It's that time again

The days are sunny and above freezing.  The nights are cold, well below 32F.  This is the time to start the 2023 maple sap season.

Of course I decided to buy some new stuff for the harvest.  First, a refractometer which optically shows the sugar concentration of a fluid.

It comes in a nice plastic case:

Inside is the instrument, a calibration screwdriver, an eye dropper and (not shown) a wiping cloth.

  It's really easy to use, just put 3 drops on the slide, close the translucent lid and then look through the finder to read the percentage of sugar.  I tried it with distilled water and it seems to be in calibration.

I also bought some new spiles (taps) with pre-attached hoses.

  Some of the old taps I had were clear (yes, they were cheaper) but they break fairly easily.  There is at least one or two clear ones still embedded in maples from last year (the head came off).

So now to get out there and start drilling !

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm