Eastern Ontario 2023

[OCHTO]

Shark fin? The metal ones? I have 20 you can have for postage. I also have 10 of the 7/16 metal bucket hanger taps.

[Galena]

OCHTO, that would be awesome. Will PM you my mailing address.

[paulslund]

So last boil of the sap I had in the fridge.. about 200L (give or take) that I RO'd down to about 60 for fun (long story on the RO not working the way it should..so I just kept it running until I had it down). Made for a short 2.75 hour boil and the lights stuff I've made all year.

A new record for sap this year for me: 1,850 (not including the 30L in the buckets I just dumped because I had no room in the fridge! ). Sugar down a bit so likely not quite as much as last year, but estimating around 42-43L, compared to ~48 last year.

Make sure you spray down with bug spray when in your woods!

I pulled the rest of the tubing yesterday afternoon before starting a boil.. and this morning had to pull a dog tick and a deer tick off me. Neither were engorged, but the deer tick was deep and I ended up breaking off the head that is now still embedded in my skin. Time to find a walk-in so I can get that sucker remove before it gets infected. The little tick removal tool just couldn't grab the body so I pulled it off with what I through were small enough tweezers, but that wasn't the right call.. I'm going to get some correct tick tweezers for these times when the tool doesn't work..

That's my PSA for today! Have a great week everyone!

[Galena]

Oh Paul, you always manage to have all the fun! I once also broke off a tick head (the black legged kind I think) at the subdermal layer. Just sterilized the head of pin in a match and dug the head out, used a macro lens to ensure I got all the mouth parts. Then flushed it out. I also went on antibiotics just to be safe.

Nowadays I carry a tick-key with me on keychain. Knock on wood haven't had to use it yet. If I'm outdoors all day esp in any brush and am heading in for the evening, I always shake out my hair, brush off my clothes, usually leave footwear outside, then undress in the bathroom, give the clothes a good shake out over the bathtub, then leave them hanging in there. This seems to be working cause I haven't had a tick get embedded since I began doing this.

My sugar content was complete crap by the end of the season, a little p.o.'d. Ah well. From the 810l I finally got I have around 20l syrup. It would be 22l if I hadn't broken that 2l jar. Ah well. Always next year.

[paulslund]

Funny though the tick key, even the small one wouldn't grab the tick.. it was so small, and definitely not engorge at all, that it just kept slipping through.. Even the dog tick, which is much bigger, I had a tough time with.

But yes I'm certainly going to remember those processes.. I usually always spray down my boots well, but I think I forget with everything I was trying to get done. Was out turkey scouting with my friend earlier in the day and was up early.. we pulled 5 dog ticks off him after he put up his blind.. one had already latched on.. Creepy little buggers.

So yes I think I'll head to a clinic today to see if they can get the rest out..it's behind my shoulder, and starting to show a red area around it, which I don't think should be the irritation we caused it while trying to get it out so probably should get antibiotics. Argh.. I'm too busy with work for this kind stuff..

[Galena]

Yeah true when ticks are tiny the tick keys are pretty much useless. You can always do what some friends of mine do and get some Guinea fowl, they eat the **** things. Pretty useful critters despite the noises they make and eggs that take a hammer drill to break open!

Be careful if they give you doxycycline, I found that stuff brutal.

[Pdiamond]

Any of the cycline's they give you are brutal. You really have to follow the prescription label right to the letter and if you begin to have any side affect you need to contact your physician pronto.

[paulslund]

Geez.. now you guys are scaring me..

[Galena]

I had an awful time on the doxycycline, didn't hear anything about telling the doctor about side effects. Horrible metallic taste in the mouth, complete lack of energy, the squits, ugh. Nowadays if a med professional tells me they're going to put me on an antibiotic I always ask if it's doxy. And if it is, I tell them no frickin way. Give me any other antibiotic but not that.

Ok enough scaring poor Paul lol ;-) You may be ok. Yes, the doxy did make me better but only after being laid up for 2 weeks.

Don't want to say I'm disappointed with this year's crop. But apart from a batch of lighter Dark that doesn't have the usual robust flavours, everything is Amber. No Light at all. Think this is the first year that I've not had a really strong Dark or any Light. Thanks global warming :-/

[paulslund]

Hmm. I don't think I've ever made light, even before switching to the lines, to be honest. I guess the trees give what they give!

So I've updated my estimate, and while a lot is still in the freezer I think it's all very close to being syrup that I should get around 49L, give or take.. so another record year on the books..:-)