Update From The Sugar Bush.

Well, it's been a few days since I have posted pics etc. We gathered Wed morning in the rain, but quit at noon because everything was getting covered with ice and the guys were soaked.
We didn't go back and gather until Friday afternoon after it warmed a bit and the ice fell off the trees. Yesterday and today we gathered around 2800 gal. of sap. The Cousin fired the evaporators at 6:00am this morning, and they should shut down about 10:00 tonight. I'm guessing we will have made 65gal. of syrup today. The wood pile is about gone. Tomarrow we will have to cut firewood most of the day, so we have enough to finish the season. Chances are the season will end mid to the end of the week, and then we have to untap the trees and wash all the buckets and equipment. More funnnn, HeHe.
The snow has pretty much melted, and now you can see all the bedrock and crevises that these maple trees grow on and in between. This 60A woods isn't really suited for anything else than growing trees.
The next to last pic., you can see the front of the arch and doors glowing red. They are that way hours at a time when we are boiling. The last pic is of the ice that coated all the trees Thursday.

Loren, the Acg.

Always enjoy the updates and pictures. How many gallons of sap do you generlly get in a year.

Enjoyed your syrup-making pictures, Loren. Nice to see someone using buckets. Syrup is big here in Geauga county but it seem that most have gone to permanent lines and RO process.

Thanks for the update and pics, my dad just asked me today if you made more syrup! Lol, alot different looking then the day we came out there, almost empty wood shed! Lol

Fired the cooker for the last time this year today. That's the last firing for that firebox unit too, its burned and rusted out; time to get another cut, formed, and welded together. Got out about 9 gallons of syrup made this year, decent year for us. Tomorrow I'll try and get the cans, pan and collecting pails rinsed down good and put away. The tree pails and spigots are still out, might also try to and get them in, cleaned out, and away tomorrow as well.

Keep us posted on what's happening out there where you are at... and so long, from here on this year's sapping/sugar bush/syrup operation.

You sure need lots of firewood, I don't know how you do it, but you must be doing something right to sustain the supply you need. I still can't keep up with the logs I need to get towed in, then think theres a finite amount of this, yet I come up with what I need every year now since about '07-'08 when I started using the stove again. You've got some good help with all that this involves, thanks for sharing it with us !

Loren,Great pictures and update on the process Thanks!

i was just wondering today, how you were making out. it has stayed chilly and wet down here too, though the forecast for next week is a lot warmer. thanks for the update.

OH,it also looks like that ole white stuff is just about GONE.

how long are the pieces of firewood ? Bill