We just received and unloaded our maple sugar container shipment, it came all the way from south Florida this time. These 12,500 containers will hold sugar made from 3,750 gallons of syrup. We’re almost done hooking up a new 320 gallon propane tank and the Hobart mixer has been tuned and is ready to go. The smell of fresh maple syrup will continue to fill the sugar shack throughout the summer!
Still drawing off Grade-A Amber in April. Between improving our processing techniques and the cooler weather this spring we’ve only made one barrel of very dark syrup, and most of the dark we’ve bottled was just a hair away from being graded amber. Sap is now filtered three times, first at the releaser, second while pumping into the holding tanks, third before entering the reverse osmosis, and then again after it’s been boiled down to syrup. We usually concentrate our sap from around 1.5% sugar to 5%, then a second pass takes it up to 18% and it’s boiled to 67% immediately at a very fast boil rate. All of this ensures minimal time for bacteria to split the sucrose molecules into fructose+glucose and just the right amount of caramelization for the perfect flavor/color combination. Now enough about the process/science and a video of some fresh syrup we boiled Friday!
Received our US Trademark in the mail! Amazon gives extra privileges to companies that are registered, we no longer have to worry about another seller hijacking our listing with counterfeit product and we now have additional privileges. April 3rd and still making syrup, bottled 400 half gallons of amber yesterday along with filling a drum!