Making Maple Syrup

This warm wheather is getting itchy to prep my syruping stuff. Only month and a half away.

I’m there, Ulbian!

Maple syrup guys, have your a1c checked, pure suger fix, just saying.......

If you don’t see flames shooting out of the pipe you need to use a hotter burning wood. 

I try to keep my stack temp around 1200 degrees.  Last year I was at 1600+ most days.  Then I ran out of honey locust. 

Looks like a great time Dude. Like the set up.

First cook of the year.

Jig - I’m tapping in Northwest Jefferson county.  I have a cabin near Townsend, but do the sapping game at home.

Dude, where are you tapping? I want to say Lakewood area but can't recall. I tapped in northern Forest cty on Sunday and sure hope by this weekend I'll have enough to boil.

Had a great year boiled down 300 gallons over 7 gallons of syrup. Sap is still gushing. Im done. Just got to clean up, next up Wisconsin river fishing 

44/45 - you are in Northern Oconto county, correct?  Let me know when you are cooking.  I’ll bring beer and stay at my cabin.   

We tapped 21 trees Monday night.  Collected right around 80 gallons tonight. I’m sure I lost 5-10 gallons between slopping in the bucket of the tractor and slopping while pouring it into the tank.  Some of the 5 gallon buckets were overflowing.  2 were only half full.  The rest at least 3.5-4 gallons.  I’m not used to sprinting into the season like this.

good start to the season sap ran late yesterday and started early today. collected over 200 gallons today.   

Getting red ants in two of my sap bags this year.  First year I’ve experienced that .  Strange .   Slow drip yesterday…….   Suamico WI .

Dude, very nice thing you have going there. I myself get the 2" labels which fit on the top of the pint jars. I've been trying to create a syrup fest myself but unfortunately my close friend's are busy with work, family and the fact that I boil in the Northwoods. It's also tough with unpredictable weather, unknown winds which can really damper the day. Within a few year's all will be retired making it easier to pick n choose a day. Maybe I could even have a shelter by then!

wife and I tapped and blue bagged 147 trees yesterday and today, up from 130 last year. she wanted to cut back but we didn't. we''ll have to see how this works out. trees a running pretty good today but we're a year older. 

Several years ago, I designed a logo for the top of my jars.  This year, I modified it a bit and I'm having sweatshirts made for our "sapping" party on the 16th.  We have a bunch of friends over for beer and food during what is typically our final cook of the year.  The round ​image is what is on the tops of all of my jars.  We stamp it with the ​date it was ​produced.