We have slowed way down. Tonight might be our last boil as it took 4 days to get enough to fire up the RO. This week looks iffy weather wise.
We have slowed way down. Tonight might be our last boil as it took 4 days to get enough to fire up the RO. This week looks iffy weather wise.
220 Taps
2x6 Home made
Sap Shack 20x20
5 Shurflo diaphragm pumps
250 GPH Deer run RO
Had a total of 315 gallons of sap to get through today. Got done with that and decided to catch up on bottling again, 8.5 gallons of 41% robust.
Not sure where I am going from here. If I had 100+ gallons by morning I'd like to run that and call it a year, but the wind coming our way says I shouldn't light a fire tomorrow. lol Not sure I want to wait out another cold spell. Might just drain the flue pan Thursday and hand feed it into the syrup pan while pushing permeate through the flue pan.
Had a "dumb moment" today. Got done concentrating today and wheeled the RO over to where I do the rinses. Plugged it in and it wasn't pumping, just slurping and spurting. Messed with it for 15+ minutes, changed the prefilters a couple times thinking they were defective, still a no go. Finally unscrewed the prefilter one more time and discovered the o-ring seal wasn't here. Went over to where I concentrate and found it on the ground. DOH!!!!!
Noel Good
1998 to 2009: 15 taps on buckets, scavenged fire pit and pans
2010: New 2x4 SS flat pan w/preheater
2015: New to me Lapierre 18x60 raised flue, new shack, new everything!! 59 taps 23.75 gallons
2016: 85 taps 19 gallons
2017: Purchased 2.5 acres and tubed half with 3/16. 145 taps total 49.25 gallons
2018: 200 taps (162 on 3/16ths 38 on buckets) New NextGen RO 63 gallons
2019: 210 taps 73.5 gallons
2023: 210 taps 89.75 gallons
www.wnybass.com
Well, we are done for the season. Now, clean up for a coupla weeks or so. Last boil was on the 2nd, and it was Very Dark. Good syrup, but took two filter tries with the cone filter deal we use.
I don't like clean up so much, but I do like actually seeing the crud and niter in the evaporator just sort of dissolve away with simmering permeate and vinegar!
And, I do like reading about others "dumb" moments. Its a good laugh, usually only because I can remember when I did that too. Anybody who has not had multiple dumb moments just hasn't done this long enough I think
take care Mark
Was our last boil last night. Ended up with about 80 gal for the year, which is average. Still have about 40 gal to bottle yet, but will wait till warmer weather comes.
220 Taps
2x6 Home made
Sap Shack 20x20
5 Shurflo diaphragm pumps
250 GPH Deer run RO
Bottled close to 15 gallons today. I still have the sweet in the pans and possibly one more sap run if it's not spoiled or buddy. Officially past 1 quart per tap. The syrup I made 4/1 and 4/2 darkened a lot. I thought sure it was very dark and then it barely graded as dark after filtering. Anyway, I think I have one run left in me.
Smoky Lake 2x6 fuel-oil fired, raised flue, hoods, SSR, concentric exhaust
Home-built auto draw off
Home-built RO - double XLE 4040, PLC controlled
8x10 Sugar Shed
200 taps on tubing with Shurflo vacuum with solar
https://www.facebook.com/flowercitymaplesyrup/
I'm done for the year, just turned off the propane after getting a nasty smell off pan and finisher, my wife thought it smelled like wet tree bark, I think it is metabolic, trees are not budded in the slightest. Wasted a lot of propane it, I start it and walk away checking every 15-20 minutes or longer, so I wasn't paying close attention to it.thought it was smelling funky but I think all steam off evaporators has a weird smell. I have a very sensitive sense of smell so i rarely get the sweet maple steam smell even when everyone else around tells me it smells great. Well time to get new evap picked up and bigger sugar shack started,and then garden,food plots,wood cut, clean up maple stuff, trees planted and on and on, sometimes I think I need throttle back on somethings, oh yeah it's fishing season and I also want to get into beekeeping this year. Lol like I need another "hobby".
2008 700 ranger xp sap hauler/45 hp 4x4 tractor/028 super stihl
2x4 mason hobby/blower/new for 2014 smoky lake hybrid pan
2014 300ish buckets and still need bigger evaporator/14 x 20 square log shack
2015 2x6 drop flue phaneuf approx. 325 buckets, 1 year older, not sure about the smarter part ?
gets expensive in a hurry!!
Started 2010 with 50 buckets in Victor NY
1500 sq ft sugarhouse and packaging room
3000 sq ft visitor center with 20-C kitchen
2.5' x 10' CDL oil-fired evaporator, CDL RO
2021: 1500 taps on 3/16 tubing, no mechanical vacuum
30 beehives
Producing mead as NYS farm micro-winery
Website: www.KettleRidgeFarm.com
We just got our power back from being out since noon yesterday. Had to dump 120 gallons of sap today that I collected yesterday. Too windy to boil yesterday, and no power for the shack until tonight. Sap does not have a very long shelf life right now. Walked the lines and had a dozen or so branches pinning the tubing to the ground, nothing came apart though. A big ash tree needs attention, snapped 8' off the ground and leaning against a small maple. Hopefully it will just come down during the next wind event. Taps are still in, planned on quitting but I guess we'll see what's out there after work tomorrow.
Noel Good
1998 to 2009: 15 taps on buckets, scavenged fire pit and pans
2010: New 2x4 SS flat pan w/preheater
2015: New to me Lapierre 18x60 raised flue, new shack, new everything!! 59 taps 23.75 gallons
2016: 85 taps 19 gallons
2017: Purchased 2.5 acres and tubed half with 3/16. 145 taps total 49.25 gallons
2018: 200 taps (162 on 3/16ths 38 on buckets) New NextGen RO 63 gallons
2019: 210 taps 73.5 gallons
2023: 210 taps 89.75 gallons
www.wnybass.com
Going to hang in there through the middle of next week to see if we can get one more run after this weekend's freeze.
I guess I'm done, nothing ran today. Will finish off the evaporator contents tomorrow after work or Sunday
Noel Good
1998 to 2009: 15 taps on buckets, scavenged fire pit and pans
2010: New 2x4 SS flat pan w/preheater
2015: New to me Lapierre 18x60 raised flue, new shack, new everything!! 59 taps 23.75 gallons
2016: 85 taps 19 gallons
2017: Purchased 2.5 acres and tubed half with 3/16. 145 taps total 49.25 gallons
2018: 200 taps (162 on 3/16ths 38 on buckets) New NextGen RO 63 gallons
2019: 210 taps 73.5 gallons
2023: 210 taps 89.75 gallons
www.wnybass.com