Lazarus
01-29-2012, 10:19 PM
I tapped last weekend - about 225 all told, on sap saks, across 4 properties. With a full time job, I think that's about the limit of what I can collect each day until I can find a property with a lot of trees where I can run vacuum.
This week was pretty good - hauled in about 400 gallons of sap, and one day of the taps not running. It looks like the warm temps will bring in a huge sap run in the next day or so in southern Ohio. I have a new sap storage unit cycling continuous UV, so I'm hoping to only boil on the weekends. I think lots of little short boils every night last year to keep up with the sap was causing me to produce low grade syrup, so I'm trying to go back to the way I did it way back when I only had 20 taps and produced way better quality with weekend-only boiling and 12-16 hour stints.
We'll see. I'm already off to a bumpy start outside after losing the sugar shack last winter due to a collapse. Hopefully will get a new sugar shack built later this year. It's awwwfullly rough outside. It's like Mother Nature knows I'm going out to boil and sends the foulest, windiest, coldest, rainiest stuff at me she can!
-Laz
225 taps
GBM 2x6
Continuous UV sap storage
Honda Foreman 500, YuTraxx trailer
and 100 gal PCO tank super-hauler
Boiling outside in 2012 due to barn collapse
New sugarhouse planned for 2013
This week was pretty good - hauled in about 400 gallons of sap, and one day of the taps not running. It looks like the warm temps will bring in a huge sap run in the next day or so in southern Ohio. I have a new sap storage unit cycling continuous UV, so I'm hoping to only boil on the weekends. I think lots of little short boils every night last year to keep up with the sap was causing me to produce low grade syrup, so I'm trying to go back to the way I did it way back when I only had 20 taps and produced way better quality with weekend-only boiling and 12-16 hour stints.
We'll see. I'm already off to a bumpy start outside after losing the sugar shack last winter due to a collapse. Hopefully will get a new sugar shack built later this year. It's awwwfullly rough outside. It's like Mother Nature knows I'm going out to boil and sends the foulest, windiest, coldest, rainiest stuff at me she can!
-Laz
225 taps
GBM 2x6
Continuous UV sap storage
Honda Foreman 500, YuTraxx trailer
and 100 gal PCO tank super-hauler
Boiling outside in 2012 due to barn collapse
New sugarhouse planned for 2013