All Things Sharp & Fiery...and Friends!

[jlauffer]

Anything can be a syrup if you're brave enough...

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

Man! I don’t know how I missed all these responses yesterday! My apologies.

I did think up a few names myself, but I’ll leave ya’ll hanging for now.

Yesterday we didn’t collect until 7:00pm because they were calling for rain. We collected about 2 gallons last night.

Then there was a lull in the rain this morning so we went out to collect. 2.5 gallons this morning and the taps were still dripping!

So the last 3.25 days have produced 6 and a quarter gallons. We have a bit more to go before we start our boil (most likely Tuesday before the week of deep freeze and snow).

Thanks for following along and wish us luck!



If you look closely at these photos, you can see the line where the sap sits. This is why we chose translucent grey buckets. You can tell the level of sap from a distance.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

We decided from the beginning that we would strain our sap for the first time, directly at the source. We are hoping that this helps keep the sap clean while we wait for enough to have our first boil.

We will strain again when put into the boiling pans, strain before finish boil and strain again into our final completed syrup storage.

 

[abraves]

I look at your snow then I look at our forecast to be 80 today. Come on summer.

 

[Blues]

As you get older, you have to be more careful not to strain your sap.

Jeez, Coleman, if I had known, I wouldn't have opened that new bottle of amber syrup this morning.

Pretty cool.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

Well, David Mary , my dear friend…your prediction was correct. Today (Saturday) is one of our best sap flows to date.
We need to collect more often because the temps are pretty warm.

Apparently, because it rained today, it changed the barometric pressure which causes the tree to push more sap up the trunk.

The flow will slow and stop, however, if temps don’t go below zero in the next day or so.

Tonight it will drop to -1°C and tomorrow is plus and predicted to be a high flow day.

It’s pretty exciting and I’m now kinda addicted to maple syrup making.

 

[Whisperstealth]

Very Cool and Neato! Excited to see the rest of the process.

 

[David Mary]

Glad to hear it Coleman!

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

Very Cool and Neato! Excited to see the rest of the process.

Stay posted.

Glad to hear it Coleman!

Thank you, David.

 

[SharpBits]

David Mary, the Sap Whisperer.

 

[Cwilliams563]

Pretty interesting stuff Coleman. I never would have guessed that cold weather is what promoted the sap production. Maybe try taking your guitar out there and play a song for them? I always heard that plants do better with the vibration from music. I can picture Coleman signing a tune, to a tree, in the snow singing about Maple syrup and sappy songs lol.

Man, maybe I should stay out of the turpentine after all

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

This is considered “early season.” Mid season will be optimum.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

Today was pretty warm and it rained off and on, mostly off and light rain. The fog was quite thick today.



Went out again to collect just before dark. It’s better on warmer days to collect in the light so you can see the color of the sap in the buckets. Basically a “check” to make sure it didn’t start to spoil.

We collected another 2.5 gal of clear sap, bringing the daily tally up to 5 total gallons collected today. Very happy with that.



Hope you all are enjoying the updates. I’m looking forward to the first boil!

 

[Murphjd25]

This is awesome Coleman. I’m enjoying following along.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

My apologies for missing a day! It’s been busy around the homestead and yesterday I was away for the whole day.

Sunday was an ok day with a total collections of 2.5 gal of sap.

Yesterday, my wonderful wife collected sap and the trees yielded 5 gal!! Woohoo!!!

Tomorrow will be a boil day, so I’m sure I’ll be surfing BF all day while tending the boil. Wish us luck! Ha!

 

[Cwilliams563]

My apologies for missing a day! It’s been busy around the homestead and yesterday I was away for the whole day.

Sunday was an ok day with a total collections of 2.5 gal of sap.

Yesterday, my wonderful wife collected sap and the trees yielded 5 gal!! Woohoo!!!

Tomorrow will be a boil day, so I’m sure I’ll be surfing BF all day while tending the boil. Wish us luck! Ha!

View attachment 3128936

Dang nice job Coleman to you and you wife! Is that straight Sap you’ve pictured being poured into the tote? It seems so thin if so. If it is the Sap, I guess I’m just used to seeing super thick sticky stuck on the side of trees.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

Dang nice job Coleman to you and you wife! Is that straight Sap you’ve pictured being poured into the tote? It seems so thin if so. If it is the Sap, I guess I’m just used to seeing super thick sticky stuck on the side of trees.

Yes sir! That’s straight from the tree. It is pretty much “water” with a high sugar content. We will be boiling the water out, slowly concentrating the sugar.

Maple syrup making is, as my friend says,

“Maximum effort for minimal perfect (sweeet) results”

 

[abraves]

Dang nice job Coleman to you and you wife! Is that straight Sap you’ve pictured being poured into the tote? It seems so thin if so. If it is the Sap, I guess I’m just used to seeing super thick sticky stuck on the side of trees.

Maple tree sap is same consistency as water. When we would be out gathering and get thirsty we would just drink it plain. Taste like sweet water and cold of course. Now when Coleman starts tapping pine trees to make syrup I would think it will be more sticky.

 

[Blues]

I haven't read all the posts, Coleman, are you planning on marketing it locally, or is this for your consumption?

 

[abraves]

My grandads sugar bush had a long boiler with lots of gates. He would cook hot dogs in the sap for us to eat and Pepsi would be outside in the snow bank. Many moons ago.