MapleAcres

106 visitors today.  224 for both days.  We weren’t sure what to expect.  Very happy with the turn out.  It was fun to see the people that came out in sneakers or even penny loafers in one case.  Really, you’re  wearing regular street shoes in the wet, snowy, muddy woods.  Okay.  Enjoy.  Glad you’re here.  Visitors arrived a little slower this morning because people attended church first.  Bigger groups today.  And entire families and grandparents with grand kids.    That’s what a day visiting a sugar bush should be about.

Started the day with a family breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup.  It was controlled chaos but in a good way.  Then family photos in front of the original maple syrup building.

Into the woods by 8:00 AM to prepare the evaporator and R/O for the day.  By 10:00 AM visitors started arriving.

Froze overnight.  Ice on the puddles.  Partly cloudy most of the day, but did warm to 42 or 43.  Sun peeked out around 3:00 PM.   Went out collecting at 3:00 PM.  We had lot of help so sent them out to collect.  200 gallons.  1.8 °Bx

Our concern about the R/O was resolved today.  It worked as its supposed to work.  The soap wash yesterday helped.  The sap we collected yesterday was only 1.8 °Bx which helped too.  We took the concentrate to 6 °Bx.  Started the R/O by 10:00 AM.  It finished around 1:00 PM.  We were done cooking by 3:00 PM when we set out collecting.

By 5:00 PM we were back at the farmhouse.

It was around Christmas when we picked March 18 & 19 for the open house.  No way to predict the weather.  We got lucky and had sap to cook for both days.

It was a good two days.  Happy 100th.  Thanks for the memories.

118 visitors today for day one of the open house.  Visitors started arriving at 10:00 AM.  By 12:30 PM over 60.   We didn’t know what to expect for turnout.  We are happy with the number of visitors.    No one came after 3:30 but that was okay.  We had to go out collecting then.

Didn’t freeze overnight.  Trees dripped all night.  Not a lot but enough that we could collect.  Picked up 190 gallons.  1.8 Brix.  We have sap to cook for tomorrow’s open house now.

Today was cloudy all day.  A cold wind.  Up to 38.  A lot of snow melted and made it wet and muddy in the woods. Tonight should be mid to upper 20s.  Tomorrow is partly cloudy and warmer.

Trouble with the R/O today.  After reflecting on the problem we think we were pushing the concentrate to too high Brix.  The sap was already 3.4 degrees Brix because of ice we removed.  Coming out of the R/O it was at 9 degrees Brix.  Our R/O is rated for 7 degrees Brix and we usually go to about 5 degrees Brix.  Our membrane couldn’t handle 9 and the pressure when up to the maximum of 500 psi then shut off.  We ran a soap wash cycle and are hoping that helps.  We should have backed off the concentrate Brix.

Much warmer overnight: 30.  No wintery mix at 6:00 AM.  By 6:45 AM it started to snow.  Hard.  By 9:00 AM we had 2” of wet, heavy snow.  Snow changed to drizzle.   By 11:00 AM precipitation stopped.  Stayed  cloudy the rest of the day.  Sun was forecast.  Warmed to mid-30s.  The trees did start to drip and ice in the buckets started melting.

At Noon we headed into the woods to thaw out the evaporator. With a week of cold weather it was all ice.  We need to use a low fire to slowly melt the ice otherwise the lack of liquid will scorch the pans.

By 3:00 PM we started collecting.  Wanted sap for the open house tomorrow.  We knew there was sap in the buckets, but there was also lots of ice.   Usually we dump ice but with such big blocks we saved it in the buckets after pouring out the liquid that had already melted from the ice.  Picked up 210 gallons.  Te sap was 3.4 Brix.  Ice is natures R/O.

Tomorrow is warmer: 40s, but the forecast changed to cloudy.  Sun would have been nicer.   Tomorrow is day one of the open house for season 100.

8 overnight again.  Sunny and 38 during the day.  Trees started dripping late.  When its so cold it takes a long time to warm.  We’re hopeful for sap Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  We warm into the 40s with freezing nights.  Although tonight is forecast for a wintery mix.

