My last post about syruping included a few photos of the cinder block fireplace we built in 2011 for boiling down the sap that we collect from maple trees in our neighborhood. When we built our current fireplace a week later, I took more extensive photos. We changed our fireplace a little this year; we change it every year because we innovate, substitute, forget. The biggest change this year was that we swapped out our chimney bricks because our old ones were too broken to use anymore. Bricks crack in the heat sometimes so it is good to have extra cinder blocks lying around. Anyway, do not think of this as a blueprint for fireplace building, but guidelines, or a source of inspiration. Read the last post for a more complete description of syruping.
The driveway, empty as a blank canvasThe pile of bricks and the evaporator, awaiting assemblyThe crew with 90 gallons of sap in garbage pailsfirst base bricksthe base is laidfull base, starting the back wallfirst layer, with grate inserted to make sure it fitstwo layers of wall, with gap in the back in second layerbase of chimneybuilding up chimney with smaller brickscreating a hole for the hot air to go up the chimneythe hole with the evaporator in place, view from the back of the evaporatornew kind of chimney brick, two holesFinished chimney, three bricks highwiping down the evaporator before adding sapteaching the next generation, aka Katie, how to split woodrelaxing by the fire all day long as the sap boils down10 1/2 quarts of syrup, final count for the day's boil
I so enjoyed this series on DIY maple-syruping! Just read through it this morning. How precious that maple syrup is! I really love the part of tapping trees in your local community and boiling it out in your driveway! Thank-you.
I found this so interesting. Thank you! Also, what a fun way to have an outdoor party in winter!
I so enjoyed this series on DIY maple-syruping! Just read through it this morning. How precious that maple syrup is! I really love the part of tapping trees in your local community and boiling it out in your driveway! Thank-you.
Awesome! We spent the past two weekends boiling sap in our driveway on the west side of Saratoga Springs. Your fireplace is amazing!
Well come over and see it, 160 spring street