My First Season

[Evets]

Well, I think my first season is about over, though I do still have my four taps in place as of yet. I have to say that I'm quite pleased and that I've exceeded my expectations for what began as a simple experiment, just to see if I could make syrup from my trees. All told, excluding what I've consumed at this point, I have 7 and a half pints of delicious clear maple syrup! I could not be more pleased with the outcome of my first season! 7330732873297331

[DonMcJr]

I think we all start that way... " I wonder if I can make Maple Syrup out of that Maple Tree..." so we grab 3-4 Taps and Buckets and try it... Only to be hooked for life and end up with 50 Taps next year... LOL!

Good Job! Some nice looking Syrup!

[Run Forest Run!]

Evets, that's some fabulous looking syrup! Great job!:)

[Hobby boiler]

This was my first year as well.

I always wanted to try it out and see if it was possible. On top of that, I only have one silver maple tree in my backyard. I tapped it twice (It has two large trunks). One I didn't do well on (my fault, will do better next year), the other was a real producer. I could only collect sap for two weeks basically from one good tap. I collected around 13.5 gallons and ended up with just over 3 pints.

I started late, didn't collect for one week because I was out of town.

I used some homemade jugs with a wire clothes hanger fashioned into a jug hanger. My taps were some short (2-3") sections of 1/2" copper pipe lightly tapped into 1/2 holes drilled into the wood. I filtered the sap before boiling with paper coffee filters and finished with cheesecloth. Really homemade (this year). On top of that, I only boiled the small quantity of sap on our electric stove. Probably about the least efficient way to go.

All in all, a real learning experience and I will definitely do better next year. Just trying to figure it out and learn some things and I get rewarded with 3 pints of syrup that tasted better than some pure sugar maple syrup we bought recently.

I can't wait to next year. Getting some better spiles, tubing (so I can collect even if I am out of town), and a new hydrometer. Maybe in 2015, getting land in the country with woods and will go "serious" about this.

[happy thoughts]

Doesn't copper kill trees? Or is this just an old wives tale? Just wondering about those copper pipe taps.

[Hobby boiler]

We shall see :)

I don't know if pipes sitting snug in a hole would cause that or not.

Won't be going that way next year though.

[Hobby boiler]

Those pipes are out now. I took them out on Sunday when my sap started to take on a yellowish tinge. I read somewhere on the internet that that was a sign that things were changing chemically in the sap.

If the tree died, that would be unfortunate but it will make for a better story years from now of what a newbie I was the first time I did it. :lol:

[happy thoughts]

If the tree died, that would be unfortunate but it will make for a better story years from now of what a newbie I was the first time I did it. :lol:

Hopefully I'm wrong and all those stories I've heard of neighbors killing problem trees on the other side of the fence by spiking them with copper are myth. It's not wise to kill the golden goose:) It takes a long time to grow a maple tree to tappable size.

[Hobby boiler]

After your initial post, I did some research since I had never heard of that before.

It seems that there is conflicting evidence for yes and no.

Keep thinking "Happy thoughts" so I can do this again next year. Though I have two other trees in mind. On on the fenceline (much bigger than the one in my backyard and the owner should be ok with it (rental duplex). He claimed that the tree was mine anyway when I needed to have it limbed a little bit to keep it off of my house. I guess I will just take possession :D and also there is a tree in the right of way between the sidewalk which isn't in very good shape (lot's of storm damage over the past 4 years) which is a maple. I might throw a tap in it and see what happens.

But after one season, I am hooked and looking for more sources for sap.

[charlotte]

Dear Hobby boiler,
Look for an old woodstove that had been used in a house. Not the cast iron kind, but the ones you'd get out of a sears catalog (once upon a time). They usually have an aluminum exterior that can be taken off. I used a stainless steel warming pan from a restaurant, cut a hole in the top of the stove and inserted the pan into the hole, added stove pipe about 4' high, so I wouldn't get smoked out. Works great. I got my stove for free because I helped a person "clean" their basement. They had the stove just sitting around. They use to use wood for heat, then replaced it with a forced air boiler. Place a local ad in craigslist for one. It will save you money and grief. I can't afford an evaporator and using my indoor stove is useless. P.S. I can boil about 40 gallons in a day.

[charlotte]

I bought galvanized couplings from the hardware store 3/4", use food grade tubing and milk jugs. I set the jugs on the ground. Walk around with a 5 gallon bucket to collect from my trees. Much cheaper than spiles and it's not copper.

[Hobby boiler]

Thanks Charlotte.

When I was a kid, my dad had a woodstove like that so I know exactly what you are talking about.

I would definitely like to move the pre-boiling outside of the home.

[jputney]

Hobby
It's great to see another one hooked..... and the thing about your own syrup, it will always taste better than anyone elses!