Hop Kiln Road

[Amber Gold]

Bruce, that's what I'm thinking. I collected 200 gallons this morning and just tested it at 1.4%. I'll need to check my 300 gal releaser tanks. I hope the sugar is better in those. If it is my truck tank gets dumped, and I'll boil those tomorrow. If I'm going to be running low numbers like those during the season I"m going to start testing every batch to make sure I boil the best stuff.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Send him out somewhere and tell him not to come back unless he has the auction dump truck full of sugaring wood! LOL!

[Russell Lampron]

So I'm not the only one making NH Fancy. You are right it is a crime that we have to put a grade B sticker on it. At least we can put a grade B sticker on it. Everywhere else it would be commercial. People think they are getting an inferior product because it doesn't say grade A on it. I think that the grading system needs to be changed. I have a lot of customers that come to me seeking the darkest stuff that I make. This year I have made a ton of it.

[Russell Lampron]

Bruce you're killing me here! I didn't know that there were different grades of NH Fancy. I too have been making a lot of that NH Fancy Ruby. It has a beautiful red shade to it. The last batch that I made is darker. Would that be a NH Fancy Crimson or Garnet? We'll have to get together over a couple of Boiling Sodas and set the standard. I have plenty of sample bottles on my sugar house window to go by. We can put them in a VT temp grading kit box for comparison purposes.

[TapME]

Russ; are you sure its not Killian red that you made? I have some of that fancy here too but it's red pine for me. Boy does it taste great.

[Russell Lampron]

Bruce you should be boiling again (with your evaporator) soon. The weather looks pretty good after today. I know what you mean about the product of Canada blended dark amber crap. It gives us real producers a bad name. The feds want to regulate the hell out of us when we probably make the cleanest product out there. They cant import maple syrup from China though.

Lou I've been drinking plenty of the Killian's Red while I've been making the NH Fancy Ruby.

[SWEETSAP]

Bruce, we are in Dunbarton just a bit south of you at 650 feet. Our taps have been a bit better running than yours but not much. We are still hopefull that there will be a few days of good flow. So far we have never had a flow start earlier than 11:00am or last past 5:30 pm. Good Luck! Dan

[Russell Lampron]

Still making that NH Fancy here too but it seemed to lighten up some towards the end of the boil. Gotta make some quality product to buy the doodlebug a new starter drive!

[SWEETSAP]

Bruce, we are south of the village by about 1 mile right on rt 13. You cannot see us from 13 though. We had a pretty good run yesterday for us. The sap started the season at 2.3 and has been going generally down, todays was 1.7 all NH fancy syrup from todays batch. Our bush definatly needs vacuum!!! So far we have about 1,000 gallons from 250 taps, not good.