Maple Season - 2001
Another season for the Lean-to and the 34" Square pan arrangement. I think at full burn I was managing about 7 gallons per hour.
New additions included make shift float boxes complete with copper lines that ran to a 15 gallon overhead tank. This did help when leaving the evaporator run around the clock, but seemed more trouble than it was worth. Speaking of which, I tried to make a very neat preheater that went in the arch...it worked too well and melted down on the first try. Kindof became a steam boiler...yikes.
I hit a little less than 100 taps this year. Probably around 60 on tubing and 30 buckets hung just behind the lean-to.
Managed to make maple sludge once in the lower pan after the sap sugar content spiked..must have been close to 4 percent.
Also begain to realize how a few soft maple trees can ruin a batch of sap when the bud early. Had a batch of really off tasting syrup.
This "around the clock"..."smelling like fire all the time" bit was getting old. Perhaps time for an upgrade?
Michelle was pregnant with Abby this year, so looks like 2002 will be a skip year. But...late in the year, I decided to make up for it. A new sugar house and evaporator!