Steam in Salisbury

[Parker]

Mountianvan- I really dont know exactly what caused it,, it was very warm here and the buds all started,,then this last bit of sugaring weather,,I think it is the tast of the trees being done with sugaring sap and getting started on there leaves,,,but,, I really dont know,,,how did you make out this year?
smallopperator,,I dont know what apple syrup is,,probably the stuff I made the tail end of it,,pretty poor tasting stuff,,,the pans really did not get that dirty from the last bit we boiled,,I probably could have made some more but it is time to stop the madness,,How was your year?

[mountainvan]

parker, my syrup went back to normal today, no extra strong flavor. 20 here tonight and 40s tomorrow.MORE SAP!!! the strong stuff is already sold, had people waiting for it! I think the strong flavor may be a bacteria or yeast that only thrives in very warm temps working on the syrup left in my pans. got that smell as soon as I started up yesterday, definitely came from the syrup pan, flue pan was fresh sap. I have a customer who's a bacteriaoligist, spelled it that wrong, I'll ask him next time he comes up.Neighbor is head forestry guy for the catskill preserve, I'll ask him too.

[Parker]

Could well be as the sap I collected towards the end of the season was cloudy and a little green but did not have a bad taste to it,,in the past I have tasted sap that just tasted awful,,but this stuff really did not,,,,,BUT my pans were empty and washed befor I started boiling the last of the sap,,and no sap sat in the tanks for more than 12 hours?,,,,I did notice that my flue pan would have a bunch of stuff floating in it thru the sight glasses,,,(suspended solids),,and I would like to figure out how to avoid this in the fucther,,only happend 3 times this year,,but when I see that I know I have to clean the pans,(or no matter what kind of sap I put into the evap. I will be making commercial syrup),,just hate to dump all that sap (200-300 gallons) to wash them,,a fellow told me that not skimming the flue pan is the cause of the floaters,,I have a flat hood on the fluepan so no skiming,,I do have 2 felt filters that the sap goes thru befor it enters the evap,,,and we washed the tanks after every boil???

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Parker,

I never skim my evaporator period and I have never had floating objects in it like that. :?

[mountainvan]

maybe this subject falls under my general philosophical view of maple sugaring." maple sugaring, sapflow, weather, etc. is like a woman, you never know what it's going to do." some things were not meant to figure out!!

[Parker]

Brandon-when you look in your flue pan at the end of the season there is no "stuff" floating around in there,,kinda like floating sugar sand??,,,do you have a sight glass tube on your flue pan? Curious,,I know I have seen this ealsewhere,,,I think if I could figure this problem out it would save me alot of time washing and make my syrup lighter {allready is the best tasting,,well,,most of it} 8O

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Parker,

I don't have sight glasses and after six weeks of boiling the last two years, the flue pan looked fine and I never cleaned it any during the season. Had a layer of sugarsand everywhere in it this year and never had before due to an enormous amount of sand the latter half of the season this year due to the low quality sap. I am going to try to start cleaning it and the syrup pan every week that I boil a good quanity of sap next year and see what that does and filter what I take out and put it back in after cleaning.

[sweetwoodmaple]

Yes, just draining the evaporator between boils through prefilters makes a huge difference. Especially since I use gravity filtering 95% of the time.

Even my float boxes get sugar sand in them by the time the season is over.

[Parker]

just got back from lamoile and franklin counties in Vermont,,made 10 stops in 2 days,8000-50000 tap opperations,,and a 700 tap opperation,just amazing wacting 120-150 gallons comming off an evaporator in an hour,,,,,learned alot,,toured some butiful woods,,my how the rockies grow up there

[royalmaple]

Parker-

Where those guys still going pretty strong, 50K?

I'd like to check that out too, seems pretty neat but not sure if they are done or getting done soon?

lemme know, might take a ride.