2017 Season

[Paddymountain]

Well, After living in Bahama like weather for 4 or 5 days, I dumped my 50 buckets yesterday, and gave them a swish. Tress were dripping some.
This morning it was 21 degrees!!! I set my barrels back out to start collection again. The evaporator needs rinsed out, and then we are off to the races.
No sign of sugars budding, we just might pull this off!!!!

[helptheold]

Checked this morning, some of mine were buddy (know that taste now!), some weren't dripping and a few still seemed OK but not enough for me to tell. I'll check again tonight but I think that warm spell last week was the end.

[HowardR]

10am: Today's sap is 1% sugar, clear (not cloudy) and I couldn't taste any bad flavor. I did my taste test after boiling about a gallon for 15 minutes. I've got my RO turning it into 4% right now. I'll do a more accurate taste test after I turn it into syrup tomorrow.

Update at noon: After running about 25 gallons through my RO and starting to boil up the concentrate, I changed my mind. The smell of the boiling concentrate reminded me of dirty wash water. I'm done for the year.

[helptheold]

10am: Today's sap is 1% sugar, clear (not cloudy) and I couldn't taste any bad flavor. I did my taste test after boiling about a gallon for 15 minutes. I've got my RO turning it into 4% right now. I'll do a more accurate taste test after I turn it into syrup tomorrow.

Update at noon: After running about 25 gallons through my RO and starting to boil up the concentrate, I changed my mind. The smell of the boiling concentrate reminded me of dirty wash water. I'm done for the year.

Ick. I pulled everything yesterday, gotta finish up washing everything then figure out where to put it all until next year.

[Paddymountain]

Well, I collected 200 gallons of sap today. I was really surprised. 75 gallons of it came from my reds on vacuum,sugar content`1.3
I got it all boiled tonight. My evaporator was all cleaned and started from new, not sweetened. Amazingly, I made about 1 1/2 of syrup
til I had it all boiled down! I don't understand ,but I'll take it. After tomorrow the temps go back down tomorrow, hopefully we'll get a reset
and make a little more syrup. I'd like to make another 25 gallons. Ya gotta aim high if you are gonna hit your goal!!!!

[Dennis H.]

HowardR, I've made some late season syrup in the past. Funny thing that I found is that besides the odd smell while boiling and the almost uncontrollable foaming the syrup had a good taste. Really dark though.
I tried also to use it to make granulated sugar with late season syrup and I can say that it will make sugar but you will be stirring for a loooong time. And that odd smell while boiling will come back.

So you are probable wise to call it an end to the season.

[Dennis H.]

PaddyMtn, glad to hear you are sill plugging along.

My daughter tapped 2 trees here at the house this season, she pulled the buckets the day I pulled my taps. Yesterday I looked out back and noticed that the side of the trees where the buckets were hung was wet from the tap hole all the way to the ground.
In some weird way I wish I had still had the taps in but when I see almost everything cleaned and put away, I am happy with how the season went.

Are you trees budding? Almost every red maple that I see near me has popped buds with the red flowery thingies on it.

[Paddymountain]

DennisH; yeah we are still plugging along! After the warm spell I brought every drum home and pressure washed out, and then set them out Monday morning.
I have a cage tank that I wish I had flushed out with some water. Like HowardR said; I had about 40 gallons that looked a little murky.
I even boiled some and it tasted fine, but.....down the drain it went. I just can't see adding that to the mix when everything else was nice and clean.
The syrup I pulled off last night was fairly light, according to the bubbles. Not too scientific, but after awhile you get the feel of what colors look like in the syrup pan.
I only have 50 buckets and they haven't been out 2 weeks until tomorrow. Most of my tubing is new or really clean.
I gotta believe, there is still syrup to be made, at leadt the next week!!!

[helptheold]

Finally did a final boil on some of my frozen concentrate, I'm rather impressed at how off I was in my guess of how much I'd end up with. Right now I'm at 85 oz bottled, 60 oz finished & a 1/2 gallon still waiting to finish off. Most likely since I got a hydrometer and didn't have to guess

I was hoping to give some out as gifts but that's changed and only a select few are getting some! Did put a vanilla bean in one bottle & a cinnamon stick in another, hopefully it'll taste awesome.

[weaver]

Tapped in around February 5th and I think I'm pulling them this weekend. We've got 30 taps, collected about 90 gallons to make about 1 1/3 gallons of finish. Not a great season here this year with the weather.