2006 Crop Report

[emericksmaple]

Well we have called it quits. Good year for us though. We had 4800 taps and produced 1270 gals of syrup. My 2300 on vaccum did well producing 15.2 gal per tap. Give me a couple of days and I'll post a little more info.

As for the middle to northern end of Somerset county I think most of them are going to be somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4 of a crop. We are just a couple drgrees warmer than them and it made all the difference. Anyone eles in Pa care to share???

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Matt,

You have 15.2 gallon per tap, but not sure what you mean, I know it is a typo. :?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Gals. of sap per tap.

[emericksmaple]

Brandon,
Kevin hit the nail on the head. 15.2 is referring gals of sap per tap.

[sweetwoodmaple]

I got about 10 gallons per tap, but missing the first three runs if I could have tapped when I wanted.

With gravity, I was lucky to get 7-8 gallons per tap with the weather in my area.

So, 30%+ is a pretty good increase by adding vacuum, plus the ladders save me pumping sap up the hill.

Kevin - maybe time to rig up one of them sap lifters so I can run my woods with less ladders (run to lowest point)?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Ya- lowest point. You now have some ideas on how to build one after i showed you the pictures-Still got it in your memory of how it works??

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I was about 9.6 gallons of sap per tap, but sugar content was by far the worst I have ever seen. Ended up about 56 to 1. Gets much worse than that, then I would probably quit. 73 gallons off of 4100 gallons. 8O 8O

[sweetwoodmaple]

Come on, Brandon. You wouldn't quit. Those birch syrup guys in Alaska do 100 to 1 all the time! :wink:

What would you do with that brand new sugar house? Have Square Dances? :P

Kevin - I don't know, after building my own releaser, I might just buy the lifter. Too many headaches. :?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

That's where all the pride comes in/making something work you built yourself. I'll sell you a homemade built one for $495 and no tax/Deal? :lol: :lol:

[Sugarmaker]

NWPA checking in,
Approx 12.8 gallons of sap per tap on 415 buckets. 5300 gallons of sap. We gathered 13 times so just about a gallon per tap (avg) for each time we gathered.
We felt we had a good year. I lost exact track of the gallons of syrup but est about 130. Need to set down and look through the records.

Brandon keep the faith, your doing great.

Regards,
Chris

[sapman]

For an extra-limital report, in central NY I got 13.2 gal/tap, with buckets. 7519 gallons on 570 taps, ave. 2.3% sugar content, made 204 gallons.

Some days we couldn't get all collected, but we came out to a little over 1 gal./tap/run. I love doing all the math!

It makes you want to cry when I figure how much oil I used, then how much it would be if we had an RO! But that's still a ways off.

Tim

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Yeah, but I bet that steam away saves a ton of oil too. :)

[Sugarmaker]

Tim,
Nice job! That's a lot of boiling! You are approaching the R.O. point???

We had a maple fest at our place today, with Syrupman (Rick) and his dad and two sons driving in from NWNY, along with Father and Son (Jim and Chase) from Linesville. We proceeded to solve all the maple problems of the Great Lakes region and I really had a great time. I made some maple cream and maple peanuts, and even washed a few buckets in between all the visiting. When we were done all the pails and tanks were over flowing, the sap was around 10% and the evaporators just kept getting bigger and bigger and boiling faster and faster. Great to have you fellows over!! :P :P
Chris

[sapman]

No doubt I would have used half-again as much oil without the steamaway, but there's always room for improvement!

Chris, sounds like you guys had a great time yesterday! Sounds like my kind of crowd.

Tim

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Tim,

What kind of sugar content are you running on those roadside trees?? Be glad you weren't boiling my sap, at 56 to 1, it would have been a lot of oil to make 200 gallons. 8O

[Father & Son]

Chris,
If you think yesterday solved everything maple you will have to make it to one of Rick's Ya'll Come Weekends :!: What a blast that was when we went up for Labor Day.
Rick,
Did you make it home in time for dinner :?:

Finished off what was in my front pan today. Still medium.

For the year: 125 buckets
collected 12 days for 1583 gallons of sap, 12.6 gal/tap
made 35.5 gallons of syrup, .284 gal/tap
44.6:1 ratio

Long way from the production of most, but better than the 10 gallons last year.
Now for a short break,(have been at it since Jan 05 with getting the building usable and everything) and then back at it getting ready for next year.

Jim

[Sugarmaker]

Jim, Nice job on that 2x6! Your syrup quality level speaks to your attention to details. Let the pancake eating begin!
Chris

[sapman]

Brandon,

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I used to think I was, but when I borrowed a friend's refractometer, it showed around a 1/2 point lower than my hydrometer. So I guess I need a new hydro. or refr. My readings usually were around 2.5-2.75, and some years a little over 3. When I averaged everything at season end, it was 2.33, or about 37:1.

Tim

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Tim,

Still a very good ratio. Glad you had such a great year. I was at 56 to 1, 37 to 1 would have put me at 111 gallons vs 73. :lol: :lol: