October Journal

[jimsudz]

Welcome to October! Opening day of archery season in the southern zone of New York,yahoo! Need to get my 16 yr old daughter and 12 yr old son on the deer before I can go after the big one. Still getting wood in the shed,6 cord down 4 to go,set 400 g vac tank in woods,need to level and plumb.Now that the fairs are done I can slow down on the canning,need to balance hanging tubing and hunting and try to be productive at both. One camping trip left,Cranberry Lake for Columbus Day then I can store it for the winter. See ya at the LEME November!

[Kngowods]

Just went and paid ray Gingerich for our A & A 2x8 raised flue we will have to order the hood. Can't wait to get it!! Now I have to pour a pad to set it on. Just finished the wood 5 cord. Will that be enough for 400-500 taps?? Hope so wanting to hang up the Stihl for the year and dust off the hoyt.

[heus]

Kngowods,
Im sure it could handle it, but you will be doing alot of boiling. I managed 331 taps on my 2x6 in 2011. Made 120+ gallons but did alot of boiling. Many times over 11 hours after work, and once for 16 hours straight. I am shooting for 500 taps on my A&A 2.5x10.

I have run my laterals for 300 taps. I just need to cut in my tees, droplines, and manifolds.

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

Finally were almost done with the sugarhouse. Concrete came yesterday, and instead of going to the other job first, the driver came here with 11 yards on... we only needed 5. So, after getting almost across the yard he stopped dead. Stuck... we got all of ours out by wheelbarrowing and using the tractor bucket. Then we tried to help himout with not just one, bu two bigger pickups. Didnt move. Ended up calling in a BIG wrecker to winch him out. Now we have knee deep ruts in the yard. almost had 6 free yards of concrete if the wrecker didnt show up so fast... Darn. ;) Oh well, we got ours poured and have to go look at it this morning again, so I can plan for when I'm goin to move in the shiny stuff.

[red maples]

Just went and paid ray Gingerich for our A & A 2x8 raised flue we will have to order the hood. Can't wait to get it!! Now I have to pour a pad to set it on. Just finished the wood 5 cord. Will that be enough for 400-500 taps?? Hope so wanting to hang up the Stihl for the year and dust off the hoyt.

double that you migth be all set!! ! seriously...hard wood you just might squeek by if we have a bad year. pine and junk wood double and then some!!!

[red maples]

Did a walk through to mark trees in a new section of woods and got through a little more than 1/2 and ran out of flagging tape after 45 trees ( I didn't have that much to begin with) So picking up some more today. maybe hit 60+ total trees. my little 2x6 will be going for many hours this season!!!! Still planning to add air and rebrick to split bricks instead of full bricks as well those few extra square inches + air should bring up the GPH a little!!!! then Definitely NEED to get RO or steam away or something for 2014!!! still need to finish splitting 4-5 more cords. have about 5-6 left over from last year all stacked in the new woodshed!!! its all nice and dry. even the new stuff I am splitting is VERY dry I covered it last few days so it wouldn't get wet!!! Got delayed on that blew a rubber o-ring on one of the fitting but all fixed and started yesterday. should go pretty quick most of it is chunked up already!!!

[ennismaple]

We got all our evaporator wood for next year split in an afternoon on the weekend. We filled about 6 metal pallets (1/2 cord each) and 8 wood ones (3/4 cord each) in 3.5 hours! With 3 guys going at it hard and half the wood not needing to be split it didn't take too long.

My brother got the mainline pulled for our new section of woods, stretched and wire tied. About 1000ft of 1" in a day, mostly by himself, isn't too shabby! We should be able to get the laterals up in a day and I'm guessing it'll add 300-400 taps based on 80 taps per acre. It's still great working in the woods in the fall - even if its raining.

Orders are still rolling in. October seems to make people start thinking about maple again

[wiam]

double that you migth be all set!! ! seriously...hard wood you just might squeek by if we have a bad year. pine and junk wood double and then some!!!

I agree. Most rigs will make about 20 gallons/cord with raw sap.

[Bruce L]

Sugarhouse plugged full of wood as of last Saturday,most that has been in there in over 20 years,looking for a bumper crop.Next cutting wood for the furnace,then putting up the new dry line,receiver,vacuum pump building,etc.Clock is ticking!!

[heus]

Got my bulk tank up into head tank position. My cousin came over with his skid loader and we got it done easily.

