Love the description of your sugarhouse and bush! This is making me want to come and I'm not even planning a trip.
Type: Posts; User: jrm
Love the description of your sugarhouse and bush! This is making me want to come and I'm not even planning a trip.
I'm itching to tap with the warmer weather we are having. I won't do so for another month as I will be out of town the 1st two weeks of March, and if we don't have good snow banks going I don't have...
This is the 2nd post I've read today that talks about propane tanks freezing. I've not heard of that. My initial years I ran on a homemade drum evaporator. I didn't boil last year. After shoulder...
I just spent a few hours this afternoon and evening, checking out the StarCat, watching videos, etc. I didn't sugar last year, the prior two years I used propane, post-surgery, and before that,...
[QUOTE=BCPP;370066]Bacteria love sugar so if you leave any alive inside the sealed jars they will happily multiply!/QUOTE]
I thought the reason syrup never goes bad, even once open, is because of...
I didn't worry about it my two years where I had some mixed in my bottles.
Once the niter settles to the bottom, don't try to mix it in, just pour off the top. And, if you wish, you could pour...
I had no idea there was such a thing. Sounds better than the tap I use for this, and other purposes.
I learned that I could stack 6 pallets in my van per load. I never reached 75, but my sap load is lower than yours... my trees just aren't great producers. For the 13 taps I've put in the last few...
Down the road, so to speak, in Acton. I've boiled three times. 12 taps in 11 trees this year. I've boiled roughly 50.5 gals of sap (I collected more, but got rid of ice at various times.) I've made...
How frustrating! Someone told me this info my 2nd year burning pallets -- when they cautioned me that some could contain chemicals. Maybe this will help for future pallet runs. (At my Ace, I've...
I'm also very small. My first year I bottled and had tons of niter left after it sat overnight. I reheated/filtered and was much better.
Since then, I get to density and immediately filter, for me...
While I'm not using my barrel this year, I'm fortunate that my local Ace, just up the way from me, lets me take as many pallets as I'd like. Just finished my 3rd boil and bottle and made another 28...
This is a great tip, and one that I haven't seen before. This is my second year using propane and I've always had the tank all the way open. I've not had any issues with getting a rolling boil,...
It appears to me, and I'm no expert (!), that you want to reduce your sugar content by 3%. Therefore, I would think you need to increase your liquid by 3% of the total. 7 qts x 32 = 224 ounces x .03...
Yes, I am fortunate. We have some woods and back up to conservation space. I could probably tap more of our own trees, but I have to decide if I could keep up. I do look at the beautiful maples in...
Both my batches so far are high in vanilla (and as you write it, marshmallow flavors.) I definitely prefer the more robust flavors. I'm hoping my trees flow long enough to get some of that this...
I've boiled twice. Once this past Saturday, 17.5 gals yielded 28oz. The week prior 17 gal yielded 40oz. Because of the weather, I was able to take advantage of discarding ice in my buckets to help...
As a backyard hobbyist I have always boiled in batch mode. Until this year, I've used the ladle method for adding new sap to my boiling pans -- the first years it was cold sap, in the last couple, I...
My first boil a week ago was 17 gal, after getting rid of some ice and saving the large 1/2 buckets ice cubes, and came away with 5 - 8oz bottles. Testing sap after the ice removal, I ranged from 1.5...
Same goes for me. I've used a thermometer and hydrometer the last 4 years. My temp has always been above 220 when I'm on the red line. My first boil, last week, temp was 223.
So a question on the hardiboard, or cement board in general. While I boil outside, the last few years I've had half-sheets of plywood surrounding my evaporator as a windbreak. My first year, before...
This pic was yesterday. It was 8 when I woke up this morning. About an hour ago, I went and peeked at the nearest tap, same as this pic, and was still frozen. Hoping it warms up soon and starts...
Great data. I've gotten rid of ice as well, taking from the wisdom of those doing this longer than I. With the data that you've seen, makes me think I might check out the sugar content in a similar...
I can only dream of 3-3.4 sugar. The best I've had is 2.3. The first few years I didn't test. Typically was having 1.4-1.8. Nothing like boiling 60-80 gallons to get 1. Collected only 8 gallons so...
Not a spot I previously tapped, I did look for that. But, I do think there is an old broken limb above. When I go out I'll take a look to help me understand.
I understand that the old holes, once...