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Old 03-18-2011, 02:24 PM   #1
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Sugaring season

The sap finally started to run this week, a sure sign of spring. We tapped our "sugar bush", 25 trees along the road. First boil Tuesday; again Thursday. Our home made rig is not very efficient. Two days and 2 1/2 quarts of maple syrup. Best cure for cabin fever. Even the dog thinks so. Raz
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Old 03-18-2011, 02:29 PM   #2
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Unfortunately, mud seasons runs concurrently with sugaring season.
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Old 03-18-2011, 04:45 PM   #3
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Old 03-18-2011, 06:15 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by P. Raz View Post
The sap finally started to run this week, a sure sign of spring. We tapped our "sugar bush", 25 trees along the road. First boil Tuesday; again Thursday. Our home made rig is not very efficient. Two days and 2 1/2 quarts of maple syrup. Best cure for cabin fever. Even the dog thinks so. Raz
Congrats! The sap should be running here next week. I got my car stuck at the sugar bush last year on the road leading to the camp. As the snow melts during the day, and runs down the woods road, it freezes during the night when the temps drop below freezing. The right combination for getting the sap to run but not great for driving.
Enjoy!
Barrie
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Old 03-18-2011, 06:41 PM   #5
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We just finished our season here in Ohio, and we had a record year. We made 152 gal. of syrup on 400 taps. We use tubbing and vacuum but boil with wood on a 3x12 evaporator. Just cleaning up and getting our lives back in order after six weeks of none stop sugaring. As you can see the grades varied a lot over the course of the season.
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Old 03-18-2011, 09:58 PM   #6
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Hi: Edward Shook... I wish you guys would stop all this sweet talk!!! I'm already diabetic!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 03-19-2011, 05:41 AM   #7
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Robins in the mud and the snow

While Raz and I were out there sugarin' in the mud and the snow, along came the first two Robins of the year They sang their hearts out to us for about a half-hour .... and then they realized there was no clear ground in a fifty mile radius ... and left. But, oh, how they made our sorry, winter-wearied souls soar!

And we can literally watch the snow melting away from the equally winter-weary Trillium
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Old 03-19-2011, 06:28 AM   #8
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Just to the nortn of us about half an hour there are horse and wagons with little tables of golden necture set up at all the major intersections along the lesser highways. It's menonite season and Ontario's syrup is flowing and tasty.
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Old 03-19-2011, 01:38 PM   #9
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Too cool! Always wanted some sugar maples.
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Old 03-20-2011, 04:21 AM   #10
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We just finished our season here in Ohio, and we had a record year. We made 152 gal. of syrup on 400 taps. We use tubbing and vacuum but boil with wood on a 3x12 evaporator. Just cleaning up and getting our lives back in order after six weeks of none stop sugaring. As you can see the grades varied a lot over the course of the season.
Very nice color. Can't do that with our set up. I've thought of going bigger but to do that would mean a sugar house which of course would mean an increase in taxes and to pay those taxes it becomes a business. Easier to just keep it a hobby. Raz
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Old 03-20-2011, 06:39 AM   #11
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Hi: P. Raz...Going to pick up my daughter at her apt. today and find a sugar bush to walk thru somewhere close by. I sure hope Ed is coming over to Bolerama at Longbeach Cons. Area in July, so I can get some more of his "Liquid Gold"!!!
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Old 03-20-2011, 07:05 AM   #12
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Mmmmm!!
taking 5 of the grandkids to the Wye Marsh next weekend Mmmmm!!!

then in Apr we will be going to Elmvale!!!
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Old 03-20-2011, 08:31 AM   #13
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P Raz, we started like that to, two foot square pan over an open fire. Then we went to a small 2x6 evaporator. I spent a Presidents weekend once boiling. I watched the sun come up and go down three days in a row and boiling. I made 2 and a half gal. Decided to quit or go bigger. that was 24years ago. We went bigger, now it's in our blood. Alf, we are planning to be at Bollerama and will put a little syrup in the gift draw.
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Old 03-20-2011, 11:12 AM   #14
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Inquiring minds want to know -
How many pints of sap do you get from one tree?
How many pints of sap does it take to make a pint of syrup?

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Matt
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Old 03-20-2011, 02:32 PM   #15
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I can almost smell the pancakes!!
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Old 03-20-2011, 03:03 PM   #16
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This is the first I've ever heard of "sugaring". Very interesting and looks tasty!
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Old 03-20-2011, 03:07 PM   #17
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Hi: Anne H... Just got back from a trek to the sugar shanty. Lickety split!!! Came home via the Tundra swan staging area, and the local Qui du Vin winery with some Niagara(3) semi sweet white concord, and amber Maple(17) dessert wines. I'll watch my sugar tomorrow...honest!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie p.s. Matt in SV... 40 to 1 ratio I think. 40 gal. sap= 1 gal. syrup. Dia. of tree= #of taps per tree.(rule of thumb)
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Old 03-20-2011, 03:34 PM   #18
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syrup 101

It takes 40gal of sap to make 1gal of syrup. That is an average it can go to 60 to 1 if you have soft maples or a bad season. We had a run this year that was running 34to1. There are a lot of variables when dealing with nature. We made 152gal of syrup on 400taps so that was a little over 3pts per tap for a season average. That is very good and this was a very good year.
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Old 03-20-2011, 08:55 PM   #19
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Thanks for the details! Now I have something to think about when i eat my pancakes, and more justification for buying "the good stuff." My wife finds it too aromatic and uses preserves!

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Matt
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Old 03-21-2011, 04:54 AM   #20
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Hi Matt. Just to add to what Ed said: many varieties of maple tree can be tapped but because of the high sugar content in it's sap (2-4%) sugar maples are economically the best choice. To make syrup you must evaporate the water from the sap until the sugar concentration is about 67% and higher to make maple sugar, candy, etc. This of course requires energy. The big producers use fossil fuels boiling the sap from thousands of taps. Add this to the once a year harvest and it being very labor intensive and you get to the cost. Locally maple syrup is selling for about $40 a gallon. You can expect to pay double that outside of the maple producing region which is probably why your wife buys the log cabin stuff. If you can find some real syrup produced with a wood fire, like Ed's, thats the stuff to buy. The smoke adds even more flavor. Go to mapletraders.com to find a forum much like ours completely devoted to maple syrup production. Raz
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