[red maples]

Orders are still rolling in. October seems to make people start thinking about maple again

I have been selling a bunch of syrup as well. I think now thats summer is over people have put away the bathing suit and started to eat pancakes with maple syrup again!!!! :)

[smitty76]

I would also agree. sold 80 pints last week. People are more likely to cook a hot breakfast now that the summer heat is gone. Only have about 5 gals left till next season. don't think we are going to make it.:cry:

[Dennis H.]

Today was the 1st day working at the cabin to get the tubing setup done.
I now have all the wire up and side tied. I may run another short length off the mainline if need be if it is going to look like the lats are to long.
Tomorrow I will be pulling the 3/4" mainline.

[SevenCreeksSap]

I'm splitting wood with every free minute. Hrs at work cut a little and I dont mind except for the paycheck. good time to get wood up and figure where to run more tubing. got 500 more ft of mainline and 1000 of lateral to put up and 100 more taps. then looked and found I'm running out of T's. Doh!!

[Dennis H.]

Another long day in the woods. I think I walked up that mountain something like 150 times!

I now have all the 3/4" mainline up, all 2000' of it. I just need to go over it and put the rest of the wire ties up. I just put wire ties at the side tie location for now.
I may still need to run a short length to get a a pocket of maples that I think will be just a little to far for 5/16".
I'll have to look a little closer at it tomorrow to see if it will be worth it.

Hoping to get most of the wire ties on, but I may run some Lat's if I get bored/need a break from put on wire ties.

[Dennis H.]

Yet another day working on the tubing.
I now have the maninline wiretied. It was a long and boring day putting on the wire ties but once I got into the swing of it I was able to move along quick.
I am now ready to start running lat's, well I guess I have one Y on the mainline that I do have to hook up before getting into the lat's.

I am excited to start seeing blue tubing out there in the woods.

I have 2 more days away from work to get most if not all of it done. So far everything is going really quick so I am hopping that the rest goes just as quick.

[Gary R]

It's a sad day when the farm gets sold:(

My great uncle and his wife sold their 260 acre, Erie Co. farm. They are too old and tired to work it. None of the four kids wanted or could afford it. Yesterday was the good by to the farm party. Syrup was made there years ago. It was done very "rustic". The old english tin pan is rotted away. I bought their 600 gal. bulk tank. We had to blow a hole in the wall of the milk parlor to get it out. Maybe someday I'll get big enough to use it. A few months ago we dug up and transplanted some sugar maples.

I had a pan made last week, it's 30"x12"x12". It will go on top of the two burner stove I bought. I'll use it to re heat the syrup for filtering and canning. I had bought a stainless sink and counter top. I plumbed the pre heater condensate drain into the spigot. I can hold some hot water in one basin and let the rest run down the drain in the other.

Still looking for a big buck.

[Super Sapper]

Just scored on a 24" X 48" Galv. hood for $20 on Craigslist. I will be boiling outside this spring and hopefully this will help keep some heat in.

[ennismaple]

We got a day in the woods yesterday to stretch some tubing and 9 rolls and 281 taps later we had almost finished stretching laterals for the mainline we had installed last month. To finish this section plus the one other piece of mainline we want up for 2013 we'll probably need another 5 rolls.

I love the look of new tubing against the fall foliage! Can't wait for the monsoooon of sap to come from that section of woods next season!

[vtwoody]

In year two of running lines, I coiled up the laterals and dropped a number of trees (ash, pine, etc...) that were in the way of the maples....4 more BIG pine and 1 big Ash to go and the new lines can go up.....still need to figure out better configuration for my shack....picked up a SS 10" 4' section of pipe for my steam hood from a friend with a chimney business for some syrup.....progress....mostly, I have been enjoying walking around the woods, looking at the trees and thinking about next spring..... :)

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Cut a large blow down of the main wet/dry line yesterday, it had gone right to the ground but the side ties broke as they should and that was the only damage. It snowed here today (didn't stick though) and I'm thinking we need to walk all the lines to make sure anything that's down doesn't get buried and froze in. Good to be in the woods again!

[Kngowods]

Went and picked up our new A & A 2x8 at ray gingrich last night. bought a thermometer and some extra blanket and noticed a big pile of scrap he had left over from the auction flue pans and hoods you know SCRAP so I got to lookin and there was a preheater in a huge hood. Gave Ray $30 that he had in it and I am SUPER excited about it gonna have to make it smaller but so what $30

[Gary R]

Well, both my wife and I got bucks with our bows. I can now work in the woods:) We ran our 3/16" tubing yesterday. I only have three runs about 600' each.I need to adapt my tubing tools for this tubing. Hopefully I'll be able to cut the drops in this weekend.

