The Official 2023 Maple Syrup Thread

How's the exhaust doing sucking the steam out Slocum? 6 gallons of deliciousness!

 

It works enough to put the sparks out coming out of stack but that’s about it. I’m getting around 50 gallon a hour evap rate. That’s a lot of steam. I didn’t want a hood cause I wanted to see the boil….. well you can’t see anything cause of steam! A hood is in the future. Lots of fun

 

After a comedy of errors and frozen equipment, finally got the first boil of the season going. Starting with 250 gallons of sap, see how much syrup I actually make, I'm notoriously inefficient.

 

Looks great ! Great steam !! We finally got a few days off up our way. Saps just now starting up again. We had boiled so much in one week...that we had to clean everything like it was the end of year. Tanks.. pan....ro flush...everything ! We made almost 30 gallons of syrup in one week...which is what we made all of 2022 season. Crazy !

 

Love your shack !

 

Be proud of that steam ! 50 gph is great. Totally jealous ! We are about 20 ish gph on ours. Makes for some long days..even with the RO !

 

We are a lil late and just foolin around compared to you guys but we have fun.

 

That's what it's all about right there ! Teach the next generation!

 

Sap started up here yesterday afternoon. Was hoping to have a 100-150 gallon this morning to boil. Ended up with 340! Pleasant surprise. Made 8.5 gallon today.

 

It’s been a fast start here in mid Michigan . Just over 9000 gallons so far with more on the way today . Looks like with the storm and cold weather coming it will shut down for 4 -5 days .

 

You’re a beast! 30 gallons in one week! Hats off HoneyFuzz

 

Fired up my homemade evaporator last night. Pic was just after starting my fire. Pretty pleased, busy realizing the evaporator wants more firewood than I fed it. Learning along the way. Tons of fun!

 

Just 29 taps - enough to have fun with family. Borrowed a friend’s post and beam shed. It has seen much better days. Using a 2x3 flat pan, and old arch.

 

An experiment of sorts. A friend of mine tried this last week and was happy with the results so I figured I’d try. The sap has been slow for the past couple weeks and I only collected 10 gallons. Rather than store it another week +, I figured I could passively heat it on my wood stove and slowly evaporate the water over a few days, then do the final boil on my regular stove. My buddy said it’s a slow process but it works, even producing syrup that’s lighter in color. I’ll let you guys know how it turns out.

 

Boiled 390 gallon yesterday. Made 9.5 gallon. Sap really started flowing yesterday afternoon. It should run good today. Plan on boiling in the morning. Sap still clear as can be. Finished syrup is a touch darker than it’s been but flavor hasn’t changed. Checked and sap at 2.5%.

 

Sent the boy out to gather buckets, we will boil this evening.

 

Looks like it’s gonna be a while…

 

Gathered 340 gallon today. Good clear sap but only tested 2%. Looks like it will run tomorrow also. 102 tabs on tubing and 30 buckets for my boys.