Finished cooking the first batch of syrup--about 3.5 gallons. Good flavor, light amber, and passed along to Dick and Jeremy for their help. Rained for several hours, and not much sap ran today.
Dick and Jeremy came over in the morning to empty the buckets before the rain--only 25 gallons of sap. We started cooking yesterday morning and kept it going all yesterday, and last night ( filled the pan and firebox at 10:30 pm. 3:30 am and again at 6:30 am and finished it at 5 pm. Cooked 125 gallons in about 30 hours. If I would have fired more often overnight could have done it faster. Four gallons an hour isn't too bad. I think my maximum level is 5 with my cooking setup.
It was a lot of work, but everything is cleaned up and ready for the next batch. I don't have lids on the pails, so tomorrow morning I need to go dump out the water. Now, I am resting up after a lot of work!
The trumpeter swans are on the ice again. Had a couple of visitors this afternoon, Scott D-R and son. They are getting ready for turkey hunting season in the woods north of my piece of land and asked permission to come onto my land if needed. Scott used to work for my brother, Byron. He hadn't seen making syrup before, so was interested in how it was done. Might try his aunt's land to the north next year.
Pretty much tired out. I haven't been very active for a couple of years due to knee and Myasthenia, so need to get used to hard work again! Nothing like a few aspirn or ibuprofen to ease the muscles!
Comments and photographs from an old local historian and backwoodsman about life in the St. Croix River Valley
