Some pics from the sugar bush today

Adirondack case guy · Mar 24, 2016

Well, I'm afraid the sugaring season is winding down. We eaked out a couple more good runs in the last 10 days and maybe we will get another, couple of runs, but the syrup is comeing of dark now and is comercial grade rather than lighter retail grades, so we are barreling it all.
We're starting to loose some of out manpower also. The uncle started moldboard plowing today. He plowed about 300A last fall, but still has another 200A to go. One of the cousins started spreading lime today, and has lots of fertilizer and dehydrated chicken manure to spread.
The rest of us will have to fill the gaps left without them in the sugar bush.
Our big evaporator, the one in the pic with the door open is on it's last legs. The flue pan is been fixed several times and leaking again. This evaporator is 60 something years old. It has served us well. The cousins found a newer one that another producer was selling and we bought it. We have to do some renovations to the saphouse to acomidate the new one. The new to us one is an airtight with preheaters and all the bells and whisels. It should reduce our wood consumption and boil time considerably next year.
The wind from the NE was pushing the steam down over the roof and driving up to dump the two full gathering tanks was a drive by the seat of your pants, because I couldn't even see the hood or front tires on my tractor. Last couple of pics are of the limestone beadrock and seams that the 60A sugarbush is situated on.
Loren

ssgshelton · Mar 24, 2016

Loren,
What determines the color of the syrup? Does the sap change colors during different temperature periods?
Just wondering.

JayinNY · Mar 24, 2016

Great pics, funny, the wind was blowing from the south here at 6 pm, our barn runs north to south, I had to close the doors on the south end of the barn and left the north end open, When I was cutting firewood earlier the wind seemed to be coming from the east so maybe the way the barn is, its like a windtunnel it seemed to come from the south though.

Greg1959 · Mar 24, 2016

Adirondack case guy- "The wind from the NE was pushing the steam down over the roof and driving up to dump the two full gathering tanks was a drive by the seat of your pants, because I couldn't even see the hood or front tires on my tractor."

I always enjoy your pics.

Suggestion, maybe move that rear mounted camera to the front of the tractor, to be able to see where you are going. LOL!

Adirondack case guy · Mar 24, 2016

The wind switched from the east to comeing from the south this afternoon here. Was blowing pretty hard and rattling the luvers on the roof vent pretty good. Temp came up a lot too. Saw a flock of Killdeer at noon today. Spring must be well on it's way now. I thought it was a bit strange, because you usually don't see a lot of Killdeer together.
Loren

jimg.allentown · Mar 24, 2016

I always thought that the darker syrup was the better flavor and the lighter stuff was for the city folks that didn't know any better. When I travelled through New England for several years, whenever I stopped to get syrup, I always asked for grade B dark amber. One guy told me that folks don't like the stronger flavor of the darker syrup. I told him that was the reason for me to get maple syrup. If I wanted it light and mild, I could just as well use cane sugar.

Adirondack case guy · Mar 24, 2016

The pic on the rear camera was a white blank also. I took a pic out the windshield of the cab with the camera, but it was just a white blank also. I've been pulling up to those storage tanks since I was a 10yro and don't remember the steam that thick and low to the ground.
Loren

JD John · Mar 24, 2016

Sure don't look like that here, we got snow and ice. What size is the "new" evaporator?

Adirondack case guy · Mar 24, 2016

We have people who prefer grade A dark amber syrup and we can and sell that, but this is really dark and strong tasteing. The sap is getting bitter with the buds starting to swell. We have a comercial market for it in the barrels.
Loren

Adirondack case guy · Mar 24, 2016

The new one is a 6X14. Physically smaller but with the preheater and hoods, it is rated for 300gal plus/hr. of sap. That is a bit more than we are able to get thru the two we are using currently. We will have to wait until next season to know.
Loren

Adirondack case guy · Mar 24, 2016

Early run sap usually has higher sugar content and takes less gal to make a gal. of syrup. Later sap is not as clear and this time a year it starts getting a bitter tast to it and takes more to make a gal of syrup, so the syrup color gets darker and the flavor stronger.
Loren

jimg.allentown · Mar 24, 2016

If it is dark and bitter, does that mean that it has lost its maple flavor? Also, you say that the sap is getting bitter. Does that mean unpleasantly bitter? Or just stronger than most folks like?
When you say a "commercial market," does that mean that they have a way to overcome the bitterness?

