MapleAcres

We should have started earlier.  If we had tapped by February 14 we would have had more sap.  Likely even an average to above average season.  The week of February 14 had the freeze/thaw cycles we need:  20s at night and 40s during the day.   In future years we will be ready to move earlier if we have warm winters.  The trend may be warmer winters too with climate change.  

Still we were fortunate.  With 51 gallons we had 85% of an average crop.  Other producers did much worse with 25% to 30% of a crop.    We are thankful for the crop we got.

The big disappointment was the R/O.   We don’t regret getting it.  It was how the order was handled by the vendor.   We understand its a piece of industrial equipment.    We are not gong to walk into our local Ag supply store and walk out with an R/O.  But we did order it October 6, 2011 and the vendor said it should arrive without problem for the season.  

During the off season we have a number of projects to complete.  Build an addition to the syrup building for the R/O.  Its needs 240 volt power and insulation so it does not freeze.   We need a new smoke stack on the evaporator.   We just got by with the current smoke stack as its rusted and burnt through in a number of places.  We are still surprised we had no smoke in the building.    We will put in a new gate to the woods.  And we need to start a tree transplant program to get young maples in the areas around the syrup building.   The area has mowed for the past 15 or more years.  There is no young growth only mature trees that are fast coming to their end of life.

In October we will attend the North American Maple Syrup Council annual meeting in Connecticut.    We plan to be back here in February or March of 2013 for season 96.

Song of the Season: Broken Hearted, Karmin

Our equipment dealer arrived about 11:30 AM with the R/O.  Yeah!  We can see it and touch it even though we can’t use it until next year.  Its neat to have this.  Its the start of a transformation of our maple syrup operations.  Our current operations are 1950s/1960s technologies.  Buckets, spouts, visiting each tree to collect sap.   A low efficiency evaporator.   The quantity and quality of the syrup reflect the 50s and 60s and was good for that time.  But newer technologies have come along that improve both the quantity and quality of maple syrup that can be made of even a small sugar bush.  And reduce the manual labor.  The R/O was the one thing we could do that would have the biggest impact on the operations so we started there.   It will reduce firewood use.  Decrease cooking time.  Improve quality of the syrup because less cooking time means lighter grades of syrup.  And as a bonus give us water to use. 

Over the coming years we hope to install a vacuum tubing system and upgrade the evaporator.   This will all take a few years to accomplish.  But it has begun.

We are done.  

Its always a bittersweet moment with conflicting feelings of satisfaction for completing the season and also sadness that its over.  One of the last tasks is unplugging the radio and taking down the clock.  Then one last picture of the syrup building from the road.

Today’s tasks were cleaning the bottling pan, washing the floor,  sealing up the gas burners and disconnecting the propane tank.   We also brought back to the house various pieces of equipment including the filter press, collecting pails, milk cans, pump, scoops and strainers.

The off-season will be busy with setting up the R/O.  We need to add a room to the syrup building for it.  It can not freeze so it needs to be insulated.  We also need to get 240 volt power to the building.

After a few days reflection we will write up a season summary with our observations and insights.

We finished bottling today.   17 quarts.  When we total up the syrup for the season we get 51 gallons.   This batch of syrup was dark, grade B.  Some people like it.  And its good for cooking and baking. 

After bottling we went to work on the cleaning the nitre from the finishing pan.  Its kind’a like ring around the collar with nitre on the pan.  Its a ring of nitre about 1 ½ “ up around the pan.    All the nitre is off.  The pan is the cleanest its been in many years.   Nitre is not harmful to the quality of the syrup.   But it does cause a dull film on the stainless steel.  And on the bottom of the pans a buildup of nitre can cause weird heat distribution.

Into the woods by 9:00 AM to get the syrup on the finishing pan.  Started bottling by 12:45 PM.  Back to the house by 6:00 PM.  While waiting for the syrup we cut up limb wood for the wood shed.  It rained this afternoon. 

It looks like the R/O will arrive on Sunday.   Our equipment dealer is going to bring it. 

We have one more day of cleaning.   The season is not done until all the cleaning is done.

The local newspaper came today to do a story on the season and take pictures.   We were bottling so there was something to show.   In a “normal” season we would have been busy with collecting, cooking and bottling. The third week of March is usually among the busiest of a normal season.  With this early season we don’t have much to show since we are pretty much done.   It was nice of the reporter and photographer to come.

Into the woods by 10:30 AM.  Picked up limb wood.   There were several pieces we have walked over for two season now so it was good to get that picked up.   It makes good firewood so there is no reason to let it decay in the woods when we can use it.

By 1:00 PM we emptied a milk can into the finishing pan.   By 2:30 PM when the reporter came we were ready to bottle.    We bottled 15 quarts and 1 pint.  We have about 47 gallons so far for the season with one milk can left to finish and bottle.    By 4:00 PM we were back to the house.