The pastor was out at 11:00 AM for a blessing of  the maples.  Maple syrup is the first crop of the season.  Giving thanks for it is appropriate.

12 overnight.  Sunny all day.  Started to warm this afternoon.  Hit 31/32.  A little melt.  Even some liquid in the buckets, but trees not dripping.  Where the snow was thin from plowing the sun is making the ground bare again.

Tomorrow is forecast for upper 30s.  We need that to wake up the trees.  We are hoping for sap this weekend for the 100th season open house.

The evaporator is all frozen up too.  We can build a fire under it but we have to thaw is slowly.  Its ice, not liquid on the bottom.  The pan can scorch if the fire is too high and doesn’t melt the ice fast enough.

Down to 5 overnight.  Sunny, but cold all day:  23-24.  Hoped on the H to clean up the snow from the yard.  We’re clearing a lot of space in the yard for parking this weekend.  Went through the woods too trying to level out the ruts by packing in snow.  That will take more work.

The new hand pump for the filter press arrived.

Wednesday we start to warm.  30s-40s by Thursday and Friday.  Expecting sap.  The timing would be terrific for the open house.

24 hours ago the snow was gone.  The ground bare and brown.  Now we have 6”-8” of snow covering everything.  The wind blows the snow around too.   Second time since mid-February the snow melted then returned.  Because of the cold ice is reforming on the river too.

The trees must be confused about what’s going on: move sap or don’t move sap.   Right now they are not moving sap.

The new heater kept the R/O room at 60.  We’re gaining confidence in it.

Ordered a replacement hand pump for the filter press.

By Wednesday we start to warm.  Thursday and Friday we see high 30s.  And the weekend is looking promising.  We have the open house this weekend so having sap to cook would make it nicer for visitors.

10 overnight.  Sunny, but cold today.  Mid 20s.  Our new heater kept the R/O room at 55-60 overnight.

Put a milk can of syrup into the finishing pan at 10:00 AM.  It was ready by 12:30 PM.  The filter press hand pump cracked and starting leaking while filtering the syrup.  Using a cup we were able to catch the syrup.  We got half the batch through the pump before giving up.  The unfiltered syrup went back into the milk can.  We’ll add more syrup to it and finish it again when we have more sap.  Contacting our equipment supplier about getting a new food grade hand pump.  The filter press is in its 15th season of use.  The hand pump is plastic and after so many cycles of heating and cooling it just gave out.

Tried to level out the ruts in our road to the syrup building.  No luck.  The ground was wet and muddy  before the cold weather set in and now the ruts from the tractor are frozen and hard as concrete.  With the upcoming open house March 18 & 19 we wanted to smooth out the road to make it easier for visitors to walk in.  Our next option is packing snow over it to level it.  We don’t have snow now but we will within 24 hours.   Forecast is 4”-7”.  We’re in the lake effect band.

Bottled 19 quarts.

8 at 5:00 AM this morning.  Sunny, up to 23 but still windy.  Wind chill below 0 this morning.

Into the woods at 11:00 AM to get a milk can of syrup on the finishing pan.  The milk can stood in the cold building all night so the syrup started out very cold.  Takes longer to finish because we have to heat it longer.  We brought the remaining milk can of syrup in the farm house to warm overnight.   Should start out warmer tomorrow when we bottle it.

Used two heaters in the kitchen while bottling.  The heaters are more for the bottles then for us.  We can dress warmer but the bottles should be warm to keep the syrup at pasteurization temperature when filled.  We start bottling when the syrup is 190 degrees.  If the bottle is too cold syrup temperature is lost to warming the bottle and our syrup could fall below pasteurization temperature.

Bottled 31 quarts and 1 pint.  This syrup looks a little lighter in color.

About 12 overnight.  Only 23 during the day.  Sunny and windy.  Wasn’t the wind forecast to stop?   It felt very cold outside.    Tonight down to 10.    Any sap is definitely ice in the buckets now.  The ground is re-freezing too.

We got a new heater for the R/O room.   Hoping it keeps the room warm enough so the R/O membrane doesn’t freeze.  Don’t want to find out the hard way it didn’t.