Eden VT

[fk]

Well..Ive been out of the loop for the last 10 days trying to boil and work my real job. We have made 20 gallons of medium so far and 10 dark A 2 days ago. 30 total off of 385 taps. With this weather, we got days left apparently. Got 7 inches of snow yesterday and sap should run rest of today and at least tomorrow with high expected in mid to upper 40's. Sap has been 2% right along. Being at 1400 ft, we may get another 4 or 5 days of it at this rate. Just about out of wood too! :D

[fk]

Sap really ran yesterday. Started at noon and went rest of day and all night. It was wet snowing and 37degrees the whole time. Ran 450 gallons of sap on my 385 taps. I will be boiling all night tonight. I hope the sugar content stays up and it comes back to med amber, we made 10 gal of dark A last boil 6 days ago.
Frank

[fk]

well, like WDChuck stated. Its still holding out, at least for today(Tuesday) due to the freeze again last night. Looks like that might be the last one though. I made another 8 gallons yesterday. Just a hare darker than medium amber. Nice clear sap hanging in at 1.75% I still have 200 gal of sap left but ran out of day yesterday and have to work today. Looks like tomorrow may be last day for me due to 70degree days coming. Im just over 40 gallons at this point. :)

Frank

[fk]

All done now. Was a successful season for me. Thursday the 13th was my last day. Boiled in another 400 gallons of sap and canned up everything so now I can just clean up. Made about 50 gallons total off of 385 taps. All very nice flavorful syrup. Mostly med amber and last 15 gallons was Dark amber. This last week was ideal temps-20's at night and 44ish during the day! 8)

fk.

[Parker]

I saw a vermont liscense palte in Andover,,N.H. (right by me) yesterday that said F.K. on it,,was that you?

[fk]

Parker, that wasnt me. I was at work all day at the Burlington Intl Airport. But I will check the mileage on my truck.... :lol: :wink:

Did you have a good season?

Frank

[fk]

well...here comes fall. I have only half enough wood cut (3 cord), new woodshed has no sheetmetal yet, my new 3x10 is home but not in place yet-need to pour concrete first. Built a 5ft high rack for (2) 500 gallon plastic feed tanks to sit side by side outside the sugarhouse. Made the rack 10'longx6'wide. Made out of pres.treated 4x4's. Should work well Im hoping.
Does anyone know what to do with those gray 5 gallon syrup cans once they have been used? I have 20 of them but they seem to have just a touch of rust in them.
Ibby,..I picked up a 3x10 intensOfire. It has forced air from 3 different directions. Im curious on how much sap/hour it will eat straight up(no preheater). And does anyone know how you clean the ash from this thing? Or does it burn out so clean that you just clean off the top of the grates once in a while? When I went to move it, it had no coal chunks anywhere and seemed to have no clean out doors whatsoever?
Anybody have a good gas engine woodsplitter for sale or trade for my water jacketed 220v, canner?
May everyone have a peaceful fall, all the kids love their teachers, and your sugarplaces smell better than ever! :wink:

[brookledge]

fk
The forced draft type of evaporators do not need to have clean outs for ashes. You will definately see an increase in embers cominig out the stack. As for your rate I would guess somewhere around 100 gph without a hood and pre-heater
As for the metal 5 gal cans, once they get rusting and peel the coating on the inside I would only use them for commercial syrup. In the long run you are much better off switching to stainless containers Plastic 5 gal containers will allow light to darken the syrup over time
Keith

[fk]

Keith,
Thanks for the info! I am getting real close to concrete time and then I will be able to slide the 3x10 into place and start bricking. Your website pics of your Leader in action are well done. I especially like the drawing off picture-its nice and close up.
This Wat.Small I now have also has a big barrel fan installed below the sap pan. When does one turn this on? And is it ever adjustable or does it run full out all the time? I know you have a Leader but I was wondering if they were all pretty much the same. These forced air evaps probably wouldnt run right without the blower on right?
I plan on stopping in to your setup some day. It is just the size I would like to get to some day.

Frank K

[brookledge]

Frank
My blower is underneath my arch behind the fire box. I have a reostat switch to control the speed. When i open the door to fire I turn the speed down so it doesn't blow ashes and smoke out then close the door and crank it back up. With mine I don't run the fan on full blast because it will force the smoke out in a few spots even though it is fully bricked and also I have pan gasket between the pans and arch.
It will work with out the blower running but I havenot I'm not sure if the grates would get too hot or not. With mine I found a speed where things seem to work the best and any faster doesn't seem to increase the boing rate.
Keith

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Frank,

There was a guy somewhere in New England a couple of years ago that Jeremy went and saw and he had a 2x6 intensofire and he was doing 85gph. :?

