Kids love the little basket, but they aren’t to put anything in it while the evaporator is going. Yes we learned it the hard way.
![](https://ben.akrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_0177-1024x768.jpg)
Another lesson learned the hard way: preheating the mason jars to reduce the thermal shock on the glass when the hot syrup goes in.
![](https://ben.akrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_0251-1024x768.jpg)
Getting there…
We use a hydrometer for higher accuracy, and we’ve learned to draw a little ahead of time as the syrup keeps evaporating during filtering.
![](https://ben.akrin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IMG_0354-768x1024.jpg)
When all is said and done, about 2 gallons for the day with a lot more sill in the pan