Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Sun Sets on the Syrup Season

Less than a month after it began, the Kopp’s Crops maple syrup season has finished.  The “we’re so tired of boiling alone that it’s time to invite over some friends for pancakes” party has been hosted.  The buckets have all been collected, washed out, and are ready to store for the winter.  The taps have been removed from the trees, leaving the small holes to fill in throughout the summer (but still leaving a mark, much like those ill-advised piercings you got in high school).  The big blue storage tanks have returned to their former role as eyesores in the side yard, where we keep all the sizeable farm equipment.
The final tally is 9.3 gallons of syrup, bottled in 8 and 12 oz. bottles.  So we estimate that between the bottles, the ongoing sampling, and the one unfortunate boilover of the finishing pot, we probably processed an even 10 gallons of syrup this year.  Which means we boiled approximately 400 gallons of sap, or almost 4.5 gallons per tree.   Definitely a successful season.  And frankly, we’re glad the season didn’t last any longer; we’re a little tired of collecting & boiling.  I guess you could say we’re “tapped out”!