Central Wisconsin

[Run Forest Run!]

Trapper2, what an incredible harvest for you this year! Your syrup looks fantastic! I have another 5 quarts or so finishing off on the stove today and the cream is ready to finish it off to perfection. Thanks again for your advice.

[Trapper2]

Tnx for the threads on milk cleaning. I have used eggs a few times but the milk sounds very interesting. Will give it a try but does anyone have a set time for adding. I use a hydrometer and pull it off at 30 brix from 2x4 flat pan, then finish off on a gas stove and filter again. I'm seeing here most do the milk thing maybe around 25 or so on the scale. Terry

Terry I bring my syrup up to density and then add the milk, which will take it back down again so then you basically need to boil the milk back off again and bring up to finished density. Skim off the crud and filter.
Good luck..

[Trapper2]

Trapper2, what an incredible harvest for you this year! Your syrup looks fantastic! I have another 5 quarts or so finishing off on the stove today and the cream is ready to finish it off to perfection. Thanks again for your advice.

Your welcome Karen. This is just my small contribution compared to your dozens and dozens. You are the one we need to thank for all your encouragement and advice.

[TerryF]

Poured off a batch today, 3 gallons and filtered it off the pan with new papers inserts and orlon filter and it was not a good time. It was the worst, slowest filtering ever. I always do this when hydro hits 30. I didn't use the milk b/cuz we didn't any whole milk on hand. I will definitely use it on the next batch. After I finished on LP stove it filtered fairly well and turned out clear.
On another note my season in NW Marinette has been the worst ever, started tapped 3-17, 65 of them, 5 1/2 gallons canned. They just aren't running. Cold nites around zero for over 2 wks and heavy snowfall just about killed sap suckin here. Thanks for the info on milk it may be big saver.

[Trapper2]

4-25-18 Final cook down last night, I ended the season with 18.5 Gallons off of 70 taps and buckets. Just over a quart per tap. Is that about normal for buckets and bags? I was tapped in for 5.5 weeks. I probably could have left the taps in for another 3 days and cracked the 20 gallon mark.

[jmayerl]

Trapper2- I would call that a very avg year for our area. We had about 850 bags and 60 on tubing, finished just over 8 week season with .65-.7 gallons per tap(final tally in a week or so)......most ever in 10 years of doing this.

[Trapper2]

Trapper2- I would call that a very avg year for our area. We had about 850 bags and 60 on tubing, finished just over 8 week season with .65-.7 gallons per tap......most every in 10 years of doing this.

That's ALOT of bags!!!!!!!

[regor0]

That's ALOT of bags!!!!!!!

That is a lot of bags!
Depends on your location, I am about 200 miles north east of jmayerl, I would be doing cartwheels for that kind of production on vacuum.

[ScottP]

Officially done for the year. 570 taps on vacuum and 200 bags. We ended with 356 gallons of syrup. Sugar content in the sap was good all year consistently staying around 2.5-2.7. I would say I ended with a fairly average crop which is better than most of the guys I have talked to. Now just to get cleaned up and put away for next year.

[Trapper2]

I finished off my last batch April 23rd.