Author Topic: OT Maple Taps (Read 156759 times)

maineduckhunter · « **Reply #720 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 12:03 PM »

Quote from: toguefisha on Mar 26, 2013, 11:26 AM

Sap ran real good yesterday and I expect more good results today. Ran out of storage, so guess I've gotta do another burn tonight.

HA I ran into the same thing yesterday, ran out of storage. Had to do a boil yesterday after work. Going to try to finish it off tonight. Still have about 15 gallons in storage, hope to boil that off this weekend, plus some!!

Westerly · « **Reply #721 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 12:15 PM »

Swamped here too. Filled over 3/4 my storage from just yesterday. Gotta bottle the last batch tonight and then its right back to boiling.
We are going to be busy, but it sure beats the heck out of last year.

_FLAG_ · « **Reply #722 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 01:21 PM »

Quote from: Westerly on Mar 26, 2013, 12:15 PM

Swamped here too. Filled over 3/4 my storage from just yesterday. Gotta bottle the last batch tonight and then its right back to boiling.
We are going to be busy, but it sure beats the heck out of last year.

Can't wait to sample this!!!!

maineduckhunter · « **Reply #723 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 01:42 PM »

Quote from: Westerly on Mar 26, 2013, 12:15 PM

Swamped here too. Filled over 3/4 my storage from just yesterday. Gotta bottle the last batch tonight and then its right back to boiling.
We are going to be busy, but it sure beats the heck out of last year.

TRUE....last year I had to get sap from friends. My trees went dry in days!!

Westerly · « **Reply #724 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 03:13 PM »

Quote from: _FLAG_ on Mar 26, 2013, 01:21 PM

Can't wait to sample this!!!!

I'm sure you'll have the opportunity - I'll probably have enough for some quality 'camp salmon/togue' prizes in May too. (Better than that swill I had to bring from my last boil last year

That stuff was embarrassing.

)

_FLAG_ · « **Reply #725 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 04:57 PM »

Quote from: Westerly on Mar 26, 2013, 03:13 PM

I'm sure you'll have the opportunity - I'll probably have enough for some quality 'camp salmon/togue' prizes in May too. (Better than that swill I had to bring from my last boil last year That stuff was embarrassing. )

I don't know what you're talking about..... that stuff was great last year!!!

Westerly · « **Reply #726 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 06:18 PM »

Really? Hmmm. Maybe I gave that batch of funk to Joe...

Tonight i didn't collect even half of what I got yesterday. Oh well, didnt have room for more anyway.

HardwaterFish · « **Reply #727 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 06:45 PM »

Quote from: Westerly on Mar 26, 2013, 06:18 PM

Really? Hmmm. Maybe I gave that batch of funk to Joe...

Tonight i didn't collect even half of what I got yesterday. Oh well, didnt have room for more anyway.

Sounds like you need some help boiling and drinking....I can stoke a fire and empty cans with the best of them

ICEMAN-73 · « **Reply #728 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 07:24 PM »

sad night for me, I had about 1 gal of syrup 10 min away from bottling when I accidentally dropped the electronic thermometer in the syrup, it was in it for about 30 seconds before I could get it out! it obviously ruined the thermometer but it might have contaminated the batch of syrup so I ended up dumping it out.

icewoman · « **Reply #729 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 07:56 PM »

Alot of hardwork goes into making syrup BUT nothing tastes better then the final outcome!

Keychain · « **Reply #730 on:** Mar 26, 2013, 09:31 PM »

As I donned the headlamp at 9:30 tonight to finish collecting the rest of today's sap, I began to question my sanity a bit. The 3 year old in the house pretty much runs my schedule until his bedtime, so this will be my 3rd school night in a row being up past midnight watching sap boil. But then, I looked at the finished product, and it seemed worth it. 8 pints put up so far and it seems like the trees are just kicking into gear the past few days. Hell, I can sleep when I'm dead...

Phoenix · « **Reply #731 on:** Mar 27, 2013, 03:56 AM »

Yep, no rational person would do this

But the final product kinda looks like gold don't it?

gamefisher · « **Reply #732 on:** Mar 27, 2013, 04:55 AM »

Quote from: ICEMAN-73 on Mar 26, 2013, 07:24 PM

sad night for me, I had about 1 gal of syrup 10 min away from bottling when I accidentally dropped the electronic thermometer in the syrup, it was in it for about 30 seconds before I could get it out! it obviously ruined the thermometer but it might have contaminated the batch of syrup so I ended up dumping it out.

Ouch! Really feel your pain ICEMAN considering the work and time that goes into getting it down to that 1 gal.

Key chain - you've come a long way at this obsession, your product looks good!

Keychain · « **Reply #733 on:** Mar 27, 2013, 08:02 AM »

ICEMAN, I'd be pretty bummed right now considering 1 gal is my entire season's production thus far! Had to have been hard to dump all of that out...

Thanks gamefisher, and you're on target. It is an obsession. I'm still getting a bit of sediment, but since I'm too lazy to filter, I've just been letting it settle then pouring off the good stuff into another jar. The sludge goes into another container that maybe I'll try to boil down to candy. Only got about halfway through my boil last night before I shut it down, but still didn't get shuteye until after midnight. Expect there will be more to collect and boil again tonight...

gamefisher · « **Reply #734 on:** Mar 27, 2013, 08:20 AM »

My trees finally cut loose on Mon., 17 gal. from 12 taps coupled with about the same amount I had in storage made for a good boil. Trees here are still making for beautiful light syrup. Finished and bottled yesterday and wow. The reflection you see is actually the dish cloth in back, no sediment whatsoever in the 2 batches I've finished to date.

BUY THE COFFEE URN GENTLEMEN.

