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Posted

Session number two is going to heck of a lot better today. We’re well into the production process. Things are looking great. Had to use the old set up because I forgot my new tray. But that’s all good. This works really well tried and true.

Setup

IMG_0020.thumb.jpeg.d83cac59349b6c4fe1dba7abd7eae041.jpeg

getting wood

IMG_0023.thumb.jpeg.1ca4b844ae4b7d15bd26f3ea4e64044c.jpeg

Sap in the buckets 

IMG_0029.thumb.jpeg.e0201ab992b45017ab8b81775fdfc197.jpeg

Thickening up  

IMG_0024.thumb.jpeg.bdde8dda47ced02b27831b30c298b76a.jpeg

and getting close.

IMG_0031.thumb.jpeg.6ca4836d860d672e5378dbba917340dd.jpeg
 

I might get a half gallon today. 

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Posted

Wife just asked if maple syrup goes bad. I've never had it around that long, especially when the kids were growing up. But now we've got some that was gifted to us and it's been around a while, so I decided it wouldn't be bad to research a little in case some spoiled maple syrup could keep me from ever seeing retirement.

So we haven't seen mold growing on it, meaning we won't have to strain, boil and merrily pour onto the pancakes ... just merrily pour for the time being.

But I've realized, as always, that everything is my fault for not taking control of my own life. Both wife and daughter make pancakes that are too substantial and generally healthy for me to enjoy them much anymore. Need to make my own damn fluffy pancakes so I can properly enjoy maple syrup and not have to worry about a miserable food-poisoning death. Just a heart attack. With bacon.

Posted (edited)

I ended up with just under a half gallon this go around. Here is the yield for this weekend. 
 

IMG_0048.thumb.jpeg.833a5a27969bb4ed756a5d6708dcd59e.jpeg

we’ll give it a go this coming weekend again. 
 

On 3/23/2025 at 11:38 AM, Hayduke said:

Wife just asked if maple syrup goes bad. I've never had it around that long, especially when the kids were growing up. But now we've got some that was gifted to us and it's been around a while, so I decided it wouldn't be bad to research a little in case some spoiled maple syrup could keep me from ever seeing retirement.

So we haven't seen mold growing on it, meaning we won't have to strain, boil and merrily pour onto the pancakes ... just merrily pour for the time being.

But I've realized, as always, that everything is my fault for not taking control of my own life. Both wife and daughter make pancakes that are too substantial and generally healthy for me to enjoy them much anymore. Need to make my own damn fluffy pancakes so I can properly enjoy maple syrup and not have to worry about a miserable food-poisoning death. Just a heart attack. With bacon.


Commercially produced syrup should last basically forever. The conditions under which it’s produced/bottled + their care will do that.  The time this stuff is boiled will kill anything in there. Due to the sugar content, bottles must be sterilized before they are used. Clearly there are exceptions, but it’s like canning- it’s done to preserve food “forever”.

 Even home stuff should, but care of production isn’t nearly the same as something that has to follow regulations  

 

On 3/23/2025 at 11:43 AM, TonyTexas said:

Is there a best time of year to tap trees?  And how long do you leave the tap in?

There is only one time to tap: end of winter. Specifically when the days are above freezing and the nights are below.  It’s a window of about a month. Depending on weather, late February to early April.

This year I tapped trees early March and this coming weekend will be my last batch. This winter was weird. It was cold until early March and then we had an odd warm snap mid-month. It was unseasonably warm (ski season came to a very abrupt halt), highs in Vermont in the mid 60s and most of that time it never froze. This coming week is supposed to be more normal.

 

Edited by Captain Ron
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Posted

I missed a few more pictures. When bringing the syrup in I ended up with 2 “batches”

IMG_0036.thumb.jpeg.1ca1c4104752827c41e6fefae10a391f.jpeg

and 

IMG_0035.thumb.jpeg.df7194c7f5274cf7624d9ef00a93d2b3.jpeg

they boil at different temps

The light was boiling at 209

IMG_0037.thumb.jpeg.61d5e2d85d260565e27a92d4a806eef2.jpeg


IMG_0039.thumb.jpeg.dc85921fe6e31fefbaadf166f0e919f1.jpeg

 

the dark at 215. I would eventually combine them and get it done. 
 

IMG_0042.thumb.jpeg.dae2c0a3305a8d00fc1567ccc49cbb02.jpeg

 

boiling at 220. 

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Posted
On 3/24/2025 at 5:43 AM, Captain Ron said:

Commercially produced syrup should last basically forever. The conditions under which it’s produced/bottled + their care will do that.  The time this stuff is boiled will kill anything in there. Due to the sugar content, bottles must be sterilized before they are used. Clearly there are exceptions, but it’s like canning- it’s done to preserve food “forever”.

 Even home stuff should, but care of production isn’t nearly the same as something that has to follow regulations.

I figured it was probably a very low risk, but fired from the hip on my answer anyway and told my wife it couldn't go bad. Shoot first, research later.

This syrup was homemade, from some neighbors of rural Wisconsin friends.

But now I can give my wife the definitive Captain Ron answer. I may just say that for lots of stuff from now on; it sounds pretty authoritative to me. "Because Captain Ron says -- that's why."

Posted

A buddy of mine asked about the color or this batch. He's not wrong it's a touch darker, especially from Year 1. Looking at dates - I was realizing batch 1 was produced end of March (date code on that picture is March 26th). Clearly this last batch was from March 23rd. Usually darker color is from later in the season. But I think the warm snap I mentioned might have affected this year's production, at least in Vermont. It might have resulted in a darker color. It certainly tastes more "mapley".

 

Year 1 (2023)

-XrSRZCg.jpeg

 

Year 3 (2025)

IMG_0048.jpeg

 

 

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