[fk]

Spent a few more hours in woods today. Extended my 3/4 line another 200 ft at the top and tied in about 7 new latterals with about 8 taps each into it.
Still need to brick the intensofire but at least its in place and on the new concrete. I think I have 550 on tubing now, that should be enough. Im trying some of those Leader slip ends for the top of my lateral lines. They seem to allow me to take some slack out of the lines but Im not sure if they are working very well. Anyone out there have a good recommendation for the high end of a lateral line as far as making the line tight?
Happy Halloween! Just had my last 3 trick or treaters. I tried to give them each a stick of butter. They looked at me like I was wierd or something. After they got the joke, I gave them MandM packets.

Frank

[GregMVT]

LOL Frank, I bet those kids were surprised! Last night was pretty slow with trick or treaters considering the mild weather. We made about 20-25 kids pretty happy, gave out 1/2 pints IF they were wearing a costume. I had the jugs left over from a large order the year before so I bottled the rest of them up this spring and wanted to get them out of the freezer. My wife told me there were 3 kids that came towards the end of the night that said "Oh boy pancakes tomorrow!!!" One of the mothers that lives across the street said she had wanted to come over to buy some but never got around to it so I may get some sales to the locals out of it. Plus it's nice to give back to the neighborhood.

Greg

[Parker]

FK- do you live near the piece of land in Eden that Green Crow bought,,5000 acres I think?? Wondering what was on it for wood and the history of the piece if you knew?? Thanks

[nhmaple48]

Parker, I talked to John and he said it was land that belonged to Greenmont Lumber that owned the mill they bought in Underhill. Lot of maple +steep ground.

[Pete33Vt]

Parker, I know of the land you are talking about but I am not positive on the history or whats left on it. I do know that land is hard to come by around here especially for logging. Alot has been cut off and is bing bought up by people that have no idea on logging or timber managment. Its making it harder and harder for loggers to make a living around here. But there are places with nice timber on them. Usually you have to be part billygoat to get to them.
Pete

[fk]

Parker,
I think the land you are talking about is a 5000 acre piece that was owned by Green Mt. Chipping. They are the ones in Underhill. They own a few other couple 100 acres up there also. i think they sold this 5000 acre peice to a large logging outfit but I dont know the name of the new owner. I have been asking around and eventually will run into someone that knows the details.....
I am tring to buy 25 acres off of my neighbor. Its got some pretty nice timber on it. Was logged in the mid 70's. Most acers are about 12" in diameter. Has about 1000 taps on it with mixed Beech, and cherry too. They want $5000 an acre for it. Seems awful high to me. No power or road on it. Has 200 ft of road frontage.
Frank

[fk]

Parker,
Also, if this 5000 acre piece is the one I think it is, I grew up on it basically. My parents owned a 1200 tap sugarplace on the south edge of it. It is basically between Eden, Belvidere, Johnson and North Hyde Park.
Vast trail went through it until Green Mt. denied it about 10 years ago. Lots of rolling hills and lots of maple. David Marvin's land(Butternut Mt Farms), is on the West portion of this region. He has the nice south and west exposure. Lots of land up there, I definately remember that. Our 1200 tap sugarplace never ran well because it faced the east. 1pm in the afternoon and you were in the shade again.
Found a big moose antler up there 2 years ago cross country skiing with the wife.

Frank

[fk]

My neighbor and I have about 400 all dug out of the snow and ready to tap. All the repairs are done and tanks are in place. We plan on him boiling in the sap at his new sugarhouse with new 30x8 raised flu. Perhaps we will tap them this week if it warms up a little. Snow over our waists still.

[New Hope Mapleman]

Frank,
Good to see your still at it! Have gotten good use of the tanks you sold me!
Have a good season!
Dan

[fk]

...saw this generator on Craigslist in Indiana. A real beauty. Nothing I need but I thought I would put it here in case any of the RO folks were looking for some power.

Frank K

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/tls/790706066.html

[fk]

We finished tapping the tubing last Saturday. Now have probably 410 on combo of health and regular spout tubing. Hanging 100 buckets this weekend. 100 gallons of sap so far. This weekend should be a good one for our first real sap of the year. Still 2 ft of snow in the woods. Alot less than last year though. Anyone need a real nice Marcland auto draw off? I just dont need it and its like new! Has paddle, valve and control box. Make me an offer......Fk.