Yesterday was much colder and breezy but still 10 gal of sap from the 12 taps last night, should be a good boil for Sat. Spent some time this morning converting back to wood, 100# cylinder is out and want to do a comparison anyway. I see great conditions right through next weekend.

I think this will easily be a 10 gal. of sap per tap year.

maineduckhunter · « **Reply #735 on:** Mar 27, 2013, 08:53 AM »

Finished off about 25 gallons last night....ended with 2.5 quarts of Syrup!! Pictures to come!!

Collected 10 more gallons yesterday and still had about 15 gallons in storage, this Saturday will be my final boil!!

Westerly · « **Reply #736 on:** Mar 27, 2013, 10:33 AM »

Bottled about a gallon and a half last night (including the cloudy stuff from the last batch). Happy to say they were all crystal clear but it was probably the worst filtering session I've ever had. I'll be changing a few things up next time around.

ICEMAN, that is a real drag. Can't imagine having to dump all that hard work. Maybe this link will cheer you up! Saw this last year and got a kick out of it (it's a little long, but worth it).

http://youtu.be/EqreE_O6mBU

toguefisha · « **Reply #737 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 10:46 AM »

Gonna finish boiling off last of my sap tonight and then pull my taps. Sap run has tapered off to nothing and spring weather is finally in the forecast. Not a bad year, should have a total of 2-3 gallons of syrup after this last boil. Not bad considering I only tap the two trees in my front yard

gamefisher · « **Reply #738 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 11:04 AM »

Quote from: toguefisha on Mar 28, 2013, 10:46 AM

Gonna finish boiling off last of my sap tonight and then pull my taps. Sap run has tapered off to nothing and spring weather is finally in the forecast. Not a bad year, should have a total of 2-3 gallons of syrup after this last boil. Not bad considering I only tap the two trees in my front yard

You've come this far Alec, you might as well as hang in there through the weekend, you won't regret it.

Westerly · « **Reply #739 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 11:26 AM »

Quote from: toguefisha on Mar 28, 2013, 10:46 AM

Gonna finish boiling off last of my sap tonight and then pull my taps. Sap run has tapered off to nothing and spring weather is finally in the forecast. Not a bad year, should have a total of 2-3 gallons of syrup after this last boil. Not bad considering I only tap the two trees in my front yard

Alec, I'm so jealous of trees like that. You and I have made about the same amt of syrup only difference I had to tap 40+ woods trees over several acres to do it!!

grub662 · « **Reply #740 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 11:40 AM »

This is what your shooting for. No sugar in the bottom, not too light " maple flavored water ", not too dark " molasses. But I cheated. I dropped the gallon jugs off at Breakneck Ridge Farm in Blanchard and Steve filled them for me. It was about 1/3 rd of the price that I can make it for and comes out PERFECT!!!

sr73087 · « **Reply #741 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 11:49 AM »

How much longer do you Maine guys have? I just pulled my taps last night after getting no runs the last few days and a forecast with no freezing temps over the next week.

toguefisha · « **Reply #742 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 12:00 PM »

Quote from: gamefisher on Mar 28, 2013, 11:04 AM

You've come this far Alec, you might as well as hang in there through the weekend, you won't regret it.

Weather report is looking like it'll barely get down to freezing at night :/ Need to get my apple trees pruned up this weekend, plus I had some apple rootstock and scions come in the other day. Time to graft myself up some more trees

toguefisha · « **Reply #743 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 12:02 PM »

Quote from: Westerly on Mar 28, 2013, 11:26 AM

Alec, I'm so jealous of trees like that. You and I have made about the same amt of syrup only difference I had to tap 40+ woods trees over several acres to do it!!

I have a third, even larger tree right in my backyard that I don't even bother to tap because it'd be way more sap than I need. I taped all 3 my first winter after moving in, felt like I never stopped boiling

maineduckhunter · « **Reply #744 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 12:03 PM »

Quote from: sr73087 on Mar 28, 2013, 11:49 AM

How much longer do you Maine guys have? I just pulled my taps last night after getting no runs the last few days and a forecast with no freezing temps over the next week.

We are probably nearing the end this week!! Up north may be a little longer!!

The Rusty Crab · « **Reply #745 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 12:35 PM »

I got a week at least left just getting prime for me

Keychain · « **Reply #746 on:** Mar 28, 2013, 11:01 PM »

It takes a little longer than normal to collect sap when I have my "helper" but I wouldn't trade him for the world

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h364/ggilbert1968/40C9928C-4C2E-4406-8CA6-FCD43CD26C8C-2295-0000032E3DB47CC5_zps75c454f8.mp4

44 Degrees North · « **Reply #747 on:** Mar 29, 2013, 04:43 AM »

I was just reading on another site where investigators swarmed a yard in Anna,Ill. It seems some neighbors thought these people were running a meth lab. Come to find out it was just a syrup operation. They sent the law on their way with a couple of quarts of syrup and thanked their neighbors for being so alert.

rude the dude · « **Reply #748 on:** Mar 29, 2013, 07:46 PM »

just finished my last batch, so far I'm just shy of the 5 gallons I wanted. Looks like it's over. I'm going to wait a few more days before I give up, supposed to get cold a couple nights next week. All in all compared to last year , this year wasn't to bad. Time to dig out the smelt nets.

Santo180 · « **Reply #749 on:** Mar 29, 2013, 08:14 PM »

Quote from: 44 Degrees North on Mar 29, 2013, 04:43 AM

I was just reading on another site where investigators swarmed a yard in Anna,Ill. It seems some neighbors thought these people were running a meth lab. Come to find out it was just a syrup operation. They sent the law on their way with a couple of quarts of syrup and thanked their neighbors for being so alert.

That's funny. I don't know anything about making meth but I would assume it doesn't involve maple trees lol

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Author Topic: OT Maple Taps (Read 156759 times)