Thought I heard it all.

[Mark]

Thought I heard it all until today. Had a guy call today wanting grade B from the second tap on the tree. He had researched the subject online and knew the syrup from the second tap had the most minerals.

[wnybassman]

Thought I heard it all until today. Had a guy call today wanting grade B from the second tap on the tree. He had researched the subject online and knew the syrup from the second tap had the most minerals.

Certainly you run separate lines from all the second taps? Doesn't everyone?

[Jebediah]

I think second-tap syrup would be a little pricier, considering it's unique benefits.

[maple flats]

When you have 2 taps on a tree, how do you designate which is 1st and which is 2nd? Now I've got to run another set of wet/dry lines , mains and laterals to take advantage of this super food sales potential.

[Mark]

I would have to guess the 2nd tap would be the lower one since the minerals are heavier and come out that one.

[RustyBuckets]

I think the first tap is the one you drill with your right hand and the second tap is the one you drill with your left hand. Makes perfectly good sense to me seeing how we have left and right hand taps.

[SeanD]

I just had someone ask me why I don't sugar during the summer. When I explained how the weather created a seasonal crop, she told me that in New Jersey they sugar all year round. I said it must be some other type of sugaring, but she insisted it was maple sugaring and clearly held the belief that I just don't know what I'm doing. She's probably right on that point, anyway. Maybe they do second taps in New Jersey.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

And no one took me serious about the helium injection.

[Cabin]

Ok would the boil from the 'second tap' result in more or less sugar sand?? ;-)

[happy thoughts]

I just had someone ask me why I don't sugar during the summer. When I explained how the weather created a seasonal crop, she told me that in New Jersey they sugar all year round. I said it must be some other type of sugaring, but she insisted it was maple sugaring and clearly held the belief that I just don't know what I'm doing. She's probably right on that point, anyway. Maybe they do second taps in New Jersey.

This one at least kinda makes sense to me. I wonder if she sees tubing that's been left up all year and thinks that sap collection goes on continuously. As for the second tap thing, that's obviously bad information and probably a misunderstanding of what' s written in some places on the web about Grade B coming from the second run (not second tap). Read this "most helpful" review of a syrup sold on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SISZVJI7PH4H/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2SISZVJI7PH4H) which hundreds of people rated useful :o.

[nymapleguy607]

If thats the case then we should start selling the niter we clean from the pans. Or we can sell all our syrup unfiltered and cloudy because its healthier that way.

[happy thoughts]

....Or we can sell all our syrup unfiltered and cloudy because its healthier that way.

That's exactly why people buy it, not because it's actually healthier but because they perceive it that way. The niter does contain minerals and nutrients but I doubt they realize that heavy metals like lead and zinc could be present in old buckets and pans and would be concentrated in the niter if they were used for collection and processing. Lead removal is the major reason for filtering in the first place especially when it's use in containers and evaporator pans was common.

Also, I don't think unfiltered syrup could be sold as grade A or B under the current grading system because it has to be reasonably clear by USDA standards. Not sure if that will change or not under the new grading system which seems to grade on just color and flavor. But if unfiltered syrup is allowed for retail sales, then I'm sure there'd be a market for it in some circles.

[maple flats]

I just had someone ask me why I don't sugar during the summer. When I explained how the weather created a seasonal crop, she told me that in New Jersey they sugar all year round. I said it must be some other type of sugaring, but she insisted it was maple sugaring and clearly held the belief that I just don't know what I'm doing. She's probably right on that point, anyway. Maybe they do second taps in New Jersey.
Don't you just love it when a "know it all customer" tells you things that can't be true. They know better than the whole industry. We must all (except New Jersey) be wrong.

[Mark]

I had one caller tell me that grade B was closer to the tree, didn't bother asking what he meant.

Need to start another internet rumor that syrup enhances other things to get the sales up!

[nymapleguy607]

That's exactly why people buy it, not because it's actually healthier but because they perceive it that way. The niter does contain minerals and nutrients but I doubt they realize that heavy metals like lead and zinc could be present in old buckets and pans and would be concentrated in the niter if they were used for collection and processing. Lead removal is the major reason for filtering in the first place especially when it's use in containers and evaporator pans was common.

