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Thread: Backyard Syrup Enthusiasts 2020

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
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    217

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    Nice run today! Collected 20 gallons for a total stored in the snowbank of 45. I expect another good run tomorrow. Looks like I'll boil Saturday!
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
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    217

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    First boil of the season netted just under 1.25 gallons off 50 for a 2.4% sugar. Crazy day with a cold start, sun, clouds, wind, and snow. When your outdoors the whole time you are at the mercy of the weather. I had planned on boiling 60 gallons but got a later start, so I'll put the left over 10 toward the second boil. Next week looks good, at least some days!
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

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    Holy moly! I woke up to jugs partially full. I guess the faucet turned on last night after a co!d uneventful day. By 5 pm I pulled in 30 gallons, so I've now got 55 waiting to boil. I suspect I'll wake up tomorrow to a similar situation as it was still running strong. I see two boils in my late week plans.
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
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    Second boil of the season went smoothly today, netting just under 1.5 gallons off 55 for a 2.4% sugar content. I don't know what happened temperature wise last night but I ended up with 30 gallons of sap by days end. Next boil is Sunday after the high winds (plus I need to clean my pans). That load today will go toward the next boil following Sunday. The weather next week looks prime for a large sap run.

    How different this season is compared to last year. I didn't have a first boil till March 12 it was so cold. This year I'll likely have four done by that time.
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

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    Third boil today. Thanks to the time change I got a later start so I did 50 gallons. The good news was a 2.5% sugar so we put up 1.25 ga!lons.

    And what a sap flow! Collected 39 gallons during the day and I am headed out to relive a few jugs so there is room for overnight storage. Yikes ! Next boil will be Wednesday. Hopefully I've got enough storage volume till then.
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

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    Fourth boil today and the sugar is staying steady at 2.5%, another 1.25 gallons from 50. No sap to speak of in the jugs.

    It looks like some off and on sap runs till mid next week, but then the temperatures look to be rising day and night. Hopefully it will be temporary. I need to boil 3 more times to get enough syrup for my yearly sugar fix. I guess beyond that is gravy. I've got enough sap to do a boil Saturday and half enough for one after that. Looks like a small run tomorrow as it will be cold tonight.
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Peru, Maine
    Posts
    1,044

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    Decent run in the rain yesterday. Not a ton but more than expected. Boiling!
    305 taps on 2 Shurflo's, 31 taps on 3/16" and 229 taps on gravity. 565 in all
    Mountain Maple S3 controller for 145 of the vacuum taps
    2x6 Darveau Mystique Oil Fired Evaporator w/ Smoky Lake Simplicity Auto Draw
    Wesfab 7” filter press

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

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    Finally got the fifth boil done after two time delays. The sugar is still in the 2.4+ range so I jarred 1.25 gallons and a pint. The color remains amber as well with little sugar sand. I think that may start to change soon.

    My wife and I kind of cheat on the finishing. We strain the hot sap to be finished through a felt filter, boi! it to finish, and direct bottle. Since it's for us or family we accept the small degree of sugar sand that may settle out in favor of a faster bottling and not wasting any syrup in a finishing filter. I actually like the sugar sand and mix it in with my oatmeal.

    I am doing #6 tomorrow and #7 this weekend which will catch me up with the 110 gallons currently stored. I expect a nice sap flow tomorrow afternoon and this weekend through Tuesday looks good too. I would anticipate gathering sap for two more boils from that period. Then I see some warm days/nights so.......wait and see. Nine boils would net me over 11 gallons for the season so that would do.
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

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    Finished the 6th boil Wednesday and the sugar is hovering at almost 2.5%.

    Heck of a run yesterday and into this morning -I stashed near 45 gallons. A lot of jugs were full and overflowing. I have 55 set for Saturday, 55 for Monday, and am working toward probably Wednesday! Still nice and clear. From Saturday on for several days looks like a real good run.
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

    Default Urban Syruping in Style

    This is my daughter's syrup set up on a 1/4 acre lot in the Portland, Maine area. Using a two steam tray arch she has made 2.5 gallons so far this season. With permission she taps a neighbor's silver maple, a pretty big boy, with three taps, and two maples at a nearby aunts. Pallets and scrap wood feed the fire, and the final product is finished on the kitchen stove. The "tent sugar shack" is new this year to buffer from bad weather. I may be biased (well ok I am) but this is a cool set up and shows that you can syrup in any area as long as you can get at some trees!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

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