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Offline LazyBkpr

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Boiling!
« on: March 12, 2015, 07:54:51 pm »


 So...   Ted... bless his heart, has introduced me to maple syrup in IOWA...     So tonight, I have collected the days sap, and I am sitting here in the garage, laptop on my lap, Rum and coke beside me, watching maple sap boil.. the sun is setting slowly, a big orange ball on the horizon.. I have an occasional bee buzzing in the garage checking everything out, and life... isnt so bad!
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Offline Zweefer

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2015, 08:38:05 pm »
My father in law taps a little over 2500 trees- has lines running all over the property hooked up to a tank.  boil takes an entire weekend. Its usually my job to add the wood to the stove and keep it going...

I made a vine of it last time i was over and helped him :

https://vine.co/v/bxYWtxxHq10

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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2015, 09:19:08 pm »
WOW!  Thats quite the setup!!   I am hoping for a gallon of syrup, but have my doubts...  and you have BARRELS being filled?  Old buddy?  Old Pal?
   LOL   Kidding..  I think keeping the fire going would be a lot like watchign the fire while making moonshine..  the best job in the house.. One hand to toss wood in the fire, the other hand to hold the SOLO cup!
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Offline Zweefer

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2015, 09:53:27 pm »
That's about the just of it... Add defoamer every now and then, load the wood, nip of scotch, repeat.
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Offline Zulu

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2015, 11:15:29 pm »
Quote from: Zweefer on March 12, 2015, 09:53:27 pm
That's about the just of it... Add defoamer every now and then, load the wood, nip of scotch, repeat.

Now that I could identify with....
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Offline Jen

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2015, 11:50:59 pm »
Gin, nip o' Gin  ;)
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Offline Ray4852

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2015, 12:33:37 am »
You need about 35 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. This week the weather has been perfect to collect sap. I wanted to tap my trees this year but couldn’t get back in the woods to do it because of the heavy snow. The sap should be excellent quality this year.
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Offline tedh

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2015, 12:16:18 pm »
Roger that Ray4852, the sap has been nice this year.  I just finished off 2 3/4 gal. of the lightest syrup I've ever made.  It's just a very fine hair darker than Golden, so it's in the Amber range (which is what I usually make this time of year), but very light indeed.  Not bad for batch boiling.  Ted
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2015, 07:03:23 pm »
About to find out..  I added another three gallons tonight, and am boiling it down as I type.. I have boiled nearly 20 gallons, and am DONE waiting!!  Its getting boiled down tonight, then its going on the stove to finish. I am having WAFFLES in the morning.. to heck with the diet, I want MAPLE syrup!
   
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Offline Jen

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2015, 07:20:38 pm »
Better be puttin' some real butter on them waffles with real maple surple as well  :D

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Offline Zweefer

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2015, 01:07:14 am »
Spoke with my Father in law - he told me he got 360 gallons on Wed!
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Offline LogicalBee

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2015, 04:11:45 am »
tapping 2500 trees.....now THAT's an obsession! 

BTW....what affect does draining syrup have on the trees?  I assume the syrup must serve some purpose other than pancakes and candy  ;D
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Offline Zweefer

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Boiling!
« Reply #12 on: March 21, 2015, 10:20:35 am »
Sap contains the sugars that fuel a tree's growth and maintenance needs. During winter when the tree is dormant sap produced the previous summer is stored in the trunk and limbs as starch. When spring arrives buds break open and start to grow new twigs and leaves. Sap is moved around to these points of growth where its sugars provide the required energy.

Most of the damage we do to the tree is not the result of taking the tree's food though. Experiments in which eight to twelve times the normal amount of sap was removed yearly for five years did not detectably slow the annual growth rate. The damage we do is directly related to the number of taps we use.  The taps equal a wound that the tree must heal.

These answers were taken from a pretty good FAQ the University of Minnesota put out , and can be found here...
« Last Edit: March 21, 2015, 03:05:02 pm by Zweefer »
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Offline LogicalBee

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #13 on: March 21, 2015, 02:46:53 pm »
Thanks for that interesting education Zweefer.  It sounds pretty logical.  Once photosynthesis starts, the leaves are making their own carbs, so maybe it doesn’t take that much syrup to get the tree going in the spring. 

How deep do those taps go in?
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Offline Jen

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #14 on: March 21, 2015, 03:11:10 pm »
I would be willing to pay top price plus shipping for a bottle of real maple surple  :)  any takers?
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Offline Zweefer

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Re: Boiling!
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2015, 03:34:54 pm »
We put our taps in around 2.5 - 3 in or so...
My view today :
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Offline Zweefer

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Boiling!
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2015, 08:22:51 pm »
Calling it a night. Just shy of 1,000 gal collected today!  We'll be boiling all week...
« Last Edit: March 21, 2015, 08:23:20 pm by Zweefer »
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