Boiling maple sap ( udated new pics from 4-2-11 )

[Blazin]

Boiled last night for a few hours. So far we are up to 63 gallons of syrup. We have about 1,200 gallons of sap to boil today that should bring the total to 93 ish gallons.

[4x4orbust]

we are just about finished with our season, maybe another week left.   made 35+ gals off of 130 taps this year.    this was a great year as far as syrup goes, the most we have ever made!!  last year we finished with 9 gals total on 100 taps.  

it is a great hobby to have,  lots of fun with a little hard work mixed in.  

blazin, any idea what his sugar content is?   ours was about 1.7 brix average for the year.   should be running like mad up there right now!!!

[txchainsawgogi]

Ooh I want some syrup!

[Blazin]

Not sure what the content is. He said he checked it last week but I don't think he said what it was.
We made it to about 84 gallons as of today. Still have some to boil tomorrow, and he has allot of finishing, and bottling to do!

[Blazin]

We are at about the 125 gallon mark so far. Going to be boiling a few nights this week. We are hoping to hit the 200 gallon mark by the end of the season!!
Some new pics from 4-2-11








The work horse of the saping operation. 82 K30, hauls 550 galls of sap, and a Grizzly wheeler with tracks around to the several collection sites:


Sap runs in from the outdoor tank here:


Looking in the back door:


The business end of the arch. Fire box, and the syrup pans:


Inside with the doors closed:


Were the magic happens, the syrup pans:


Drawing it off, through its first filter:

[beastie_3]

That is quite the investment!

[Blazin]

He has three syrup pans, (only use two, we switch the front one out every time we boil) the sap pan all used were $3,500. He got the front of the arch in the woods off one of his fathers properties. He built the arch all him self. he built the sugar house himself about 8 years ago. He cut all the trees to make the lumber from his fathers land, and used his fathers saw mill to cut it all into lumber. Still allot of money though in roofing, nails, etc., tubing, buckets, barrels, tanks, taps, filters, jugs, etc.
He built the wood splitter too, it does 4'6" wood, thats the length he uses in his outdoor boiler for his house. The grates in the bottom of the arch are 30", but we can fit 36" in near the top as the back of the fire box is slopped.

[autorepr]

Surely he makes mOOnshine???  Show us the picks of that set up. We won't tell. Promise!

[Blazin]

No moonshine, but its been talked about hahaha!

[Joe-NC]

Reminds me of Buddy the Elf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ndNQ8rwNM