Sugaring Season!

This is our first year making maple syrup to sell! Last year we had about 25 taps and this year we have about 150!  We streamlined the operation by using tubing and tanks and it has made a big difference! 

Here are some pics of the process:

Tubing going up.

Monitoring the mainline...

 

The first taps going in! We taped on February 13th this year! Amazingly early for NH, it was sooooo warm we couldn't pass up the early sap run. It has been a very warm season and unfortunately makes it a short one too!

We also put up some buckets, sugaring is not the same without those metal buckets hanging on the trees!

The first drop!

Here is a photo of last years "sugar house" and "evaporator"...

 

 ... and here is this years "sugar house"... yes we are moving up in the world... still not a real sugar house but better than last year!!!

 

 This years evaporator has improved too! We purchased this one on Craigs List from a man who moving south and was selling all his supplies.

 A couple of photo's of our set up, sap is pumped from a holding tank outside into this pre-heating pot. Then the sap makes it's way through the copper tubing and into the pan. By the time it gets there it is steaming hot and prevents us from losing the boil in the pan.

Our sugar tent house filled with steam!

 

 Checking the temp!

 

You can really see the difference of color in the sap here. The sap on the left almost done!

The first syrup going into the jars!

We love these glass jugs! They will be for sale in our farm stand this summer or you can contact us using the "for sale" page to purchase them before we open.