Final Syrup - Grade B

I finished making syrup last night, and I ended up with a darker syrup with a richer flavor.  Generally, this would be called Grade B, and it is usually our favorite and the one we usually buy at the syrup festival.

I have about a quart of it (not all shown in picture).  It is really delicious!  

I think after our learning experiences this year that we can produce about a gallon of syrup per tank of propane.  Since we won't have to buy any supplies next year, that puts the cost of a gallon of syrup at whatever the current cost of a propane tank is.  Nathaniel keeps telling me that he wants to build an outdoor wood-fired oven, and if he does and it works well for us, that would be a free way to convert the sap into syrup.  We'll see how that pans out.  Nathaniel also plans on tapping a few more trees next year (and we have enough spiles and tubing to do so), so we may produce even more syrup.  We really enjoyed making our own syrup this year, and I'm happy to make this a new tradition.