MapleAcres

30 more taps using the sap-sak bags are out. Total taps: 410. If we have a normal season with 1.5 pints per tap we should get 75 gallons of syrup.

Storage tanks are clean. A tank of water for the initial R/O membrane wash is ready. We have new PVC pipes from the storage tanks to the evaporator. The galvanized pipes were old and heavy. Last season we had a blockage in the pipes. See http://mapleacres.com/?p=1898 These pipes are much lighter, use stainless steal valves, and are food grade with NSF-PW rating. PW is for potable water. We spent several weeks planing these pipes to properly identity and source all the fittings. We aren’t experienced plumbers.

Tomorrow we’ll connect the R/O hoses. We also plan to collect. There are 1-2 quarts in the pails, but it gets colder and Saturday and Sunday. We want to collect before the sap turns to ice.

We stopped by the General Contractor for our house. While commenting that we expect the season to start slow because of deep frost due to lack of snow cover during the January cold spell, they commented the frost is 57” deep. They had to dig a septic system trench. Typical frost depth is 48”

Low 40s and cloudy today. Light frost overnight. Into the woods by Noon. Back to the farmhouse by 4:30 PM.

Into the woods by 6:45 AM. 150 more taps by Noon. 30 more taps in the afternoon. 380 now. Plan for 30 more tomorrow using the sap-sak bags.

Had the evaporator repaired. It needed a weld on the back right side where the side joins the stack plate. It’s load bearing and a broken weld caused the evaporator to separate which increased the width so the pan no longer set on the support rails. It could have been quite the disaster to collapse while cooking.

Cloudy and low 40s. Light freeze overnight. Some dripping, but the frost is still deep. This weekend it cools with more favorable sap weather. 40s without freezing nights isn’t the weather pattern we need.

Back to the farmhouse by 6:00 PM. Tomorrow work on equipment setup.

195 taps out. The goal was 200 but the battery on the drill was getting weak and we didn’t want to have a bit stuck in a tree.

Sunny and 42 today. Yesterday the temperature was 50. Last week we had highs in the Teens and lows of 0 so this is a quick change in the weather pattern, but the pattern is forecast to stay favorable for sap so this is go time.

We put out the pressure gauge and one tap on Sunday, but no activity. On Monday when it warmed to 50 the pressure gauge recorded 12 PSI and the tap started to drip which signals it’s time to tap.

Into the woods by 6:30 AM. Discovered the Tanaka tapper wasn’t running well when we started it. It was serviced before the season with new spark plug, clean filters and greased bearings. But it wouldn’t rev up to full power and would sputter and stop when the choke was off. We acquired the Tanaka in 2007.

Fortunately we had a 20V electric drill. The drill wasn’t acquired for tapping, although electric drills are widely used in the maple syrup industry. We switched to the electric drill and discovered it works well. It weights less so it’s easier to carry around and allows us to tap in a wider band on the trees. Adjusted the torque settings a few times to find a setting where the bit wouldn’t get stuck in the tree. We don’t have a spare battery so we have to monitor the battery. We adjust our workflow to allow time to charge the battery.

Tomorrow is cloudy but 40’s again. We plan to finish tapping. The trees aren’t running strong because the frost is deep. That should give us time to set up equipment.

Into the woods by 9:30 AM. It was warmer and sunny today. A good day to finish cleanup in the syrup building. Washed the floor. Got all the tanks into the building. Used a dolly to move the tanks. It made the move much easier. Brought all the equipment back to the farmhouse.

There is off-season maintenance needed on the syrup building. Replace a broken window. Replace the kitchen door. Replace a door lock. And fix a PVC evaporator pipe we broke today while cleaning it.

We’ll post a season summary in a few days. Back to the farmhouse by 3:00 PM.

25 overnight. Cloudy most the day until late. Below freezing most the day until late afternoon. Lite snow flurries again.

Washed milk cans and filter press. Prepared the membrane with SMBS.

Should be warmer tomorrow. Hopefully we can get the floor washed.

Into the woods by 9:30 AM. 30 and cloudy with a cold north wind made uncomfortable in the woods. Snow flurries even sited. We gathered milk cans, filter press and some other equipment to bring back to the farmhouse. Glad the pans were cleaned because it would have been miserable washing the pans in the cold. We’ve done that in some past years.

Returned to the farmhouse by 10:15 AM.

Evaporator, finishing pan and bottling pan are all cleaned. Inside of evaporator cleanup was easy. The residue wiped away. All tanks also cleaned. The floor is next to clean. Then get the tanks into the building and bring the R/O back to the farmhouse.

Into the woods by 8:30 AM. Back to the farmhouse by 12:30 PM.

Into the woods by 9:00 AM to clean the evaporator. Syrup pan clean. Bottom of flu pan is also clean. Working on interior. We’ve had to scrub harder in some places on the bottom of the flu pan. It cooked 3745 gallons of sap so it’s not surprising it’s taking effort to clean. The interior should be easier to clean.

It was sunny today and up to high 40s. It was pleasant this afternoon cleaning the pan.

Back to the farmhouse by 4:00 PM.

Late start. Into the woods by 2:00 PM. Disconnected the R/O hoses and brought back to farmhouse. Washed with bleach and flushed with water.

Back to the farmhouse by 4:00 PM.

Into the woods by 8:30 AM to get the buckets and covers. It took longer than expected because of tractor problems. The tractor just stopped like it was out of gas. We didn’t check the tank but instead went to get 5 gallon can of gas. When we returned with the gas to the tractor in the woods we checked the level. 3 ½’ of gas in the tank. It’s not out of gas. Got the tractor running but it sputter a few more times. We’ll need to check the fuel line for obstructions. Buckets and covers are stacked in the garage. We’ll wash them over the summer.

Back to the farmhouse by 2:15 PM.