes.

Melt 2 TB butter in saute pan, add the carrots and cook for a...

Man-where are people getting sap to boil?!?!?!?!

After what should have been 2 PERFECT days/nights, I checked the buckets on my roadside trees (pretty good indicators of sap flow). The buckets...

Been asking myself the same question. Conditions the last couple of days/nights SEEMED perfect, but most of my buckets have barely any sap in them.

If this truly is it, once I've finished off...

Things are FINALLY happening!!!! I was able to boil a bit last weekend, but not enough to finish anything. Gathered enough sap yesterday to half fill the tank and fire up the evaporator and have...

Been absent for a couple of days--sorry for no reply.

All tapped out, the storage tank is about half full, so I'll be able to boil for a few hours tomorrow. Got scared last week with the balmy...

I used to fill 2 gallon buckets with sap, freeze them, and use the big sap cubes to help keep the storage tank chilled. Worked pretty well. The biggest problem was melting the sap cubes so I could...

I've used them for a few years now, and agree that after a season's use, they do sort of oxidize a bit, with the part that's actually in the tap hole getting a sort of brownish color.

Never gave...