ahowes
01-01-2013, 10:25 AM
Hi all, happy new year...
I have a situation and would love to hear some creative solutions. I have to be out of town on business for a couple of weeks during the very middle of the season. I have three years experience, about 90 taps last year, want to get a minimum of 10 gallons (lower goal, given my plight this year). I have possible assistance gathering sap, but do not want to overwork her/them - they aren't as gung ho as I am.
I have more than 90 taps' worth of trees available, but those additional trees are not as easily accessible. I am willing to haul sap out manually, but don't want to ask them to during my absence. I have 90 taps that are pretty accessible, therefore the original number of 90. There are probably 90 more available way down the hill (that I'd rather not ask them to haul for me).
Lost yet? :)
Given my three years' experience, I've found that we often have some good runs for approximately 2 weeks before I leave. Then, there is probably two weeks' worth of sap after I will be returning. But, since we're on the extreme southern sugaring boundary, who knows???
How should I manage this issue? If I tap only the close trees to start, they'll probably be drying up shortly after I return, with good runs just wasting while I'm gone.
Here is what I'm thinking of doing:
Tap the 90 far-away trees very, very early (and if I'm too early, no big loss). Then, if there are early quality runs, I will be the one manually hauling the sap from a long way out and I can be productive earlier.
Then, I could just let them run to the ground while I'm gone and hope for some sap still running in them after I return. After returning, I can then tap the 90 closer ones and get assistance running them since I will be well over my usual amount of taps. That additional sap quantity after I return might help me get closer to my usual annual production.
But...............I am open to more creative ideas. (And no, I can't call in sick!) Most Hoosiers would be happy to be going to Florida for two weeks in February...
I have a situation and would love to hear some creative solutions. I have to be out of town on business for a couple of weeks during the very middle of the season. I have three years experience, about 90 taps last year, want to get a minimum of 10 gallons (lower goal, given my plight this year). I have possible assistance gathering sap, but do not want to overwork her/them - they aren't as gung ho as I am.
I have more than 90 taps' worth of trees available, but those additional trees are not as easily accessible. I am willing to haul sap out manually, but don't want to ask them to during my absence. I have 90 taps that are pretty accessible, therefore the original number of 90. There are probably 90 more available way down the hill (that I'd rather not ask them to haul for me).
Lost yet? :)
Given my three years' experience, I've found that we often have some good runs for approximately 2 weeks before I leave. Then, there is probably two weeks' worth of sap after I will be returning. But, since we're on the extreme southern sugaring boundary, who knows???
How should I manage this issue? If I tap only the close trees to start, they'll probably be drying up shortly after I return, with good runs just wasting while I'm gone.
Here is what I'm thinking of doing:
Tap the 90 far-away trees very, very early (and if I'm too early, no big loss). Then, if there are early quality runs, I will be the one manually hauling the sap from a long way out and I can be productive earlier.
Then, I could just let them run to the ground while I'm gone and hope for some sap still running in them after I return. After returning, I can then tap the 90 closer ones and get assistance running them since I will be well over my usual amount of taps. That additional sap quantity after I return might help me get closer to my usual annual production.
But...............I am open to more creative ideas. (And no, I can't call in sick!) Most Hoosiers would be happy to be going to Florida for two weeks in February...