Meanwhile, back at the sugar shack...

We decided to do what most people on the West Side of Chicago do.  (ha, ha.)  Tap our local Maple trees and make syrup.  This cockamamie one was actually Erick's.  Even so, this is one project I have enjoyed above all.  It has been fantastic in every way.  From repurposing most of the supplies, to having an impromptu syrup making seminar on the street for the Jehovah's, this one has surpassed my expectations.  A hard thing to do. 
     We began with an order of spiles from ebay.  Tapping is inexplicably exciting.  It's like a mini treasure hunt mixed with grown up trick or treating.  These were the first taps;

 

We used pretty basic equipment.  Eventually, we bailed on the old drill and got out the cordless! 

Here is most of what we needed.

The weather was perfect and sap was running beautifully!

  

We collected 45 gallons over 7 days by tapping 15 trees on two blocks.  

Now it was time to boil!

Filter first.  We used plain cheese cloth.

We boiled over a fire stocked with Ash wood.  It gives a lot of smoke and flavor!

It was freezing!  This is Sharron minding the fire!

Eventually we realized we had meat and fire... 

36 hours later all 45 gallons had reduced down into one pot and it was time to do the finishing.  This is best done in a very controlled heat so we did this inside.  All the windows in the kitchen had to be left open for the steam to get out.  We've read about folks who boiled inside and their paint peeled!

This was an in progress sample.

After another million hours of boiling, we reached the 7.1 degrees above boiling (which was 210 that day.)  Now we did the final filter and presto... West Side City Syrup!  Next year We'll do 300 trees!   Famers markets look out!  West Side City Syrup will be available (Mother Nature willing) in 2014!