Marathon County Maple, Day 4

It was a long day...


Stoke the fire for the finish...many times, over the course of hours. We were back in the bush shortly after sunrise, and it was cold.


Once it is boiling well, uncover the pan so the steam can escape. (Steams smells slightly sweet—losing sugar. More efficient operations capture that and condense it out.)


Getting closer—note the hydrometer in the upper right corner in its special tall cup, the flat-bottomed scoop in the upper left corner, and the skimmer/stirrer (made from a piece of 'chrome' trim and the bottom of a milk strainer).


Transfer into old milk cans, which were then strapped into the bucket of Mike's tractor (visible in the first picture) for transport out of the woods, then trucked down to Xavier's basement...


...and poured through heavy cotton cloth as a primary filter...


Lots of particulates mean you have to keep the cloth moving to keep the syrup flowing through.


Then through another double filter (cotton and felt). Note the spigot at the bottom of that tub—it empties into another pot and is reheated to 180F...


...poured into various sized jugs / bottles...


...and sealed.

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