Colt Case Ingersoll Garden Tractors

Not sure if others are into this or not, but thought I'd post a few pics of my maple syrup making this year. I've been doing it since we moved here 5 years ago.


Really enjoy it, just upgraded to a different evaporator setup this year. So far it works much better, still tweaking and learning how to get it as efficient as possible.



So far I've boiled about 120 litres, resulting in about 4 litres of syrup. Definitely a labour of love. From start to finish was about 16 hours.

Eventually I will move and rebuild an old garden shed on the property into a sugar shack.

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My neighbour use to do that. Sure doesn't take to long to fill one of those white buckets. He use to have quite a crowd around when he was boiling it in the sugar shack.


Noel

Propane57 wrote:My neighbour use to do that. Sure doesn't take to long to fill one of those white buckets. He use to have quite a crowd around when he was boiling it in the sugar shack.


Noel

Nice Noel! Yes I can imagine everyone wanting a taste. My kids love being the official taste testers

Here's my son keeping a close eye on the operation. He thought it was hilarious watching me split some bigger logs to get a hotter fire.

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That's great @Chad , can't say I could find time for it, but must be fun. I bet it tastes great. There are at least two wooded areas around us but I don't know if one is allowed to harvest sap on township land.

Chad wrote: ↑Wed Mar 16, 2022 1:37 pm

Propane57 wrote:My neighbour use to do that. Sure doesn't take to long to fill one of those white buckets. He use to have quite a crowd around when he was boiling it in the sugar shack.


Noel

Nice Noel! Yes I can imagine everyone wanting a taste. My kids love being the official taste testers

Here's my son keeping a close eye on the operation. He thought it was hilarious watching me split some bigger logs to get a hotter fire.

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Great picture, he's so cute!

@Eugen Thanks! Ya until he can walk he hangs out with dad in the shop and things like this. His older sisters come and go, I'm sure he'll be the same but all fun. And yes I'm lucky that my wife lets me lol. But we all enjoy the rewards. If we didn't get the time off this time of year it would be much harder for sure. A nice way to spend the outdoors this time of year.

I'm not sure about township land. It really doesn't take many trees, I only tap 10 each year and average about 5-10 litres of syrup each season, depending on the weather.

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I have helped a neighbour a few time . Yes , it is a labour of love . When friend get together to do it , fishing stories and beers tend to be part of the mix while tending the fire . Weekend boils are a lot of fun .

Dave

Pancake time I’d say. Looks like the young fella is enjoying him self. Don’t think there’s enough temperature swing here yet between day and night to get anything yet. Another week or two I think.

Noel

I could do Boxelder syrup plenty of them around. when the weather is right I have gotten some ice cycles from them to suck on. Sweet but not as much sugar as maples, so would need a lot more boiling to get it reduced enough.


Gordy

Back at it again today. Almost as much as I did on Monday.

@Gordy that sounds good too! I haven't tried tapping other trees but I know black walnut and birch are also common. My yields aren't that great as I have hardly any sugar maples on the property, but will tap more trees in the future.

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Chad wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 11:43 am Back at it again today. Almost as much as I did on Monday.

@Gordy that sounds good too! I haven't tried tapping other trees but I know black walnut and birch are also common. My yields aren't that great as I have hardly any sugar maples on the property, but will tap more trees in the future.

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The boxelder is part of the maple family, as mentioned lower sugar content though.

I have not heard of tapping black walnuts. I have been warned about toxic stuff in black walnut sawdust and smoke that should not be inhaled. I have a lot of buckthorn, it is hard to kill, other than taking it out roots and all. Out in the woods I have found circles of dead buckthorn, in the center is a black walnut tree growing.


Gordy

Edit; Just recalled a buddy's nephew said they had made enough syrup and added brewers yeast to the rest of the sap, and a different process to finish it was tasty

Looks like a very interesting process. Every year a friend of mine from Ohio and Michigan sends me several quarts of maple syrup he and his family make. It is best syrup out there. Nothing on market compares with it.

My Wife usually sends him several jars of homemade blackberry and sand plum jelly to them in return. Thanks for posting, love the pictures!