Also, I don't think unfiltered syrup couldn't be sold as grade A or B under the current grading system because it has to be reasonably clear by USDA standards. Not sure if that will change or not under the new grading system which seems to grade on just color and flavor. But if unfiltered syrup is allowed for retail sales, then I'm sure there'd be a market for it in some circles.

I was just poking fun at some of the things customers percieve. I don't plan on selling the filter press anytime soon. Maybe the New Jersey woman thinks that they are still sugaring because the people never pulled the taps, gotta love it.

[Jebediah]

You have all heard about "maple water," I imagine. As far as I can tell, it is sap. Last year we made ~400 dollars worth of syrup, theoretically, if we sold it. (About six gallons. We don't sell it, for fear of flooding the market and driving the price down for everyone else. And we have no filter, so it is full of sand.). To my dismay I learned that the sap (attractively packaged) would have gone for something like $30K. Boiling, it turns out, doesn't add value, but rather subtracts it. Make hay while the sun shines folks...

[Randy Brutkoski]

flats, I will post the final #s on the bush with the helium injection in a day or 2.

[rayi]

Speaking of rumors. I heard that maple syrup increases pleasure in the night if you get what I mean. Now let us all spread that rumor so people will beat down the doors to get our syrup

[Mark]

Speaking of rumors. I heard that maple syrup increases pleasure in the night if you get what I mean. Now let us all spread that rumor so people will beat down the doors to get our syrup
You need develop a more elaborate rumor for them to take the hook.

[1tapattack]

Don't you just love it when a "know it all customer" tells you things that can't be true. They know better than the whole industry. We must all (except New Jersey) be wrong.
i love how we are lumping all NJ residents as 1 stereotype

[1tapattack]

That's exactly why people buy it, not because it's actually healthier but because they perceive it that way. The niter does contain minerals and nutrients but I doubt they realize that heavy metals like lead and zinc could be present in old buckets and pans and would be concentrated in the niter if they were used for collection and processing. Lead removal is the major reason for filtering in the first place especially when it's use in containers and evaporator pans was common.

Also, I don't think unfiltered syrup couldn't be sold as grade A or B under the current grading system because it has to be reasonably clear by USDA standards. Not sure if that will change or not under the new grading system which seems to grade on just color and flavor. But if unfiltered syrup is allowed for retail sales, then I'm sure there'd be a market for it in some circles.
i would think the sediment and niter would all settle to the bottom, until the bottle was shaken. so after it stood still for a bit the syrup would appear to have the grade A clarity

[Bucket Head]

Just finished stuffing the Ryder truck. I'm movin' to Jersey!

Note to all: Remove the bricks from your arch before loading onto the truck. I just bent the heck out of that little aluminum ramp.

Steve

[happy thoughts]

I was just poking fun at some of the things customers percieve. I don't plan on selling the filter press anytime soon. Maybe the New Jersey woman thinks that they are still sugaring because the people never pulled the taps, gotta love it.

Assuming the niter is safe as it most likely is these days with SS and plastic equipment, I actually don't think it's a bad idea and could help generate sales. I think the niter tastes like c^^p but if someone wants to pay for it because they think it's healthy, who can argue? It's all about reading the market to maximize profit:)

[happy thoughts]

i would think the sediment and niter would all settle to the bottom, until the bottle was shaken. so after it stood still for a bit the syrup would appear to have the grade A clarity

That's true, but even by the new VT standards, the presence of niter would seem to disqualify it from the premium retail grades including what is sold as grade B under the old law. The new law specifies that dark and very dark syrup must be "free of any material other than pure, clear, clean liquid maple syrup". The older USDA regs are more vague. The difference between A and B clarity is written as practically clear vs fairly clear. Though I may be wrong, I assume that would mean the absence or near absence of settled niter.

[DrTimPerkins]

Not sure if that will change or not under the new grading system which seems to grade on just color and flavor.

The new grading system requires that syrup be free from turbidity and sediment, just like the previous system.