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Thread: Made my first maple syrup today!

  1. 03-02-2023, 07:56 PM #1
    Spikeman
    Spikeman is offline Fire Wood Chopper Spikeman is on a distinguished road
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    Default Made my first maple syrup today!

    So, I have an evaporator coming but don't have it yet. I have been fortunate to use a friends 1/2 pint evaporator - boiled down some sap last Friday. Didn't get it finished off there so i bought it home to finish off today. Started with my Turkey Frier then moved to the indoor stove. Must have checked it every minute but finally got it to 66brix and by the time i got off the stove it was about 67 brix - i used both a hydrometer and a refractometer to check it - boy, when you get close it all goes so fast!

    Very happy with it, I'm thinking pancakes for breakfast tomorrow

    btw: my evaporator is being made by a friend that has a welding school. It will be the same size 3 chanel pan as a 1/2 pint. It just got finished - I just have to go pick it up. Shame there's been no sap for about the past week here in NH.

    Steve
    A new guy here - learning a lot from you guys!
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  2. 03-02-2023, 08:47 PM #2
    ecolbeck
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    Congratulations!! Have fun!
    60ish taps on buckets
    D&G Sportsman 18x63
    Turbo RB15 RO Bucket
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  3. 03-02-2023, 09:21 PM #3
    ScottT
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    Congratulations! Happy Boiling !
    2021 - First year: 4 taps; Tapped too late; 4.5 gallons of sap
    2022 - 11 taps; 20 gallons of sap
    2023 - 23 taps. 3.5 gallons of syrup
    2023 - Founded the TruNorth Maple Co.
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  4. 03-02-2023, 09:44 PM #4
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    Swingpure
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    Congrats, always special to make and taste your first syrup!
    2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
    930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
    DYI Vacuum Filter
    2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
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  5. 03-03-2023, 06:41 AM #5
    DairyVet
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    Congrats! I usually can’t wait til breakfast to enjoy my first finished syrup of the year. Thankfully it goes very well with a couple fingers of bourbon.
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  6. 03-03-2023, 07:07 AM #6
    eustis22
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    Congratultions and commiserations.....you are so screwed now.
    2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
    2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
    2017 - 49 taps on gravity, 6 on buckets.
    2016 - 19 taps on new 3/16 tubing, 24 on buckets
    2015 - 51 taps, 26 buckets
    2014 - 50 taps, 14 buckets, steel railroad toolbox converted into arch, new 2X3 continuous flow Phaneuf from Homestead Maple
    2013 - 33 taps, 12 buckets, steel railroad toolbox converted into arch, steam table pans
    2012 - 26 taps, 10 buckets, steel railroad toolbox converted into arch, steam table pans
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  7. 03-03-2023, 07:41 AM #7
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    littleTapper
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    Ha! Yes, now it spirals out of control. Looking forward to your future thread on your new RO.

    Enjoy and congrats!!!
    42.82N
    2015 - Small operation. 25 buckets. One excited 5 year old and one 35 year old that feels 5 again.
    2016 - One year older. New Homemade 2x4 Arch, Smoky Lake Pan and looking at 52 maples, 17 box elders and 2 walnut trees.
    2017 - Shurflo 4008 hooked to 42 stingy silver maples and a few Norways. A couple buckets on sugars and Norways. 10 box elders.
    2018 - ...a few more taps.
    2019 - ...more taps on 3/16 gravity. This spiral is heading downward in a hurry.
    2020 - 4x400 RO - RB20 (uh-oh!)
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  8. 03-03-2023, 09:37 AM #8
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    MajorWoodchuck
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    Quote Originally Posted by DairyVet View Post
    Congrats! I usually can’t wait til breakfast to enjoy my first finished syrup of the year. Thankfully it goes very well with a couple fingers of bourbon.
    We usually have waffles in the sugar shack with boiling syrup that is almost done and we can't wait any longer.

    At least you have good company as your whole world is focused on 6 weeks every spring.
    Dan of Jack & Daniel's syrup.
    2021 - First time tapper, 40 TAPS, 7 GAL syrup
    2022- 105 taps, 17 gal syrup,
    2023- 143 taps, New permanent 12x16 shack. Lost my father in law Jack who helped me build it. His name lives on in our syrup. New Badgerland filter press.
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  9. 03-03-2023, 10:43 AM #9
    Spikeman
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    Thanks everyone!
    I think my first upgrade for next year will be to move away from buckets hanging on trees (or should i say buckets on the ground from falling off the trees). First instance will be larger buckets on the ground with tubing from the tree/spile.

    Second upgrade will be a better sap storage method, a larger storage tank than the 5 gallon buckets I use right now.

    I'm sure there will also be a third, forth and fifth upgrade, just have to work out what will improve my process.

    Steve
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  10. 03-03-2023, 10:54 AM #10
    Gunner
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    Did everything your doing when I started out- I fell down that same rabbit hole and there's no turning Back- I was warned too-

    a year later I'm cutting up Oil tanks and buying welding equipment, More syrup equipment, and don't forget the pans got to love the price of the Pans, They must think Im an Oil Barron ,

    Good Luck and Enjoy , When the Neighbors call you crazy- you always have a group here at the asylum to talk too-
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