Yesterday went well. I started the evaporator at 9:00AM and by 4:30PM had run through the 135 gallons of sap that had been collected on Monday. Joined by a partner and the son of a partner, we collected 60 gallons of sap, which will be put through the evaporator today.

Today's plan is to take care of the sap from yesterday, hopefully by noon, and then finish the syrup that is in the "finisher." The finisher is a propane fired unit which permits adequate control over the heat source so that we don't scorch the final product. The syrup is bottled and labeled, when it comes out of the finisher.

For syrup to reach the proper sugar concentration, it must be just short of precipitating out and burning. It is a lot like the old fashioned way of making popcorn balls; the need to get the mixture to the hard crack stage so that the popcorn balls are not sticky and yet not scorching the mixture. Maple syrup is approximately 66% sugar held in solution. By the way, the term "brix" is used rather than %. The term brix is apparently used only in reference to sugars dissolved in liquids.

The season may be over or simply taking a break. The temperature was near 60 degrees at 5:30AM this morning. I am quite certain that we can not expect any appreciable sap flow today. The forecast is calling for continued early summer-like temperatures and a few days of rain on the weekend. If that forecast holds true, those conditions will most certainly "wake up" the biological process in the maple trees that mark the end of the season.