How far do people go for more sap?

[Kyle Baker]

Hey,
I'm going into my second season "backyard sugaring". On my property I only have 9 large 30+ year old silver maples. Last year I had 13 taps in and though it was a very short season in eastern Ontario, I made a whomping 2.5 liters of syrup. I'd love to do better this year, and hopefully weather helps run more sap, but I'm considering tapping some trees on my uncles land, but this is about 15 minutes drive from my place.
Is it crazy to tap trees off site from the main operation? Or do people go the distance for a good haul?
I think I want to go the distance. I'm going to use a 55 gal food grade drum for collecting.

Thanks!

(As you can see, the addiction hits fast and strong) hehe

[briansickler]

That depends on how many taps you can get on the other spot. I'd drive that far if the amount of sap made it worth my while. 20- 30 taps would be a good addition for that distance.. Maybe the drum would overflow on a real good run. Go for it. In my book it's never crazy to look for more sap. Happy sugaring!

Brian

[jmayerl]

We drive 15 miles to our leased land. We tapped 600 there last year and will be closer to 1000 there this year. We haul back with a cage tote in the truck and one on a trailer. Good run is 2 trips a day.

My aunts bush is alittle closer at about 10 miles. We only tap 50 at the house.

[325abn]

15 min does not seem that far but.........

What about any nieghburs? Any chance they would let you tap thier trees if they have any?

[Kyle Baker]

Neighbor accross the road offered last year, but I didn't want to owe them anything. If it was enough to be worth my while, I could share a small bottle of syrup. I will investigate that one.
The trip out to my uncles would be very much worth my while. It once was my family's sugar bush and has been unused for many years. I could tap more than I could boil in that bush.
I'm doing it old school with buckets. I figure by the time I got to the other spot, the buckets would be over flowing, but I guess that doesn't really hurt anything. Especially if the sap is basically bonus sap to me.
I could set up my drum in my utility trailer and drive down to collect when it is running good.

Good call on asking the neighbors though.

[Paddymountain]

I travel about 4 miles around the block from my house. We have about 145 buckets out, and two of us gather it in a little over an hour. Well worth it in my book!!!
This year I aquired a little bush about 3 1/2 miles away; 135 taps on tubing. I'll be going over there to pump that probably every day too.

[shane hickey]

35 miles one way from the house.

[Rhino]

Our Price county bush is 15 miles from our sugar shack, We can haul 2000 gallons at a time, Those trips to and from that bush are good times to take a break and eat something. Once the sap is on wheels...... it's easy.

[Run Forest Run!]

Kyle, this is only my second season as well. Both you and I picked a terrible year, 2012, to try our first go at sugaring. I tapped the soft maples on my property (that's all I had) and only caught the tail end of the season. However, friends offered me access to their fabulous forest full of sugar maples. Because the property is on a north facing slope, it thawed after my maples were done and I collected up enough additional sap to make 3 more litres of finished syrup. Believe me, it was definitely worth the 15 minutes each way. See what your own trees yield for you this year and keep the option open of driving a few miles to collect more.

[Kyle Baker]

Thanks for sharing everyone. Ill be collecting some off site to help my volume. I also just acquired an old cast boxwood stove to use as well as my main cookstove. Maybe for boiling or preheating - or both.

Cheers!

[Run Forest Run!]

Kyle, I think the sugar bug has left a few deep fang marks in your arm! Have a fabulous season. :)

[BoarsNest]

We tap 125 trees at our farm/deer camp about 1hr north of GR. We have 200 taps in GR that we bring up or if we get too much sap we can haul it to Melody Bee Farms for processing.

[backyard sugaring]

I travel 5 miles not much choice not a lot of maples in my town.