Maple Syrup harvest
The spile I ordered from Amazon, and the instructions were clear enough. However, it called for a 3/4 inch bit and when I looked at the bit next to the spile, it was clear that was too big. I found a small size, but I ended up making the hole too deep -- the ring and hook kept the spile tip from bottoming. I tried to tighten it up with shimms, but that didn't work. I rethought how to hang the bucket and used bailing wire instead of the supplied ring and hook. That allowed me to tap the spile to the bottom of the hole and I finally got the "flow." Only it was just a drip, about one drop every half second.
Managed to collect a bit over 5 cups or 40 ounces. Put in the fridge hoping I can get some more. The next day the total was a bit over 1 cup or 8 ounces. And another couple of cups over the next two days.
Lesson learned: In this part of Missouri, need to do the tapping back in January. By the end of Feb it is too likely that the temperature differentials won't be enough for good sap flow.
Put off the preparation until I'd finished collected, this first time not quite a gallon of sap. For the most part, the maples twigs where buds might be forming are too high to see.
In the foreground is a large ash of some sort and up hill in a row behind it two sugar maples. The last one might also be a maple, but I'ld have to go look closer.
I tried shimms, but that didn't get the spile all the way in, which is more important than it being firmly in place. The sap flowed out underneath.
The cleaned coffee can worked fine with some baling wire to attach it to the spile and another piece to hold the lid on. Very slow drip, not a a flow. Last night's temp was barely below freezing; close to 65 F when this photo taken.
Brace and bit used to tap the maple tree
I'm pretty sure the brace came from my father and the bit came in a batch I bought at a farm auction in southern Missouri. Worked very nicely, probably better than electric would have, given how wet the wood was.
took it down today, 2 March; there was another couple cups in there from today. Next year need to start the process in early February. Too many warm nights in late February.
Although I only collected a small amount, it was enough to keep this large pan busy for several hours on this hot plate outside. It never actually came to a boil, but there certainly was a lot of steam coming off the surface, and the liquid level did fall.
When the outside heating had reduced the amount of liquid to about two cups, I brought it inside and ran it through a filter into a smaller pan and cooked it some more. The temp hung around at 214 or so for a long time and then began to climb. When it hit 217 I poured it into a heated glass container. The book said not to stir, but I missed that and stirred vigorously those last few mintues on the stove, feeling how it was thickening.
Maybe a half cup of very nice syrup
Very nice tasting syrup.
