Yesterday we had our first boil of the season after installing our new 4'x5' syrup pan. After boiling for five hours, we had to shut down before getting any syrup. But today we were able to draw off 10 gallons of syrup from 450 gallons of sap. Since the weather has warmed up, we are out of sap for the next day or so. We're hoping for some colder nights to kick start more sap flow!
With the help of some friends, we've made several improvements to the sugarhouse, including putting up new lights, building a cedar enclosure to insulate the (very noisy) vacuum pump system, and expanding our sap storage capacity. These changes will improve our efficiency and make the boiling process much smoother (and quieter!). We've also raised the steam hood nine inches over the syrup pan so we can keep better track of the syrup's progress and show visitors how sap becomes syrup. Having the syrup pan more open also makes my mouth water from the rich maple aroma.