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Thread: 2020 Missouri activity

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Southeast missouri
    Posts
    15

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    Nope , it was a little squirrel Not very old

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Florissant Missouri
    Posts
    137

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    skin him, get an aluminum foil pan, place in pan and set on stove pipe exit. Ladle in sap from the pan as you boil. In a few hours you have candied squerrel. As buckeye gold said. Ring that fur out. Sap is worth its weight in gold.
    Crazy River Sap
    55 sugar maple, 15 walnut taps on plastic buckets and tubing
    Block arch on driveway

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Franklin County MO
    Posts
    29

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    Light and buttery, with a hint of squirrel..
    This last week brought me 88 gallons on my 60ish taps. Much better than the week before. So far I'd say a great Jan despite the odd weather start.
    Keep us posted on the walnut trees, I always wondered about those. I have just a few, and don't want to run a separate batch just for them.
    Lots of trees, bees, rocks, firewood, and syrup.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Southeast Missouri
    Posts
    29

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    Quote Originally Posted by Goggleeye View Post
    I haven't been posting much because we've been so busy. Only getting 4-5 hours of sleep each night, as I'm usually finishing the wash cycle on the RO about 1 am.

    We've collected about 3000 gallons on the 585 taps since Saturday, some runs still producing almost a gallon per tree yesterday despite the lack of temp fluctuation. The new tubing system is really paying off. 1 collection point and not having to fight the mud for by 175 tap woodlot has been great. RO a real lifesaver. But still haven't had time to finish syrup. Finishing pan is full, all my ss milk pans are full, and the wife has filled every stock pot we own. I want it to slow down but yet I don't. In 5 days we are at a quarter of last years production. Hope to catch up this weekend.
    Sounds like you need some local, semi-skilled, help that will work for syrup . . . I have JUST retired recently . . . <grin>

    John

    edited for clarity
    Last edited by JayTee; 02-02-2020 at 09:43 AM.

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Franklin County MO
    Posts
    29

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    20200202_091935.jpg

    I finished a batch last night, and noticed it has good color, but it is cloudy. Uniform throughout the container, and all of the containers. I filtered with Smokey lake orlon filters and pre filters. In my several years of doing this I have not had this happen. Using same equipment, same filters. Any ideas?
    Last edited by oldcabin; 02-02-2020 at 09:50 AM.
    Lots of trees, bees, rocks, firewood, and syrup.

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Southeast Missouri
    Posts
    29

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    I'm also getting that, however, I'm just doing a single pass through (what is guess is?) an Orlon Filter. I'm not selling it, so just 'splaining to family that it's Maple Syrup sediment and won't hurt you. Is this niter/sugar sand?

    MapleSyrupSediment.jpg

    John

  7. #37
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

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    Some years it shoots right through filters and is crystal clear others it's slow and cloudy. your not doing anything wrong.I just got in the habit of double filtering all of it and I get all clear. Sometimes the cloudy doesn't show up for a day and I hate bottling and discovering cloudy syrup. even at that it will settle and won't hurt anything. We are all self-conscious of losing syrup in the filters, especially early in our sugaring days. I have come to accept it as part of the game and something that needs done. I do rinse my second filters in the flew pan to save some sugar. It's a choice of what you want as a finished product.
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    hills west of Jeff City Missouri
    Posts
    134

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    Well, the stupid trees were dripping well at 72 deg F yesterday. They're not supposed to do that! Fortunately we had collected most of the sap already. There is some that sat in sapsacks thru that warm weather; I tasted it and it tasted OK, and was not cloudy. Then the night got chilly, like 40 deg. So I think I might be able to salvage that sap when it is diluted in the next run.

    So far we have made about 14 gallons of beautiful gold syrup. Good luck to all!
    2020: 220 trees, most smaller than 20" diameter, made 25 gallons
    remote location in western Cole County
    5/16" plastic spiles, drain into plastic buckets or sapsaks
    haul sap out of woods using atv & trailer
    wood-fired pans on concrete blocks
    one Leader Half Pint 24 x 33" plus 24 x 30 ss pan from a junkyard
    cook batch process then finish in the kitchen;
    we dont sell our syrup; its for family & friends
    see website www.mosyrup.com

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Southeast Missouri
    Posts
    29

    Default Silver Maples - When to quit??

    So, my fellow Missouri Tappers, as a rank newbee, I've got a question about the 'End of the Season'. Most, if not all, of my trees are Silver Maples; probably like many of yours. This crazy weather has been all over the board, with some good temperatures finally coming back, at least for a few days. I'm also seeing buds popping open on my trees. I had read somewhere that you should pull taps when buds start popping, as hormones will give the syrup a funny flavor. I've read that you can sugar Silver Maples until they go 'dry'. Tasted some the sap and flavor seems fine.

    When do I HAVE to quit? I can get a better picture with my DSLR; this was out of my phone, zoomed in. Humph! This picture does not show sideways on my computer; sure does when I upload it!

    MaplesBudding.jpg
    Thanks!

    John
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by JayTee; 02-07-2020 at 03:10 PM. Reason: Picture editing

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Southeast Missouri
    Posts
    29

    Default Silver Maples - Budding

    Soooo, knowing I had more time that some might and to aid in answering my question, here's more pictures. Maybe 1/3, or less, of my trees have buds popping:

    MapleBudPopping.jpg

    The rest are still tight:
    MaplesTightBud.jpg

    Trees are making great sap; my 'favorites' already have 1/2 a gallon.

    Thanks for looking.

    John

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