Sorry for all of the questions...... curious minds are interested. I do remember trying my hand at making syrup when I was a young lad. We only had two really big and old maple trees to tap. Managed to make a half of a pint or so on Mom's stove.

Bruce from Can. · Mar 25, 2016

Hi Loren , always enjoy your pictures in the bush. We made Maple syrup on a much smaller scale , maybe 250 taps , up until I move to my new farm in 2004. o bush on this place. My dad never had a evaporator, always boiled the sap Pioneer style in large open kettles over a open fire. Our syrup was always dark and had a smoky flavour. I still miss the good times we had in the bush in the spring time. I sure know what you mean about the sap changing taste when the buds swell. Many times with your pictures you comment that the bush is on a 60 acre patch of lime stone. I always think ,boy someone was sure thinking ahead when they planted that grove of maple trees many many years later it is still paying off. Some would have just used it as poor pasture or let it grow to scrub brush. Do you fellas replant any new trees ? Bruce

northeastpuller1 · Mar 25, 2016

With all of that steam heat and the big fire box cooking along. How warm does the sugar shack get?

Traditional Farmer · Mar 25, 2016

You all have an impressive operation going very interesting.

Richard G. · Mar 25, 2016

Is it just me or do those last 2 photos look like they have moss Saying JD and IH?
Richard in NW SC

Harold Hubbard · Mar 25, 2016

Today will be my last boil. I have burned almost all my wood, along with another 5 cords we cut over the weekend. The combination of low quality wood and low sugar content in the sap has made this whole season a continuing misery.

I have been looking at a dry pine stub on my neighbor's lawn, probably two cords or more of fairly dry wood, but I am not sure I have the go-power to tackle it.

My help disappeared over the weekend when I was tapping, one (my disturbed nephew) gone into rehab, and the other four days late returning from appointments at the VA hospital. (Ran into old marine buddies) A good friend helped me tap, and my son worked with me for the first week of boiling, but it seems like I have been behind the eight-ball all the way.

I am going to have to sink a bunch of money into my operation if I want to continue beyond this year, and am not sure I can, or want to. If I were twenty years younger, or either of my boys had an interest, it would be a no-brainer, but doing it alone, or with paid help, really doesn't fly.

On the other hand, spring without sugaring is two or three months of cabin fever and total depression.

My current thinking is to continue tapping, and maybe downsize the boiling operation, and sell the extra sap to another sugar maker.

Bret4207 · Mar 25, 2016

(quoted from post at 09:07:56 03/25/16) With all of that steam heat and the big fire box cooking along. How warm does the sugar shack get?

Not very. With the doors open and that big hole in the roof sugar houses are usually pretty chilly- all the moisture is hanging in the air.

Harold Hubbard · Mar 25, 2016

Yeah, cook your face while freezing your backside!

Ande · Mar 25, 2016

Glad to hear even thou the old one is passing on that you will continue this wonderful tradition. Loren how long have you been sugaring, and you family?
Was the evaporator your fathers?

Frank (N.Mi.) · Mar 25, 2016

I'm wondering why I don't see snow there. Guess you are not at a real high elevation? Here in Michigan when my wife's co-worker was helping his girlfriend's family tap, they were snowshoeing to the trees...

JimIA · Mar 25, 2016

Thanks for posting. Always love your pictures of the maple harvest. I know our neighbors have used horses a few times to collect sap due to the mud we have this year.

Jim

HNM · Mar 25, 2016

Thanks for the pictures.You said you put a backup camera on your tractor.My question is how do you like it,is it 120 degree or 170 degree angle,and if you could tell me the kind and number and I can look it up. Hope the season keeps going for you. Thanks for any info. Neil

Adirondack case guy · Mar 25, 2016

We had an open winter. I never even plowed my driveway. Last year we were in waist deep snow and on snowshoes.
Loren

Adirondack case guy · Mar 25, 2016

Neil, I bought an AGPTEK system with 7" color monitor from Amizon. Not sure what the lense angle is, but wider is better. It was on a special for about $39 bucks. This is the second season that I have used it, and have had no problems with it.
This is a pic of it mounted in my cab. Since that pic I wiped all the dust off the camera lense and the pic is much clearer now. It saves me from craining my neck when the guys are dumping sap in the gathering trailer. Don't want to run someone down that I didn't see back there.
Loren

Pete in MD · Mar 26, 2016

I thought the same thing Richard.

Some pics from the sugar bush today

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