Making maple candy is a blend of science and art, especially when it comes to our vacuum cooling process. Every step in this process has strict parameters related to temperature, pressure, invert sugar levels, and timing, among others. While our four-headed unit is efficient, even candy pouring can be challenging. Our new packaging (more details in our upcoming blog post) requires tighter tolerances on candy weight, prompting us to develop a solution that guarantees even candy pouring.

We experimented with various screw-in nozzles, 3D printed with high-strength polycarbonate, to achieve the desired result. It took several iterations to perfect the setup, but since a plate of nozzles only takes an hour or two to print and costs less than a dollar, we quickly found the ones that worked best.

Initially, we discovered that the stock nozzles on our machine were too large in diameter, leading to inconsistent flow rates that varied with temperature and pouring speed. By reducing the diameter of each nozzle, we ensured consistent pressure, resulting in a more even flow rate. However, smaller diameters caused excessive pressure, causing syrup to squeeze out of some of the threaded fittings. This issue was easily resolved by lowering the speed of our gear pump, an effortless task since our motor is driven by a variable frequency drive (VFD).

Despite these improvements, the outer two nozzles still poured slightly slower than the middle two. Swapping out the 3.2mm nozzles with 3.3mm ones was the perfect solution. Now, all our candy molds fill at the same rate, resulting in more uniform candies, faster candy-making days, and reduced waste.

Checkout some pictures below as well as a video of the nozzles printing.

Anyone who’s ever boiled maple syrup knows how crucial defoamer is, especially when you’ve forgotten to add it before turning on the heat! Over the years, we’ve tried various methods, including using timers and even purchasing an electronic dosing device that we didn’t like. This year, we decided to build a simple device that continuously drips our Atmos 300 into the steam pan. The device consists of a clear 2-foot PVC tube, a ball valve, and a few stainless fittings, all of which were built for under $50. We were unsure if the ball valve would provide enough control over the drip rate or if we’d need to install a needle valve instead. However, within a minute, we had it dripping at the correct rate. The reservoir easily lasts the 3-4 hours our usual boils take, and we’ve never had a foam issue, even at the end of the season when sap tends to be finicky. Stay tuned for our next blog post, where we’ll share an improvement we’ve made to our candy machine using our 3D printer!

When we first established our property in 2015, we had approximately 7500 taps. We made the mistake of tapping trees that were too small and installing excessive drop lines on multi-trunk trees. We later realized that while a 6–8 inch tree or double tapped tree may produce 5-10 gallons of extra sap annually, it wasn’t worth the materials, labor, and additional system maintenance. Consequently, during last year’s tapping season, we decided to remove any trees under 8 inches and extra droplines from all but the largest and healthiest trees. This resulted in a significant reduction from 7500 to 6800 taps.

Despite this improvement, we encountered an unexpected situation this year. After tapping, we discovered approximately 1000 extra spiles. This wasn’t the first time we’ve had excess supplies, so we decided to count every tap while untapping this year. To our astonishment, we found that we only have 5800 taps now. Every year, we remove trees that are too small, dead, storm-damaged, or otherwise unsuitable. It only takes removing a little over 1% of the trees each year for 11 years to reduce the number of taps by 1000!

As a result of these efforts, we now have 5800 high-quality taps. Our yields have always been a little lower than we would have liked them to be in the past, and we attributed this to the presence of small soft maples and not keeping our vacuum tight enough. However, with a precise tap count and a focus on maintaining the property’s tightness and maximizing production, we’ve achieved a yield of over 1/3rd of a gallon per tap, a respectable number for soft maples in Pennsylvania.

For reference, here’s a picture showing our current tap count, our estimate for last year, and our original count in 2015.

Every year, Hailee creates a one-second video capturing a snapshot of our season. This is the 2026 edition (although it’s not truly every day anymore).