All Things Sharp & Fiery...and Friends!

*Deep breath…long exhale*

Well, I took a ton of photos. However, I think that I’m gonna post a little differently today. Normally I just post how my days go but our trees ran like crazy over the Easter weekend.

I just finished up a 3 day boil yesterday. I was exhausted. We collected over 300liters of raw sap. Think around 80 gallons.

IMG_6936.jpeg
IMG_6937.jpeg
IMG_6946.jpeg
IMG_6974.jpeg
IMG_6981.jpegIMG_6982.jpeg
IMG_6988.jpeg

Our tree buckets were emptied once in the morning and once at night…

IMG_6986.jpeg
IMG_6989.jpegIMG_6991.jpeg

I didn’t take photos everyday of the sap collection amounts, as that could just get boring. Haha.

(Continued into next post)
 
I started the boil on Monday (after an absolutely wonderful Easter weekend with my family.)

Lots of wood chopping and other duties while the boil is going.

IMG_7025.jpeg

I did manage to burn my hand on the stove door. It didn’t hurt and I didn’t even know I did it until my wife arrived home and said “did you burn your hand?” Haha. Oops.

IMG_7021.jpeg

I thought you all might be interested in my “tool rack” in the sugar shack…

IMG_7031.jpeg

My parents stayed at our home over Easter weekend and we had some of the first fruits of our maple syrup season.

IMG_7014.jpeg

Also, I love when the steam just pours out the shack…

IMG_7002.jpeg

(Continued on next post)
 
A little show and tell showcasing the boil from raw sap to pre-finished maple syrup.

As we start the boiling (evaporation) process, both the warming pan and boiling pan are filled with raw sap. Enough sap is put into the pans to fill our 6” pans to 2” of raw sap.
We stoke the fire and things are off and running!

This photo is a few hours into the boil and you can see that the boiling pan is starting to change color.
(Boiling pan is back pan and warming is front pan)
IMG_6985.jpeg

I keep the fire around 600°F-750°F inside the barrel stove. This gives us a good “rolling boil.” Because both pans are evaporating the water, after a few hours, the warming pan starts to get a tinge of color. Notice that the boiling pan is getting darker.
At this point the temp in the boiling pan is 200°F. It will stay at this temperature until there is enough sugar content to raise the boiling point.

IMG_6996.jpeg
IMG_7005.jpeg

So our pans are now rocking and rolling…literally. Haha. This is a good temp and has the sap evaporating densely.
IMG_7006.jpeg

And we just keep on keeping on.
IMG_6999.jpeg

I stop feeding the fire around 5:30pm. It will continue to evap (but not boil) the water out of the sap. I still have to come out every hour just to fill the pans as not to boil them dry and burn the sap.
It was freezing temps Monday night. As you can see, the warming pan freezes the top layer about 1/8”. Because of the higher sugar content in the boiling pan, it only froze a skim on the top. (It was -11°C that night.)
IMG_7020.jpeg

Get the fire roared up and keep on keeping on…
IMG_7028.jpeg
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
I started the boil on Monday (after and absolutely wonderful Easter weekend with my family.)

Lots of wood chopping and other duties while the boil is going.

View attachment 3155204

I did manage to burn my hand on the stove door. It didn’t hurt and I didn’t even know I did it until my wife arrived home and said “did you burn your hand?” Haha. Oops.

View attachment 3155205

I thought you all might be interested in my “tool rack” in the sugar shack…

View attachment 3155206

My parents stayed at our home over Easter weekend and we had some of the first fruits of our maple syrup season.

View attachment 3155208

Also, I love when the steam just pours out the shack…

View attachment 3155209

(Continued on next post)
Click to expand...
My OCD is kicking in on that tool rack. Especially with that diagonal bar, need the tools hung in order of length. 😁
 
Got our third and final day on the go…
IMG_7027.jpeg

You can see that the boiling pan is getting a lot darker now…
IMG_7028.jpeg
IMG_7032.jpeg

The temp in the boiling pan is now 205°F…the sugar content is super high but not quite there yet.

IMG_7034.jpeg

We continue to heat the sap with a hot fire until it reaches at least 212°F.