Doublet (Terry)

I'll have to try that! Might have some brewers yeast left over from my last batch of beer, but I'm sure it's expired by now. Might have some from last batch of wine that's newer.

Interesting about the black walnut sawdust. I know they are toxic to other plants as they release juglone through their roots, and it's bad for animals. At my old place there were many beautiful mature black walnuts and I tried harvesting the nuts once but it took a long time and the shells were really hard to crack. The fruit was tasty though, had a smoky flavour. One tree there was almost 4' in diameter at breast height. We're lucky with very little buckthorn here, but sound like your solution is to plant more black walnuts! Despite their mess I do love those trees, especially when there's a grove. I have only found 2 on my property, would like a few more.

Funny now that I think of it maple syrup takes even longer!

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Not a bad day today. About 3.5 litres.

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Chad wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 2:39 pm I'll have to try that! Might have some brewers yeast left over from my last batch of beer, but I'm sure it's expired by now. Might have some from last batch of wine that's newer.

Interesting about the black walnut sawdust. I know they are toxic to other plants as they release juglone through their roots, and it's bad for animals. At my old place there were many beautiful mature black walnuts and I tried harvesting the nuts once but it took a long time and the shells were really hard to crack. The fruit was tasty though, had a smoky flavour. One tree there was almost 4' in diameter at breast height. We're lucky with very little buckthorn here, but sound like your solution is to plant more black walnuts! Despite their mess I do love those trees, especially when there's a grove. I have only found 2 on my property, would like a few more.

Funny now that I think of it maple syrup takes even longer!

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Chad,
If the prospect of planting black walnuts from seed with a growth rate of about 6" a year seems daunting. There is a way to get 2 feet or more a year If you look closely at the trunk of the young tree you will see not one bud but 3 buds at each location big, smaller, and tiny. In the spring, with your finger nail strip all of the buds off EXCEPT for the crown at the very top. This will make the tree think it is in a deep dark woods and it will reach for the sky, putting its energy into growing tall not into branches. As the tree grows beyond your reach there is no need for a ladder, simply reach up and grab the tree and start walking backwards, hand over hand on the tree stripping buds as you go. Oh and have a small pruner incase you missed a bud last year, and cut the branch off. I did this to 50+ BW's with no branches 15 to 20 feet above ground level.

Here is a picture of the wife for size reference she is 5'3" tall, the tree is 26 to 28 years old.


Gordy

Gordy wrote:

Chad wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 2:39 pm I'll have to try that! Might have some brewers yeast left over from my last batch of beer, but I'm sure it's expired by now. Might have some from last batch of wine that's newer.

Interesting about the black walnut sawdust. I know they are toxic to other plants as they release juglone through their roots, and it's bad for animals. At my old place there were many beautiful mature black walnuts and I tried harvesting the nuts once but it took a long time and the shells were really hard to crack. The fruit was tasty though, had a smoky flavour. One tree there was almost 4' in diameter at breast height. We're lucky with very little buckthorn here, but sound like your solution is to plant more black walnuts! Despite their mess I do love those trees, especially when there's a grove. I have only found 2 on my property, would like a few more.

Funny now that I think of it maple syrup takes even longer!

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Chad,
If the prospect of planting black walnuts from seed with a growth rate of about 6" a year seems daunting. There is a way to get 2 feet or more a year If you look closely at the trunk of the young tree you will see not one bud but 3 buds at each location big, smaller, and tiny. In the spring, with your finger nail strip all of the buds off EXCEPT for the crown at the very top. This will make the tree think it is in a deep dark woods and it will reach for the sky, putting its energy into growing tall not into branches. As the tree grows beyond your reach there is no need for a ladder, simply reach up and grab the tree and start walking backwards, hand over hand on the tree stripping buds as you go. Oh and have a small pruner incase you missed a bud last year, and cut the branch off. I did this to 50+ BW's with no branches 15 to 20 feet above ground level.

Here is a picture of the wife for size reference she is 5'3" tall, the tree is 26 to 28 years old.


Gordy

image.png

Oh wow! Thanks for that Gordy. Great way to accelerate growth for sure. That tree has done really well for that amount of time.

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