danmccullough, 2 months ago to random

In parts of the northern USA and lots of spots in Canada, this time of the year is Maple Sugar season filled with lots of hard work and hoping for ideal weather conditions. If you’d like a terrific short intro to the process along with some fabulous old photos, see @EllieK and @stevenkennard slideshow presentation!
#MapleSugar https://mstdn.ca/@EllieK/112196213564565193

danmccullough, 2 months ago to random

My 2024 maple sugaring season has ended and we got 30 liters of sap. There were 2 additional liters that I tossed because it had soured and big, meaty moths had drowned in it. I harvested 36 liters in 2023.

I tapped the tree 2/1 and took the bucket down on 3/17. The height of the flow was 2/3 to 2/10.

After boiling we ended up with a little over 1.5 pints of syrup. Lots of work for not a lot of syrup which explains why this stuff is so expensive!

#MapleSyrup #MapleSugar

Top down view of a metal pot filled with light brown bubbles as it is boiling and slowly becoming syrup.
Top down view of the sap fully boiled down to 219 degrees and now syrup. It is amber-brown and is cooling.
A glass jar showing off the cooled maple syrup. For scale, I have set it next to an empty seltzer container that is 1 liter. Both are sitting on a countertop.

danmccullough, 4 months ago to climate

Tapped our Sugar Maple this weekend. I remember when, due to much colder temps, I wouldn’t until late February. But now the sap is usually running by late January, if not earlier. Last year we collected 35 liters of sap which, after boiling down, produced a quart of syrup.

Looking at the upcoming forecast it should be a good week for sap flow.

#MapleSugar #SugarMaple #Sugaring #ClimateChange #MapleSugaringMonday

Closeup of a hammer positioning a metal spile, or spicket, into the base of a Sugar Maple. The spile is what we’ll hang the bucket on.
Looking down into the bottom of a metal sap collection bucket which is now hanging on a hook on the tree. Snow and leaves are on the ground.
A sap bucket with an arched metal lid are hanging on a tree.