IMG_7036.jpeg

I had to be quick as the fire was a touch too hot and when the syrup hit 214°F it started to get ridiculous and almost foamed over the pan! Good thing I already had my oven mitts on. Hahaha. (Sorry no photos of that. 🤣😂)

After lifting the pan out, I strain it right there in the sugar shack while it is still hot.

IMG_7038.jpeg

And finished with about two gal of pre-final finish syrup.

IMG_7039.jpeg

Hope you enjoyed this progression!

Happy belated Easter!!
 
Acutereference said:
Years back. I knew an interesting, kind of creative farmer in northern NY State who tapped his trees and made syrup. He had plastic tubing running from the bottom of each the buckets to a vat in the little shack where he cooked it down. Semed to be a real labor saver.
Click to expand...
Sounds like an interesting fella!

Oh yes! Big operations use lines.

I’ll see how this year goes. I have been contemplating. However…now you attach the lines right to the tap. No need for buckets.

If we decide to go up to 100-250 trees next year…lines will be used. We shall see.
 
jlauffer said:
My OCD is kicking in on that tool rack. Especially with that diagonal bar, need the tools hung in order of length. 😁
Click to expand...
Tell me about it!! Haha. I knew someone would comment on the tools not being in length order. Just didn’t know it would be you!

It was a little jumbled in that photo…however, I keep the stuff that needs to stay clean to one end and the dirty stuff to the other end.

Every tool on that rack gets used. If it didn’t, I would store it in the shed….stinking OCD. 😂🤣😝
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
Sounds like an interesting fella!

Oh yes! Big operations use lines.

I’ll see how this year goes. I have been contemplating. However…now you attach the lines right to the tap. No need for buckets.

If we decide to go up to 100-250 trees next year…lines will be used. We shall see.
Click to expand...
He most likely did that and I've forgot - the year was 1973!
 
Thanks for sharing Coleman! I'd be making breakfast for supper 3 or 4 nights a week being around all that! 😄

I was very young, but I still remember bits and pieces of being around the older neighbor man and his wife (they were more like grandparents to me than my own) while they were processing all the maple sap and I have to say that's one of my favorite smells!

I can't begin to say how many times I've been taken back to my childhood from many of the mouthwatering scents that come from the kitchen and maple syrup is definitely up there.
 
Sap collection yesterday was 16 gallons and it is running today! Might have to make 3 trips today. 😱

Full to the brim yesterday, twice.
IMG_7061.jpeg

I’ll have to start boiling again soon.
Today will be a wood splitting day. Gonna get the splitter out…I’ll split around 3 face cord today to the size it needs to be for boiling fires.
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
I started the boil on Monday (after an absolutely wonderful Easter weekend with my family.)

Lots of wood chopping and other duties while the boil is going.

View attachment 3155204

I did manage to burn my hand on the stove door. It didn’t hurt and I didn’t even know I did it until my wife arrived home and said “did you burn your hand?” Haha. Oops.

View attachment 3155205

I thought you all might be interested in my “tool rack” in the sugar shack…

View attachment 3155206

My parents stayed at our home over Easter weekend and we had some of the first fruits of our maple syrup season.

View attachment 3155208

Also, I love when the steam just pours out the shack…

View attachment 3155209

(Continued on next post)
Click to expand...

Dude... That made me so hungry. I'm making eggs right now. lol

Am I doing this right?

20260411_103914.jpg
 
Last edited:
JJ_Colt45 said:
Thanks for sharing Coleman! I'd be making breakfast for supper 3 or 4 nights a week being around all that! 😄

I was very young, but I still remember bits and pieces of being around the older neighbor man and his wife (they were more like grandparents to me than my own) while they were processing all the maple sap and I have to say that's one of my favorite smells!

I can't begin to say how many times I've been taken back to my childhood from many of the mouthwatering scents that come from the kitchen and maple syrup is definitely up there.
Click to expand...
Oh absolutely. We put syrup on everything! Haha. Even in our coffee.

There is nothing like that “candy factory” smell when the sap starts to boil amber. I could smell it all the way to the house, JJ! 🤤
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top