[red maples]

nice....I picked up my bow dusted it off pulled it back and said hmm gotta get practicing well that was it!!! my crap to do list took priority!!! wasted $22 on my liscence. I don't like to go out with the bow unless I am good and practiced up. Guess I will get out with the gun in 2 weeks. gotta practice with that too though.

anyway I only have 1.5 cords left ot split and stack should be able to finish that up tomorrow. then that will finally be done. then onto getting the sugarhouse cleaned up. then finish putting in the windows in the chicken coupe and clean up around that and the outside of the sugarhouse. then hopefully I can start running wire for a dry line and wire for the additional 80 taps then run that tubing. still have a little work in the woods to do to get some more wood out as well. then well you get the picture.........................................

[waysidemaple]

Still trying to work in the woods as much as possible. School work is catching up with me and my grandfather's battle with cancer is finally catching up with him. Doctors say he won't make it to sap season so we are hoping to get through the holidays. Some days are better than others and he still has strength enough to yell at me about hanging out with him and not being in the woods.

At this point I think I've got about 14000 feet of 3/4 inch up and 5500 feet of one inch up. Ordered 3000 more feet of 3/4 which will finish of this section of woods. Should hit 3000 taps fairly easy and then who knows. Anyone turkey hunting this weekend in pa? I plan to take the shotgun out and see what I see while working on lines. Lots To do before season as usual.

Scott

[maple flats]

After placing an order for tubing and fittings in May at the sale price, and waiting for them to arrive since then, I can now go pick them up at my dealer tomorrow. last year the order was in about July 25-30. I have help all summer, no parts, now help is harder to get, (At college). I plan to install 3700' more mains in 1" and as many taps as that gets me. Hoping for 500? Going to start Saturday. I want to finish mains before gun season, about 2.5 weeks, Saturday only this week, maybe Sat and Sun next. Then I'll add the drops at Christmas break. Also, still doing wiring for grid connect so my additional solar can be grid connected and net metered (expanding to 6.35 KW solar). Will also clean tanks now, repair lines and finish changes in the Sugarhouse. Too much to do, Too little time!

[mapleack]

Still trying to work in the woods as much as possible. School work is catching up with me and my grandfather's battle with cancer is finally catching up with him. Doctors say he won't make it to sap season so we are hoping to get through the holidays. Some days are better than others and he still has strength enough to yell at me about hanging out with him and not being in the woods.

At this point I think I've got about 14000 feet of 3/4 inch up and 5500 feet of one inch up. Ordered 3000 more feet of 3/4 which will finish of this section of woods. Should hit 3000 taps fairly easy and then who knows. Anyone turkey hunting this weekend in pa? I plan to take the shotgun out and see what I see while working on lines. Lots To do before season as usual.

Scott

Hey Scott, sorry to hear about your grandfather, but have to love him telling you to get in the woods. I was in Troy weds/ thursday, found quite a few ticks, hardly ever found any up there before!
-Andy

[waysidemaple]

Andy
I don't know what it is with the ticks latley. Picked least ten off of me today. Definatly are a pain.

Scott

[red maples]

Still trying to work in the woods as much as possible. School work is catching up with me and my grandfather's battle with cancer is finally catching up with him. Doctors say he won't make it to sap season so we are hoping to get through the holidays. Some days are better than others and he still has strength enough to yell at me about hanging out with him and not being in the woods.

At this point I think I've got about 14000 feet of 3/4 inch up and 5500 feet of one inch up. Ordered 3000 more feet of 3/4 which will finish of this section of woods. Should hit 3000 taps fairly easy and then who knows. Anyone turkey hunting this weekend in pa? I plan to take the shotgun out and see what I see while working on lines. Lots To do before season as usual.

Scott

I know what your going through....sorry to hear about that. My Mom was diagnosed with anal cancer last december, went through all the chemo, radiation treatments everything is healing nicely. only to have several more lumps turn up on her front lower region had one removed and its the same type of cancer that was on the back side. So things don't look good they are very small but since it has spread through the tissue this is not good she is going back to the cancer center and meeting with docs again this week to see what and if there is a next step. So I have been kind of going through the motions and slowly getting the check list things marked off just not as fast as I would have liked to get them done!!! at least the wood is finally done!!!

With Heavy Rain and winds coming mon, tues what ever I am gonna loose a few more days. So I guess I can get some stuff inside done I guess.

[maple flats]

Sorry to hear about all he cancer, my wife went thru chemo/radiation 6 yrs ago. We count our blessings with each recheck when no cancer is found.
I finally got my tubing supplies yesterday. We are going into the woods today to start running more mains.