First ever syrup test today!!!

[LegendsCreekFarm]

With all the overwhelming advice from everyone here on the forum, I ordered 20 taps from eBay, and did my first ever test on a red maple tree that is along a stream running past my house.

I installed the tap last night, and used an empty 2 liter bottle to collect the sap. Once the sun came out, it started giving off sap. By the evening I had an entire liter.

I brought it into my house, and filtered through a coffee filter since a few ants somehow managed to get inside.

I read somewhere that you should stop boiling when the temp reaches 7 degrees above water boiling level, and that it water boiling temp varies by location. So once the sap was at a rolling boil, the temp stayed at 213.5 for the entire process until it boiled down and within 2 minutes it jumped to 222 when I removed it from the heat.

I know I am not supposed to do this inside, it was just a test, but I have to say I got about 5 tablespoons full of the best tasting syrup I have ever tried. WOW. I marked the 20 trees I am going to tap this year, now I just need to order containers and find an evaporator!

[fishman]

Might as well skip all the fooling around with the little stuff and go right to a 8' pan, RO, vacumn and put up a new sugar shack. If you've read much of this site, alot of people start just like you are and within a few years everyone at the local maple supplier knows you by name. Have fun, it's a great hobby.

[adk1]

legends..fishman aint kidding. at this time last year I had 0 into sugarin, other than enough property to hold a few hundred maples. To this date, I have now converted my 25x40' garage into my sugarhouse, had a cupola built on it, bought my brother in laws 2x6 Leader evap, installed that after adding 2" ceramic insulation and rebricking, ran a new stack through the roof, installed 1000' of 3/4" mainline and 3000' of lateral line tubing..of course I am leaving out 100 other little things along that way! But you understand where I am coming from. Oh and, judging by the # of posts I have on this site have spent a considerable amount of time here gathering information and "planning"..This site was instrumental to where I am right now.

[backyard sugaring]

welcome aboard to this insane addiction. In three short years I built an evaporator, new pans, hood, an addition to my barn. My wife says I make the most expensive syrup in the world. If you add up everything she is probally right. It is worth it. Good luck if we help you in any way feel free to ask questions. Lee

[eustis22]

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

We who are about to boil, salute you.

Quo ipso maple est

[rinert]

The first year I said I would tap 20 trees. That year the sap started slow and well I was not in the waiting mood and ended up with 50+ taps. It took me no time to realize I was in over my head but then I found I was not the only one and with this site and and the guys on it I made it through the first year. So with some luck and no sleep you will be like the rest of us and make the sweet gold for years.

[LegendsCreekFarm]

Haha!!! While I appreciate all the wonderful advice, I just went BROKE from buying this farm. I won't have much money to build all the elaborate things until next winter, but I am thinking about converting part of my barn into a space to do this. I have to figure out how to get a cheap evaporator, and plan on scaling it up as I go.

[eustis22]

depends on what you consider "cheap"...you can go homemade, which can be short on cost and long on labor, or go the new/used route. You get back what you put in.

[kdawger]

could only recommend going bigger on the bucket. My 5 gallon pails would overflow in a day if i didnt empty them in time when it start to run good. I only had 10 taps in last year so i didnt miss much, but a few days i lost some :(

[LegendsCreekFarm]

I wouldn't have a problem picking up 5 gallon buckets from Lowes if my trees put out 5 gallons a day, but so far I am only getting a liter a day from the 1 tree I am testing it on.

[eustis22]

How big is the diameter of your tree?

[LegendsCreekFarm]

The diameter of the tree I am testing is about 38 inches around with a string.

[eustis22]

ok, that's the circumfrence...the diameter is how wide it is...so circumference = pi X diameter so plugging in 38 and pi we get roughly 12 inches across...I think the tapping rule is 1 tap for less than 18 inch diam and two or more after. I wondered if you didn't have neough taps in but it sounds like you do.

[kdawger]

sorry bout my rough math as well, they are only about 5 litre buckets. Im still a mixed up canadian LOL