Liquid Gold
By: Wayne Coolidge
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My daughter Melissa, and her husband, Derek, have been making maple syrup for a few years. Because we enjoyed it so much on pancakes while visiting, and at their insistence that it is easy to make, Wendy and I decided to give it a try, so we bought a ‘starter kit’ for $60.
Last year, during the first weekend of March, Melissa and Derek visited us and showed us how to tap maple trees. After drilling the first hole, even without having time to clean out the wood shavings, sap was already pouring out of the tree. As they demonstrated how to hang the bucket and lid, sap was already beginning to fill the bottom of the bucket. Wow! That was easy.
After one week, we had collected over 15 gallons of sap, and we were ready to begin the boiling process. Melissa and Derek have a wood stove that they modified with a stainless-steel pan for boiling. We didn’t have a set up like that available, but we did have a large lobster pot and propane burner.
Weekend 1 - Early in the morning, we set up our operation on the side deck, hooked up a $20 bottle of propane, and began the boiling process. It took a long time for the sap to boil down, but we enjoyed our morning coffee, chatting, relaxing, an afternoon beer, catching up on reading, and suntanning. All the while enjoying the smell of the sweet aroma of the sap as it boiled down to pure organic maple syrup. By the time the sun started to set, we had boiled about 8 gallons of sap.
The following morning, we swapped out the empty bottle of propane for another $20 full one and began the process again. We boiled the remaining 7 gallons, again enjoying a relaxing day on the deck savoring the sweet smell of maple. At the end of the day, we had produced enough maple syrup to fill 4, 8 oz. mason jars. The maple syrup was a beautiful golden color. I then realized why enthusiasts called the maple syrup, Liquid Gold.
Weekend 2 - More of the same; chillaxin’ in the sunshine and enjoying the smell of the maple boiling. Over the course of those two days, we boiled another 15 gallons of sap and produced 4 more small mason jars of maple syrup. This time we noticed the maple syrup was a darker color than the previous weekends’ Liquid Gold. We researched and found out that the tree produces a darker sap each week as the season winds down. We were learning. As much fun as we were having though, we wanted a bigger yield of syrup after spending an entire weekend dedicated to it. After more research, we found that an evaporator would speed up the process. So, we purchased an electric unit for $160. We also made some other purchases to assist in fine tuning our final product. We bought more taps and filter cloths ($50), a skimmer ($15), a hydrometer and filler tube ($55), and some storage buckets ($60). This was turning into a professional operation.
Weekend 3 – We were excited to use the new evaporator, and quickly discovered that if we preheated the sap in the evaporator to 212 degrees, then added it to the boiling pot, we never lost the rolling boil. We cooked 22 gallons of sap that weekend and produced 8 mason jars of product. Well worth the new purchase. We were learning how to streamline our time, but still spent another $40 on propane for the weekend. Again, we noticed the syrup was even darker than the previous batch.
Weekend 4 – Collection of sap began slowing down, as we now know was evidenced by the syrup color. We had less sap to start with, but enough for 5 more jars of maple syrup. Not bad for our rookie season.
While sitting down and enjoying our organic, homemade, maple syrup, I wondered what this syrup cost us. Knowing that an expensive maple syrup is $40 a quart, I did some math.
Equipment, accessories, and propane cost us $560. We produced 21 jars of syrup, which was 5.25 quarts. Dividing that out, means it cost us over $106 per quart. That’s without labor!!
OMG – now I know why it is really called LIQUID GOLD!
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The options for having a she shed are endless! It can be designed to use as a potting shed, painting space, guest house, reading space, home office, clothing or jewelry studio, home gym, yoga studio, or just a place to get away. Once you know what exactly you want to create the space for, you will be able to efficiently set-up the space to suit your needs. It can also be easily made from a current space you already have. You can build it off a garage, shed, or other storage building already on your property. If you don’t have somewhere to build off, there are also kits available online to put your own together.
As with any place that you want to make your own, you need to bring about your own style. Make it functional for the purpose of the space, but also add some fun flair. Add colorful rugs and furniture inside to make it cozy. If it is a studio, make displays of your work. Lots of windows are a good idea to add natural light, especially if you are away from electrical, you won’t have to worry about power. Landscape around the outside of your space to tie it in with the rest of your property. If you are using it as a potting shed or gardening space, you can add a greenhouse to it also.
However you choose to design your shed, just remember it is your own happy place and it should reflect your personal style and interests.
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Get Your Home Ready for Spring
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Hazardproof your roof
●Check for roof damage: Winter’s snow, ice, and wind can wreak havoc on your roof. As the singles age each season, the fine grains of stone get washed and worn off the surface. Check to see whether any damaged shingles need to be replaced.
●Monitor your gutters and drainage: Remove blockages and look for signs of damage and bending. Many gutter repairs are inexpensive and involve only adjusting brackets, hammering out bent areas, and if necessary, replacing damaged sections of gutters.
Prepare the inside air
●Check all home detectors: Press the test button on carbon monoxide and smoke detectors! Be sure to change the batteries at the same time. Both detectors are available at local hardware stores.
●Prepare your air conditioners: Replace dirty filters which will put more strain on your AC and increase your energy consumption. Check the outside compressor condensing coil for damage or blockage.
Prevent Fires and Floods
●Dump your sump pump’s gunk: Your sump pump saves you a lot of money in repairs by protecting against flooding- so make sure it works properly! If the water in your pit is moving slowly, it may be blocked by debris. Make sure to clean it often.
●Prevent a home dryer fire: The build-up of lint in your dryer causes an average of 15,000 fires each year. Clean the lint trap after every laundry load, and check the outside vent where hidden build-up can causes additional damage to you appliance.
Protect your deck
●Check your deck for wear: Use a screwdriver or ice pick to test areas exposed to water and parts of your deck that are constantly damp. If the ice pick can penetrate the wood or the wood is soft, that’s a clue the wood is decaying.
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