Started taking off buckets and pulling spouts today.  Most are off already.  We take the buckets off, empty them and turn upside down to dry for a day before picking them up the next day.  Its bitter sweet to take down the buckets as it really means the end of the season.  No buckets and spouts, no sap.  There may even be a run again over the weekend as freezing nights return.  But have to move on to other things.  And this has been a good season.  We bottled 23 quarts today again.  We now have 275 quarts total and should end up with 71 or more gallons.  

We got a late start boiling today as we had to clean our syrup pan on the evaporator.  When the niter (sugar sand) builds up on the bottom of the pan it does not heat properly.  It takes about 2 hours to break down and clean, which seems like wasted time.  Except that without cleaning you putz around so long trying to get a good boil that this is faster.