Nice!! I used to like rock candy as a kid. No clue what I was eating. Trial and error is fun . I'm still learning and when I stop, I'm probably dead.

Here is my take on the Syrup. A decent evaporator is key time wise. I still have some mod on mine. I need to box in the top to get more heat on the sides of the pans.  Mine will do 15-20 gallons in 10 hours or so. To speed things up I used turkey fryers and propane, but now I have $40 in a $50 gallon of Syrup. I guess it's the process and enjoyment though. I will start my plants this week I think. If I start too early they get too big for the flats. Since I do squash they start to vine and tangle and get to be a mess

Nice review on the syrup Clint. Hope the improvements work as I'm sure your very skilled at adapting. I'm still hoping to get those stainless bird baths. No crates this week but I scored a clean new 55 gallon steel drum. My thoughts are to scald the pigs to scrape the hair.
Not much new in my garden. I cut the large crate in half and both sections are 17" deep 35" wide X 67" long.. I still got the other ones as well. I cut some nasty thorn bushes but with just lopers, they kick my butt as well as draw blood, dang things.
Otherwise I didn't have much energy yesterday. I'm feeling older and older each day, my bones and muscles ache.

With a usual tax day arrival of herring in my creek, it's time to get my gear together.
Tackle is accounted for and I'm working on a boat project . My goal is to uncover the soulshine next Friday. There is still great access to a solid 12" ice on my laker waters so if I can find a willing sole, I may try again.

I hear you on the aches man. I gave up fishing today because my bones could not take it. I am trying to slow boil the last  2.5 gallons down to 1.5 and then bring it in for the final boil to syrup. I may get a gallon out of this. Trees have slowed in production. I think there is a few days left and that's it. I think with the last run I a going to try just loading up the fire and boiling overnight and reloading before I go to work. Should cut down on the hurry up and wait time, but take longer. I will scavenge my hood parts from sheet metal on an old car out back. My welds look bad but hold for this non critical work

Got some ambition and took a walk out back. Found a few scores that were not there a month ago.
Gonna get chainsaw going Wednesday when I get some help. The white church is across my front yard has been abandoned for 30 years. It's being refurbished for what I'm not sure yet. The brown one is out back and being dismantled by the same guys

Wish my yard / woods looked like that. Still got 8  or so on the ground

the winds and sun have helped dry up the mud. I don't need anymore rain right now.
Got real ambitious this afternoon and worked on the pig pen. They are coming in 2 weeks, I need to be ready.

I tried to buy that white church twice in last 30 years. They wouldn't sell and let it fall close to the point of down. My goal back then was a pub / concert hall. At least something is happening there instead of an inferno. Hopefully it won't be some type of rental units and maybe my dream will happen for that place

For my next project, I'm going to build a real smokehouse. I'm certainly in the planning stages and watching YouTube .
I'm looking towards cold smoke and preserved meats that can be frozen.
My plan is an external steel drum stove . Getting a barrel stove kit , pipe out the backside into the smokehouse on blocks
Thoughts and suggestions welcomed .
Pros and cons of a smokehouse

If you are doing your own butchering of the pigs I would be cool. I have only used a small grill type one.