First post

[WHTTLHNTR]

This is my first post here. Been lurking for quite some time, great site!! This is my first year sugaring and I can tell it's the first of many. I am already looking forward to next year and this one has just started. Hope everyone has a good season!!!

[adk1]

This is my first post here. Been lurking for quite some time, great site!! This is my first year sugaring and I can tell it's the first of many. I am already looking forward to next year and this one has just started. Hope everyone has a good season!!!

Welcome! fill us in on your operation thus far!

[Backyard Sapper66]

Welcome aboard!!
Good to have another fellow "sapper" aboard.
I'm a newby also, 3rd year with about 50 taps and a homemade evaporator. Fun as can be!!! Just be careful of the "maple bug" as it can bite you really bad!!
Good luck and have fun!!
Doug
:)

[NH/Pete]

Welcome WHTTLHNTR

Nice to see a fellow HC member.

[WHTTLHNTR]

NH/Pete: I figured I should join after telling people about the site. I did the same thing with HC. I just lurked and lurked.

I have a small, very small op. It's just for fun. Right now I have about 20 taps out all health spouts (I am not sure how I like them) with 5 gal buckets. I am boiling on a woodstove. I have no idea what my production is, burning all wood from property. First big boil will be this weekend. All of this is happening in an about 20x20 old out building on the property. Next year will be the investment year. I want a more efficient way to evaporate. I drink way to many "boiling sodas" (I think that is the correct term) doing it this way. I must say I am addicted and I thoroughly enjoy myself whether its by myself or with friends. Seems like a great group of people here.

[Russell Lampron]

Yup "Boiling Soda" is the right term. I drink a few myself. When you are boiling on the wood stove do you have the top of it open so that the flames contact the bottom of your pan? That will speed up the evaporation rate a lot.

[Mac_Muz]

Hi, welcome....... Really curious about your wood stove rig. Don't add any taps if you can't boil off better than 5 gallons a hour....

[The Butcher]

Welcome WHTTLHNTR!!!!

Glad that you decided to jump in the pool. Much more fun than standing on the side!!!

Good luck on you first boil, make sure to fill us in.

By the way, how are you coming to the conclusion of "too many"?:)

[BryanEx]

By the way, how are you coming to the conclusion of "too many"?:)
I've heard of this condition... but I didn't think it affected the maple community. We are immune - are we not? :D

[3% Solution]

Welcome to the sweetest site on the internet.
Yeah bunch of real nice guys here, we've got some good ideas from this place.
Now about your maple addiction ........ it will never go away!!!
You have been biten by bug!!!!

Dave

[WHTTLHNTR]

The woodstove I am using is really thin walled and did not want to cut the top. When I tested it i got snow to melt and boil in 17 minutes and kept a steady boil. I have been using this system and it works good enough for now. The pan I am using is 24x14 on top of the stove.


I come to the conclusion of to many boiling soda when I cant function the next day. Or have to leave the sled at the shack and have to walk back up to the house. I ride through the woods and would wrap myself around a tree.

[WHTTLHNTR]

An update as to how my season is going. I got a buddy of mine hooked, after the people who said they wanted to help collect, boil split, wood, etc decided that they didnt. So I had some extra taps and tubing gave them to him and he is addicted as well. We boiled down about 70 gals this weekend bottle up 1 gal. We have more sap than time. Drank some good beers cooked on the grill for the first time in a while and had some good company. I know I am hooked because as I type this I feel like I am going to die and all I can think about is getting out there and collecting in the snow. It is taking all I have left in me to keep myself in. Hope everyone else's season is going well.

[NH/Pete]

Good to hear the season is going good for you.

My trees finally thawed out the middle of last week.
I boiled down a few gallons. Just enough to keep me wanting more.

[Mac_Muz]

The woodstove I am using is really thin walled and did not want to cut the top. When I tested it i got snow to melt and boil in 17 minutes and kept a steady boil. I have been using this system and it works good enough for now. The pan I am using is 24x14 on top of the stove.


I come to the conclusion of to many boiling soda when I cant function the next day. Or have to leave the sled at the shack and have to walk back up to the house. I ride through the woods and would wrap myself around a tree.

Recondiser cutting that stove top to speed up the boil. You can strap it in a few places.

I worked alone Sat and Sun and boiled off around 95 gallons of sap as a guess.
I made 8 qt and 3 pints. I am glad it's snowing since I have another 50 gallons of sap to go from the first run. I need to get better wood than dead standing bleached out no sap pine wood.

Funny thing happened Sat. As I lit the rig for the first time I said a prayer to the maple gods to give me strenth and make it a good season.

About 1 hour later a dead spruce tree tipped over not very far away, and the top was loaded with dead spruce limbs.

With no shed I am forced to get dead standing right as I need it, so that was handy. :D It was dead calm too.. so the crash had me lookin' like this :o

[WHTTLHNTR]

If you are hard up for good hot burning wood look for a free wood bin at a lumber yard, new construction (I know there is not much). We have been toying with the idea reconfiguring the stove for next year. Do some cutting and welding. Use it as a secondary evap. I will be buying a bigger and more efficient evaporator for next year. The sap is flowing like crazy here still, we have boiled about 3 gallons so far and have a ton of sap stored.

[Mac_Muz]

Building isn't like it was, and I made many calls for wood. I found a mill to trade syrup for wood, but that wood sat out all winter under ice and snow. I got some of that, but it is slow too, for now.

Yesterday I boiled off the last of the first run sap, but need to finish it on the kitchen stove today. I expect 5+ qts from that.

I re-started the rig and ran it more last night but had to give it up for fatiuge. I gotta' go fire that right now.

I can't belive the sap run, and my wife went to buy another 50 gallon container and a 35 gallon box we use to hold trasporting sap.

I turned the stove into the wind, which helped the fire run hotter.

I made 8 qts 1.5 pints, so this will be that 3rd gallon.... I hope today, and another by Monday midday antoher on Tuesday, and after that who knows.:D

I feel like the walking dead.

[ckkrotz]

Mac Muz: If you are (or anyone) looking for wood, message me. Our land is in Sandwich, and it was logged a while back and has TONS of slash (really dry and burns great) all over the place. You'd be welcome to some!

[Mac_Muz]

Mac Muz: If you are (or anyone) looking for wood, message me. Our land is in Sandwich, and it was logged a while back and has TONS of slash (really dry and burns great) all over the place. You'd be welcome to some!

Thanks for the offer. I think I am set now, not the driest wood there ever was, but not too bad. I live in Tamworth, so Sandwich is great deal just the same. Maybe we could meet up somewhere. Where I live suits me fine. I think of the internet as if it was just a big library.