We are back to single digits at night and only low 20's in the daytime. It has really felt cold because these temps have been accompanied by wind. Brrrrr...
So, there has been no sap flow for about the last 5 days. And believe it or not, the 40-something gallons of sap in my collection barrel have frozen solid. I actually had planned to do a boil today since I have collected enough to make about a gallon of sap. But, I guess I will have to wait till it thaws. It's not BAD that it froze. This keeps it fresh. But it DOES inconvenience me, and forces me to wait till most of it is thawed out.
The native Americans actually used the freezing technique to concentrate the sap. If you freeze it, then allow about 2/3 of it to thaw out, what ice is left is almost all just plain water. The thawed portion is now a slightly stronger sugar solution. You can do this freeze-thaw several times and get a more concentrated sap to start the boil, but the taste and texture of maple syrup requires heat application in the end.
I had some computer issues so there is not a post from yesterday. so here are two days of Chick Flicks.
Day 13 Feathers!
Day 14 Chicks vs. Mealworms
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