We have tapped 5 trees this year, however because the temperature is above freezing at night I am not getting as much sap as last year.
We have a new boiling method this year too. My hubby salvaged this stainless steel casing from a job which is perfect for the job. More surface area means faster boiling time at 40 gallons of sap to 1 gallon of syrup.
Last year we cooked in food trays on the open fire and the smoke touching the syrup gave the it a smokey flavor. With the added stove pipe we are diverting the smoke away from the batch.
The Syrup is almost a fancy grade (very light in color.) We are finishing the batches in small quantity on an outdoor gas burner.
