MapleAcres

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

Every season there is a big run where we get a majority of the sap for the season.    Since last Thursday March 8 has been our big run.    We collected 620 gallons Thursday, 420 gallons Saturday and 300 gallons today.   The 300 today is the tail end of yesterday’s run.  Now without freezing nights we will not have sap runs.   The real question is: is this it?   

Out to the woods by 8:30 AM.   Last night was the switch to day light saving time already so we lost an hour.    It was already in the 40s.   Up to the mid 60s.   Too warm for March 11th.    We will cook late tonight again as we have 500 gallons in storage tanks.  With the warm weather, the sap does not keep and we must get it boiled through.

We got the sap run we were hoping for after the cold of yesterday.   This morning started sunny but very windy.   Got up to the high 30s quickly.   We checked the buckets in the morning.  Not much happening.  The spouts were wet but not running.   It looked like the cold wind would inhibit the sap run.    By Noon the wind quieted down and it warmed rapidly.   Got into the low 60s.    The trees responded.   By 2:30 PM visitors were reporting buckets ½ full to full.   So we got the tractor and set out to collect.   Picked up 420 gallons of sap.   This puts as at 2020 gallons of sap for the season so far.

We also bottled this afternoon.  We had a lot of help so the crew went out collecting while we stayed to bottle.  29 quarts.  

The wind did bring down a “widow maker” from a tree.  Broken tree branches that are caught in the tree and have not yet fallen are called widow makers because if they fall on you then can kill you.     Husbands were the ones working in the woods so the wife would become a widow if one of these branches fell on him.    One tree by the sugar house had a large widow maker.   We have been cautious of it all season and were hoping it would come down safely.   Sometime overnight the wind did bring down most of it.   There is still one branch caught in the tree.  

Tomorrow more cooking.  And maybe collect again.  It will not freeze tonight so the trees will drip all night.