just beginning

[a.sangi]

Well this is gonna be my first year ever making syrup. I've never done this before . I bought 11 acres a couple of years ago for firewood and it is full of maple, mostly sugar maple. So I'm thinking I should tap them and see what I can make of it. I have no idea where to start. I have a basic understanding of what it takes, but what type spout should I use , should I just use buckets to collect? I don't think I should spend a lot since I don't really know what I'm doing? Any advice would be greatly helpful. I have 3 young sons and love the idea of maybe making some money down the road off my land. I live in eastern green county NY if that means anything. Where do I start?

[morningstarfarm]

Welcome to the addiction...go easy and start small...pick about 10-20 trees to tap this year. It is going to take a lot longer than you think in the beginning. A lot of us start with steam table pans to boil in or find a 2x2 pan which will run a couple hundred bucks. Then build an arch out of stacked cinder blocks...leave a space to put a smoke stack in the back...6-8" will work fine...and you are ready to make some steam...
As to taps you have several choices...you can use traditional buckets and taps or you can run tubing down into buckets or you can use sap sacks...I would recommend the sacks..my kids love watching them fill...
There are many threads here to read that will help you make decisions and this is a great group of people that share a love of this that borders on insanity...we will gladly help you in any way we can...

[bowhunter]

I just started last year so here are some links to materials that will help you. The first is a short bulletin on the basics of maple syrup making. I have also attached a link Sugar Bush Supplies. Look at the books sections. There's one for $3.95 and about $10 that will provide enough info to get started. The cheapest way to get sap is to use 5/16 Leader Tree Saver spiles. They're in the plastic fittings section. They cost about $0.40 each. You can use 5/16 inch tubing into a bucket or gallon milk jug on the ground. You can boil in any large flat bottom pan such as a turkey roasting pan. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. The pan will boil about 1 gallon of sap per hour per square foot of pan. So a 12 inch diameter stew pot will boil just less than 1 gallon of sap per hour. You probably should buy a hydrometer to tell when it's finished. They're not too expensive and it's pretty much fool proof.
http://www.agriscience.msu.edu/specialprojects/Classroom%20Sugarin/Online%20Resources/Hobby%20Maple%20Syrup%20Production.pdf
http://sugarbushsupplies.com/

[millscrest]

NO, NO, NO, dont get started you will be addicted to this fun!!!!! I started out several years ago with my three young boys doing the same thing you are doing and it has been the BEST family time together you could think of. Start small so you dont feel its to much work. I started out with 25 taps on buckets and now the most I can handle is 200 on buckets. To keep my boys excited about doing it I pay them each $.25 a gallon they collect and you should see them running off of the bus after school to go and collect the sap. If you should have any questions, all you have to do is ask on this forum.

[southfork]

I started in the year 2,000 with a book called " Backyard Sugarin " by Rink Mann, Amazon sells it. This is the basic book for the small producer but full of useful information. There are several more advanced books on the subject of maple syrup.

I now have over 2,000 taps and am installing another 3,500 beginning in May 2014. Have just designed and added electricity to operate a 12,000 tap operation, all automated. It began with Rink Manns book 14 years ago.

Good luck and you will find many helpful sugarmakers on this forum, you are in the right place.

[KGodshall]

I might take some lumps over this, but I love "cheap" and free is even better. With this being your first year, and having no experience at this, I would advise you to just get your feet wet. Make enough to learn the basics, and enough to supply your family for the next year, with some good quality syrup.
There are some things you HAVE to have, and some things you can get by with. You have to have spiles. No 2 ways about it. You need something to put in the tree to get the sap out. Ebay, loaners, whatever. I got mine from my father, who hadn't tapped in over 10 years. I asked him how much, he said, "You can have them." Done deal.

Next, I use gallon milk jugs to catch my sap. Zip tie them to the spile, good to go.

Boiling: I keep a pot of water on my woodstove all winter. Why not evaporate sap? Don't have a huge amount of it, so it's no different than boiling a pot of water. Only thing is, need to watch it when it gets to the sugar level (you can tell by the smell- whole house smells sweet!)

Finishing: Right on the stove top, and yes, I just use a digital thermometer. 7.5 degrees above boiling, then strain it and bottle it in Mason jars.

You can spend a ton of money and get all the goodies. OR, you can learn the process, perfect it to what suits you and your situation, and build it as you gain knowledge and experience.

It's all up to you. Some will bristle at my approach, but I don't have 1 person that I give syrup or candy to, that has anything bad to say about my color, clarity, consistency or taste. Is my way perfect? Not by a long shot, but it meets my needs and abilities and I'm not trying to finance the house, the car or the dog to pay for my hobby. If a hobby turns into a business, then it's time to get serious and get invested.

Just my 2 cents. I wish you well. It is a very rewarding and satisfying chore. All the best.

PS: For the record, I made 6 gallons of syrup last year on 20 spiles. After eating it, giving it away to neighbors and at Christmas, I have 3 pints left. I upgraded last year from a stock pot to 3- 6" deep hotel pans that fit nicely on top of the Fisher stove. Taylor digital thermometer (Amazon), and cloth diapers for straining. 2-5 gallon buckets to carry the sap from forest to stove (just like Dad did it) and I still drill my holes with my grandfather's bit and brace. (I'm a bit nostalgic about my syrup).

[SDdave]

... I still drill my holes with my grandfather's bit and brace. (I'm a bit nostalgic about my syrup).

Same here using Granddad's bit and brace.

SDdave

[kiteflyingeek]

As others have said -- welcome to the forum ... and the addiction :-)

I started last year and I have it bad -- already bought a 2x6 pan set and I'm working to get the arch done by boiling time (which is now around here). I will echo others -- get the spiles and a hydrometer. Depending where you find it (there have to be dealers close to you in NY) you are probably looking at $20 - $40 for those items. You don't have to go much more but I would recommend the hydrometer and its cup -- temp alone doesn't get you close enough to actual syrup. Having said that, I recently opened my first pint from last year and it was good -- pretty thin (watery) but quite tasty. AND it lasted on the shelf without any mold or anything developing (bottled it hot).

I started reading this site in Nov of 2012 and all I did for most of Nov & Dec was read old posts -- I'll admit I did skip some of the vacuum and Reverse Osmosis threads because I don't plan to use that for quite some time. But anyways, you can get many of your questions answered just by reading from the "archives".

Hope that helps. Again, welcome to the insanity :-D

--andrew

[tcross]

Welcome! I started out last year for the first time! it started over a couple of beers with a buddy as he mentioned I had a lot of maple trees and thought it'd be cool to make a little syrup! I started out with 10 taps at the beginning of the season and ended it with 47! started by making a cinder block arch and used a few pans I had scrounged up from my hunting camp and home! I had no buckets to start and no "real" taps! I started off with what I had! a few 5 gallon buckets and tube! I bought 5/16" O.D tube and ran the tube strait from the tree to the bucket! it worked great! then I buddy let me borrow 20 buckets and taps... Now, I have 150 ran on tubing with vacuum and 90 on buckets... next year i'll have 350-400 on vacuum and 50 on buckets! it is certainly an addiction... and it is a great way to spend the spring! my sugarhouse had anywhere between 4 to 12 of my buddies helping out and drinking beer! ask all the questions you can think of on this site! it is a great way to get started! the folks here have a TON of knowledge and are not afraid to help out!

[spud]

Family, Friends and boiling sap what could be better? Your living the dream so enjoy.

Spud

[Shawn]

Your hooked enjoy:cool: