December Journal

[DrTimPerkins]

Trying to finish up a few papers and presentations for upcoming maple meetings before the season gets here.

[ennismaple]

I got about 1300 feet of Rapitube stretched on the weekend and 5 rolls of 5/16 up. There's probably another 5 rolls to stretch to get all the taps on the hillside hooked in but they should be big producing trees! I love working on fall days when it's cold but there is no snow on the ground.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Ennis, how do you like the Rapid tube? I have seen the videos and it looks attractive but haven't talked to anyone who has used it yet.

Dr Tim, could you elaborate a little on those upcoming presentations (without letting the cat out of the bag of course)?

We have been shortening lateral lines by adding more saddles to get rid of sharp bends, and yes, it is a fantastic time of year to be in the woods.

[DrTimPerkins]

Dr Tim, could you elaborate a little on those upcoming presentations (without letting the cat out of the bag of course)?

Sure. Meetings I'm attending this January include:

- Vermont Maple Conferences
Bellows Fall, Jan 3 and Hyde Park Jan 27
1) Recent Studies to Improve Vacuum in Tubing Systems (A summary of our 5 yrs of field studies looking at various ways to improve vacuum transfer and sap yields)
2) Sap Flow and Sweetness - How, Why and What Influences Them (A description of the sap flow and sap sweetness mechanism, and how various environmental and weather factors affect them)

Dr. Abby will be at these meetings speaking on 1) Tubing Sanitation and 2) Tree Growth and Tapping Guidelines

All the Vermont Conference presentations are listed at: http://www.uvm.edu/extension/maple/mainline/maple_mainline_dec14.pdf

- New York State Maple Conference, Verona, Jan 10
1) Maple Production From Saplings (or work looking at collecting sap from saplings, a summary of where we are now)
2) Approaches to Spout/Tubing Sanitation: Replacement Versus Cleaning (a study funded by NESARE, done in cooperation with Cornell, to assess sap yields and net profits from cleaning with a variety of cleaners compared to spout or drop replacement or use of CV spouts)

The full agenda is at: http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/WinterConferenceAgenda.pdf

- Michigan Maple Association Winter Meeting, Mt. Pleasant, Jan 17
Topics TBD (probably something selected from the above topics)

Mark Isselhardt from UVM PMRC will be at the Ohio Maple Days (I don't recall the days or topics).

Some of the other meetings PMRC folks have attended so far this fall include:

The North American Maple Syrup Council / International Maple Syrup Institute Meetings in Nova Scotia (Oct 2014)

New Hampshire Maple School (Oct 2014)

Windham Co. (VT) Maple Meeting (Nov 2014)

Lake Erie Maple Expo (Nov 2014)

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Thanks Dr. Tim! I'm printing that list and hanging it on the fridge (below the pictures of the Grandchildren, but still in a very prominent spot).

[adk1]

The only thing that I have done is to think about all the stuff I have to do! But first, there are still 2 weekends of deer hunting left so none of it will get done u til after that!

[NhShaun]

Picked up my new 2x6 pan set up with preheater today! Got them built by a guy named Randy Worthen out of Spofford NH, Great work. Can't wait to use them.

[n8hutch]

Congrats on the new pans, how's the leg healing up?

[NhShaun]

Congrats on the new pans, how's the leg healing up?Thanks! It's getting a lot better, i am finally out of that air cast and wearing an ankle brace. I will actually be up in Wakefield this weekend making some trails to collect my sap in the spring. Will you be around ?

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

Randy does real good work. My 2x6 is from him easy to do business with too. I get around 25 gph when up and rolling. Added under fire air for this year try to push for 30-35 gph. Good luck too you.

[NhShaun]

25gph sounds just good enough for me, but 30 would be even better. Perhaps a blower is on the list for next year!

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

yeah I have a two vane blower for over fire air hope to install next year.thanks

[NhShaun]

That will speed things up a bit. I'm sugaring off the grid so a blower isn't really an option for me. Perhaps i could build a perpetual motion bellow hahah.

[psparr]

That will speed things up a bit. I'm sugaring off the grid so a blower isn't really an option for me. Perhaps i could build a perpetual motion bellow hahah.
Maybe blow up balloons and let the air out into the door?

[NhShaun]

Giant balloons! With a slow release valve. I have seen people use Gas powered leaf blowers, but i would rather not listen to that all day. Maybe a bicycle powered blower would speed things up just for like a half hour or so.

[psparr]

If you've got dry small split wood that would help a lot. And feeding often.

[NhShaun]

I actually know a guy in town who has all the cut offs from his saw mill. Maybe ill swing by there this weekend and see if he has any up for grabs Thanks for the idea!

[nace]

you know where i need to be but ive been tending to my wife in the hospital, lots of fluid retention..... Doctors wont let me tap her legs even though i point out that they havent had much success in the last 3 weeks. seriously though, they have a game plan and should be outta here next wednesday! gonna add around 100 taps, final clean on the pans and shack, test the vaccum and be ready to tap after Christmas!

[maple flats]

I started making maple in 2003, and built my sugarhouse in the time leading up to the 2004 season. I did not have grid power until 2012. In the first several years all power came from a generator (loud and expensive to run long term) For the noise I moved the genny about 75' away, ran an overhead entrance line to a panel box and built a plywood sound wall between the gen. and the sugarhouse (only a few feet from the gen.). That was better, but not great. I then started getting into solar, 300 watts at first, then grew to 1480 watts and now to 6.32 KW. The jump between 1.48 and 6.32 KW happened when I also invested to get grid power to the sugarhouse.
I was able to use blowers from the 2004 season on. My first solar was able to keep up in sunlight, but the battery bank got low in 2-3 hrs. after dusk, then I had to start the gen., run the blower, lights and recharge the battery bank.
If you have any possibility to get grid power to the sugar house, do it, solar is nice but very expensive. I foolishly wanted to remain off grid, but once deciding to tie to the grid I'm totally glad I did. I still have the 1.48 KW portion on a battery bank in case the grid goes down, but that inverter also send excess to the grid that I don't need. Since my sugarhouse is about 3 i. from my home, I now send the excess to my residential meter. At the sugarhouse I have only paid $8.40 for power in the last 6 mos. total (it is not because I used more than I produced, but because any month that I net use any of their power, they charge me $22.93/mo delivery fee. The fee is then reduced by what I sent them, that month, thus 1 month at $8.40).
If possible to get, grid power is the cheapest power option, unless you have a year round water/wind or such generator that never needs to be fueled.
How far from you house is your sugar house? If possible. run a line, even if only 1- 20A circuit, you'll be glad you did (and a 240V 20A is even far better and won't double the cost.)

[NhShaun]

Interesting stuff Mapleflats! I have a small battery bank running my 12v lights and charging my gadgets in my cabin. So i will be stuck using generators for any big power that i need(Which hopefully is minimal). Battery powered lights and oil lanterns should be sufficient in the lighting department. Where i plan to build my shack in the next couple years will be very close to the grid power, So i will surely get tied in. But for this season ahead, i will be roughing it with my block arch out in the open. I hope someday i can invest in decent solar setup on this property, nothing close to 6kw though hahah. My 6000 generator is much to large to be running all day just to power a blower, so i guess im going blowerless this season as well.

[tuckermtn]

despite the crappy weather, we had a decent turnout and sales for our first saturday Holiday Open House. About $650.00 in sales, with lots of pints and maple cream heading out the door.

[maple flats]

My online sales have been good. Tomorrow I have 4 orders going out, 2@ 4 gal ea., 1@ 1 gal & 1@ 2x half gal. Then I have 5 half gal being picked up tomorrow too. The sizes being sold seem to have moved to larger ones than last year, which featured qts., pts and half gal, few gallons.

[Brian Ryther]

It has been a crazy year. A few major life /family changes. Sorry to those I have ignored. Today I purchased a KLRC-75 pump to replace a OSR-20. More CFM should help leak work and increase HG's. Retail sales have been outstanding. Opening huge wholesale markets. New custom jugs should arrive next week. Buying in new tubing and fittings for sugar bush expansion. Old CV's have been cut off drop lines. I did a fall mainline wash. The mainline wash should help with syrup color. Lots of nasty snot came out of the lines. Tapping begins in 24 days.

[Maplewalnut]

It has been a crazy year. A few major life /family changes. Sorry to those I have ignored. Today I purchased a KLRC-75 pump to replace a OSR-20. More CFM should help leak work and increase HG's. Retail sales have been outstanding. Opening huge wholesale markets. New custom jugs should arrive next week. Buying in new tubing and fittings for sugar bush expansion. Old CV's have been cut off drop lines. I did a fall mainline wash. The mainline wash should help with syrup color. Lots of nasty snot came out of the lines. Tapping begins in 24 days.
Good to hear from you Brian. Told you your wholesale would pick up. You make a great product, word of mouth is best advertisement

[maple flats]

I ran short on my shelves, packed a barrel last Sat, and another today (40 gal + 16 gal, dark amber). The rush will likely slow soon though, getting close to a cut off date for syrup to arrive when shipped. This Sat. I've got to pack more medium amber (I only have a 16 gal barrel left, then gone until next season)

[GeneralStark]

Well the storm is finally wrapping up but we'll be picking up the pieces for a while I suspect. Lost power tuesday night for 40 hours and then got it back yesterday to have it go off again. Fortunately we were able to take showers and charge some stuff before it turned off again. The wife reports it is back on but who knows for how long. The trees are totally loaded and limbs are constantly breaking. Hopefully some sun and some warmer air coming later this weekend will drop the snow.

I have a great deal of respect for the line crews, tree crews and road crews that have been dealing with this storm. It must be frustrating to fix a problem to only have to go back and fix it again. Hopefully the worst is over...

[whitetail farms]

got almost 2 feet of snow here,had alot of tubing work to do before this storm and probably alot more now with the heavy snow that brought trees down,the battle I have to fight now is getting the sugar house road opened up!!

[sjdoyon]

Only had about six inches of snow. More wind damage and our continuing saga with bear damage. Taken a dozen of trees off our lines so far.

[tuckermtn]

Excellent holiday open house sales today. Jugged up another 25 gallons this afternoon with wife and younger daughter. Think we will have just enough cream made up to make it till Christmas.

Keep on keepin on -

[maple flats]

Just packed my last BBL of medium today. Unfortunately it had darkened enough that it graded as Dark Amber. As a result, once my stock of medium on the shelves sell out, I'll not have more until next season. I refuse to buy a bbl this late in the season, since my greatest demand is in dark anyways. I still have a little stock in the MA. My next product bottling will now be after Jan. 1, and here in NY that is when I start using the new grading standards. While I like the new grades, it will be a job educating my customers on the change. It's kind of like the measuring systems we use, it would all be easier and make more sense if the founding fathers had gone metric, same with the grading, every area uses the same standards and the change was made a long time ago (would have been better).
My next projects, I need to finish my new stack install in the sugarhouse and install the ceramic blanket I just received yesterday. Then next weekend we start hitting the woods, repairs and 2-3 new mains, one of which is strung up and anchored but not sloped out yet, and the other 1-2 still need to go up. I recently ordered a few of the Stars fittings to try (thru the Maple Guys). I like the idea of their saddles that use a single SS band clamp with a hole in the band, where the fitting inserts, with a seal and then they just tighten by the screw. It just seems to be a better way. Also for the taps in the new section, I'm trying their clear straight taps. After the first year I think I'll go back to CV2's, but I'm studying other options too.

