MapleAcres

Into the woods by 10:30.  Back to house by 5:30.   The evaporator is clean.  Front syrup pan.  Big flue pan.  Arch is swept of ashes.  The pans do not look 35 years old.   If you did not know, you might guess 2 years old.

Tomorrow we bottle the remaining syrup.  The local newspaper wants to come out to do a story on maple syrup.   We told them they missed the season but they want to come anyway.

And places in land away from Lake Michigan are reaching 80 degrees.   We had about 63.  Its too warm.   We can not make assumptions about the future based on one year.   But if warm winters happen a few times a decade that could adversely effect maple syrup seasons.

Into the woods by 9:00 AM.   Back to the house by 5:30 PM.  Worked on cleaning the evaporator all day.   The small syrup pan is the cleanest its been in years.  We took the time to get all the nitre off.  There was a ring of nitre building up about 1 ½” up the pan.   It was at the level we boil sap in the pan.     Its all off now.   The stainless steel polishing pads do a nice job.   Also cleaned all the soot from the bottom of the pan facing the fire.  The bottom is just as clean as the inside.  

The inside of the big pan is clean.   About 2/3 of the bottom remains.   It is a dirty task cleaning all the soot off the bottom.  Scrap with a sharp putty knife.   Spray with oven cleaner.   Polish with the polishing pads.  

If you did not know, you would never guess these pans are 35 years old.  They look like new.

We noticed the robins are quite fat.   The warm weather must be making it easy to find food.

Into the woods by 9:30 AM.  Back by Noon.    We started cleaning the evaporator pans today.   While the pans were simmering with cleaning solution we started picking up limb wood.

This afternoon we went to visit two other local syrup makers around the Whitelaw area.  During the season we are all busy and can not get out to see other operations.  They too are cleaning up after the season.    One had 200 taps the other about 300 taps but he was on vacuum tubbing  and made about 200 gallons.   Vacuum systems really make a difference for sap yield.   Hopefully we will get a vacuum system too in a few years.

Into the woods by 9:00 AM.  Back to the house by 5:00 PM.   Filled the collecting tank with water to use for cleaning.    Got the big pan off the evaporator and rinsed.  Then back on the evaporator and filled with water and cleaning solution.    The cleaning solution needs heat to work.    The evaporator is not too coated with nitre.  When we make less syrup there is less boiling so the pan does not get as coated.   The big pan is heavy and awkward.  We place a ramp on the side of evaporator to slide the pan off. 

All the buckets and covers are picked up and back in storage.   The storage tanks are cleaned.   Getting the valves off was a challenge.  The wrench was not turning them loose.  Had to get the WD-40.   The sugar in the sap must have dried and caused the threads to stick. 

Heard from our equipment supplier.   He is farther North and still making syrup.  He is also on vacuum tubing which helps keep the tap holes fresh.  Syrup makers the north of the state may have some season left.  It can even get cold and snow here yet but the sap has already moved in the trees. 

All the sap from the evaporator is now in the front pan.  It will be a dark batch of syrup.  But some people like dark syrup.   It will simmer over night and should be ready to go to the finishing pan by tomorrow.

Into the woods by 9:00 AM.  Back to the house by 4:30 PM.   All the spouts are pulled from the trees.   The buckets are still upside down by the trees to dry out.  Tomorrow we hope to pick them up.

Also worked on cooking down the sap in the evaporator.    We fire to a light boil then let it simmer.  By late afternoon it was cooked down quite far.  Tomorrow we will fill the big pan with water then add milk stone remover which we use to clean the pans.  We consolidate all the sap into the front pan while the water and milk stone is in the back pan then light a fire to cook the sap.   The milk stone remover needs heat to work its magic so this arrangement works well. 

Tomorrow we start the day with a  water run.  We fill the 200 gallon collecting tank with water so we have enough for cleanup.

The pipes from the storage tanks to the evaporator are down and rinsed.

Up to 63 today.  Farther from Lake Michigan its getting into the 70s.  Even with this warm weather the buds on the trees are still dormant.   That’s surprising.

Into the woods by 10:30 AM to start taking down the buckets.  Taking down the buckets is the end of optimism for the season.    Its really ending and the amount of syrup is now fixed as there will be no new sap.   We dumped most of the sap from the buckets as it was quite bad.  But kept about 40 gallons  that looked OK.   So tomorrow we will cook down this 40 gallons plus what is in the evaporator.  Either Saturday or Sunday will pull the spouts and pickup buckets.      Now its on to clean up mode.

Still waiting for the R/O.

Back to the house by 5:00 pm.

The next few days we get temperatures in the high 60s with lows in the 50s.   This is not sappin’ weather.  It seems wrong for this time in March.  The average temperatures for March 15 are high of 38 and low of 24.   Our plan is to collect any sap that looks good tomorrow then take down the buckets.    Over the weekend pull the taps and gather up the buckets and covers for storage.

We bottled 31 quarts today.   Sill have a half milk can of syrup.  Plus what’s in the evaporator. 

Into the woods by 10:30 AM and finished by 4:30 PM.

“ When Early March Seems Middle May” is the title of poem we found in a book titled Riley Farm-Rhymes by James Whitcom Riley published in 1905.    Its a fitting description for what is happening now.

Into the woods by 8:30 AM.   Emptied one milk can of syrup in the finishing pan.   That was ready for bottling by 11:00 AM.  Bottled 30 quarts.   We were done by Noon.   We still have one full milk can and one half milk can of syrup to finish and bottle.

It was warm today.   Mid 60s.   The warm weather pattern seems here to stay.  We could get a cold spell yet.   Even snow.   But the sap has pretty much moved in the trees now.   The tap holes start healing and the sap flow stops. 

Still waiting for the R/O.

Started the day with a water run with the tractor at 8:30 AM.   Needed water to wash our pans before cooking for the day.    There was 21 ½” in the small tank when we started, about 175 gallons.  Pushed hard boiling all day and by 6:00 PM it was empty.  Back in the house by 7:00 PM which is the earliest for the past six days.  Its been a busy few days cooking through these runs.   We still have to bottle.  We have two and a half milk can full of syrup. 

The overnight it was down to the low 40s.  Up to low 60s today.   Not the type of weather we need.  All signs point to the end of the season.     Less sweet sap.   Darker syrup.  No freezing nights.   We have not seen any buds on the trees yet but with the warm weather that can not be far behind.

A year ago today March 13 we made our first syrup.   This year we are looking at the end of the season already.

The day started foggy and ended foggy with rain in between.   The sun even made a cameo appearance around 5:00 PM.   Low 40s overnight.  Up to low 50s today.    Tomorrow’s forecast is low 60s and sunny. 

The syrup is turning darker and the sugar content is now below 2%.   All signs the season is ending.

Into the woods by 8:30 AM.  Cooked all day.    Emptied the large storage tank:  225 gallons.  Got good rolling boils today in the evaporator.  Dryer wood.   Its a sign of good boiling when you can drop 2” an hour on the tank.   Tomorrow we cook until the smaller 175 gallon tank is empty. 

Two milk cans are now full of syrup  and  we started on the third milk can of syrup.  We must bottle soon.

The days measurements, in inches,  on the storage tank.

10:00  22 ¾
11:00  21 ½
12:00  19 ¼
1:00  18
2:00 15 ¼
3:00 13 ½
4:00 11 ½
5:00  9 ¾
6:00  8
7:00  6
8:00 3 ¾
9:15 empty