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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."

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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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Posted

That smoker was a side of the road find. Driving up one weekend my wife spotted it on the side of the road. It took some work, but I got it in the truck, by myself. 
 

image.thumb.jpeg.572c37e4b711b0ab48f32b80ae203ae0.jpeg
 

most of these new englanders don’t know how to use an offset smoker. I’ve gotten 2 off the side of the road and both were clearly used as grills. 

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Posted

Brisket is done. Sap is still boiling. I have some of it on the stove now since it needs the boil off. 
 

This is going to boil down to around a 1/3 of this I would guess. We shouldn’t get a full gallon today. 
 

IMG_0136.thumb.jpeg.03a5d826e6da6854bc802d91c3f2516c.jpeg

Posted (edited)

This batch

IMG_0148.thumb.jpeg.12d9f80ccdd93e3d13735e3b0ef6d9c0.jpeg

 

 

One downside about this batch- I didn't realize I needed to do one last filtering on it and I have sludge in about half the bottles, I am going to need to fix that soon.

Edited by Captain Ron
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Posted
On 3/17/2025 at 12:16 PM, Captain Ron said:

No question about that. I am busted up a little today. Kiddo won't be old enough to trust with an axe for a few years.

I will give a quick review of my choice of axes for the lumberjacking

My initial axe is a Collins Splitting Axe (similar to this guy). It's perfectly fine. Mine is about 10 years old. It works great on smaller wood that doesn't have any knots. This thing really struggles with knots and you can see it in the 2nd picture stuck in a piece of wood, I would take a day to get that out. It's actually pretty cheap and dulls quickly, but give it an edge and it's good for a day of work.

My FIL saw my struggling with knotty wood and bought me the Fiskars Splitting Maul. Technically the IsoCore 8 lbs. Forged Steel Splitting Maul with 36 in. Fiberglass Core Handle. That thing is a beast. I am able to split the wood that gives the Collins axe trouble. Is it perfect? No, but due to the weight/shape if I get a log clean, it usually will split the wood no problem.

Both aren't bad, but you gotta get the right one for the right job. Though the Collins struggles have kind of put it back burner for me right now.

Chopper 1 is the shit 

image.thumb.jpeg.03238b264873aa8c86ce5150cdfe845c.jpeg

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Posted

FUCK! Now you tell me!!!

I have one of those hanging in my garage in Vermont!!! I'm not sure if it's a real one or knockoff, but I recognized the mechanism in an instant. It needs to be sharpened big time. But I'm going to give that a go next time I am there.

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Posted

Define limbs. Basically wondering about size really.

 

Frankly if I wanted to step up from axe, my next stop would be this:

https://www.harborfreight.com/10-ton-hydraulic-log-splitter-67090.html

10 Ton Hydraulic Log Splitter

 

It just seemed like swinging an axe or swinging a sledgehammer, same motion. So I will stay with the axe. But if I wanted to do something different - I would go manual hydraulic.

Posted

Man I am so impressed with your effort.

I really do not eat much syrup but I love it.

Of course the kids and now grandkids love Mrs Butterworth’s and it is fine until…….

You taste real maple syrup. It was life changing.

A girl I used to work with took a trip to the northeast for a fall foliage trip, something I have always wanted to do, and she brought me some syrup from Vermont in one of these maple leaf bottles. Incredible.

Posted
10 hours ago, Steamboat1874 said:

Man I am so impressed with your effort.

I really do not eat much syrup but I love it.

Of course the kids and now grandkids love Mrs Butterworth’s and it is fine until…….

You taste real maple syrup. It was life changing.

A girl I used to work with took a trip to the northeast for a fall foliage trip, something I have always wanted to do, and she brought me some syrup from Vermont in one of these maple leaf bottles. Incredible.

 

No doubt about real maple syrup vs anything fake. I just can't do that crap anymore. After making my first batch 2 years ago, I went on a trip and the continental breakfast had waffles with maple flavored crap - couldn't even make it past a single taste, not worth it.

I will say this, the effort is more in the setup. After you have the fire going and the sap boiling it's a lot f sit around and watch a fire, and drink a lot. This year I mentioned we had friend up to "help" It was a blast. I think between 3+ of us (one of the group only lightly drank), we probably killed a six pack plus a 6 pack of wine too. Needless to say the hangovers we gnarly, but totally worth it.

 

Fall foliage trip - highly recommended, just find a place that has fewer people. The places that draw massive crowds:

Franconia Notch - primarily Artist's Bluff - the place has a great view, but damn if that place isn't overrun on the weekends (we literally drive past this on the way to our place in Vermont)
https://www.unionleader.com/nh/about_nh/artists-bluff-an-easy-hike-amazing-views-and-an-instagram-hit/article_b7a40628-28f2-11ef-94c7-bf96e8752590.html

Woodstock, VT - this is a beautiful area, but in the fall so many leaf seekers make it a nightmare, this barn is supposedly the most photographed fall foliage place ever

image.thumb.png.efb430ede20c7398827f0b36af607ba5.png

 

I was staying down the road from this place in April 2021 and we had a freak snow storm that gave us this picture, but with snow.

The Kank (aka the Kancamagus Highway) is a great way to see the foliage, but in season 34 miles might take 3 hours, so I would avoid it.

 

My advice - hit Littleton, NH or better, hop over to St. Johnsbury, VT and start there. They are very well mountainous and will let you see the leaves.

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Posted
On 3/31/2025 at 9:54 AM, jimmyjazz said:

On the subject of log splitting, are these worth a damn?  I have a bunch of oak limbs I need to break down.

image.png.69eeecaad4e5a1abd0f6d3d3039f4d74.png

I use mine all the time and love it.  If it fits, it splits.  Swinging a two or three pound hand sledge instead of a maul does less damage to my old shoulders.  Of course, just like splitting with a maul, the better seasoned the wood is, the easier it is to split, some woods split better than others, and knots can be a pain, but I love mine.

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