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

This weather is crap!!! Got a little snowmobiling in then rain hit. Been busy working in sugar house finishing inside walls and built a table and benches. Worked on storm damage yesterday and today not that much which is surprising with all the damage around here. Season is just around the corner and my son and I can't wait!! 101671016810169

[maple flats]

The pics looked a little strange... then i turned my head sideways and it looked great. Nice job.

[adk1]

Yup your gonna love it. Nice shack

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

THANK YOU!!!!! Have a happy holidays everyone......

[wnybassman]

I like the bench idea! Not sure I have enough room to do it, but got me thinking about seating for visitors. In the past I always put them to work while they were there. Probably explains why nobody stops by! lol

[maple flats]

I was going to build one table with built in benches, but then I bought my RO and the space got used for an RO room.

[steam maker]

Well tommorow morning im off to the maple guys to buy a high tech sugaring gift for myself for xmas !!! Ill be looking for sugarhouse signs the whole way!! Time to start doin and stop procrastinating woods work. Be tapping in a month and a half

[NhShaun]

Spent the past 2 weekends up north clearing trails on my 10 acres to collect sap when the time comes. Found roughly 60 trees on my land and still working on talking to the neighboring land owners about tapping their trees. I'm still unsure of what kind of deal to work with them for letting me tap. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Its nothing crazy but maybe some will have 20 - 40 trees to tap.

[maple flats]

I have found it good to trade syrup for tapping. While areas vary on rates, I pay $.80/tap. My leases take as much syrup as they want during the season calculated at my retail prices, then I pay any balance in a check after the season. I have heard rates from $.50 to $1.00 and a few even more. If on buckets a long term lease is less important, but if putting up tubing, you want a 5 yr. min. and far better a 10 yr. lease, in writing. My leases even cover the death of the landowner, or me, or the sale of the land. The lease goes with the property for the remainder of the lease.

[optionguru]

I have a few neighbors who just enjoy the whole idea of making syrup, they let me tap about 10 or 15 trees a piece and I give them a quart or two of syrup. It's small time but they're happy the trees get used and they love when it's time to get their syrup and maple nuts.

[tuckermtn]

trying to keep the post office in business. We shipped 11 flat rate boxes yesterday, 2 more today.

also went to bascoms yesterday to sell the last of our grade C. Only have about 90 gallons left, all of it Grade A very dark.

[unc23win]

Well I celebrated my half day of school (as a teacher) by installing more lines. My only problem was I ran out of everything I needed today. Emptied a spool of 1" moved on to installing some Ys, then ran out of high tensile ratchets, then back to Ys and ran out of pipe clamps. Made a trip to TSC for ratchets and then the Depot for clamps I bought all the clamps in stock and a complete box of (50) 1" adapters (maybe now I have enough for a while). :) It was a great afternoon though no whining or complaining at all. I'll be back at it tomorrow. 11 days off from work to work in the woods not counting Christmas (wife thinks I need that day off completely). :lol:

[adk1]

Yeah u teachers......

[GeneralStark]

Yeah u teachers......

Easy...Jared is not the only one on Christmas holiday.:)

[adk1]

another teacher I take it......

[maple flats]

I agree, and I'm not a teacher! I am however a school bus driver. I used to think they got too much time off, once I started driving bus, I see it a whole different light, they now need more time off (especially during maple season) In fact, I put in for a leave for the season 2 yrs. ago, but it was denied.

[adk1]

Glad to hear it. :)

[maple flats]

Glad to hear it. :)
Which are you glad to hear, that my leave was denied or that I think teachers should get more time off?

[lakeview maple]

Had a great day yesterday, our son and his family are up visiting from Georgia for the Christmas season, so I dragged him quite willingly to the sugarhouse to run some mainline . We got the help of his cousin Colin and the 3 of us ran another 350 ft mainline on this piece of woods I couldn't get to last year with my broken leg. We unrolled the 3/4 inch line and I walked the line up the mtn while they kept me from kinking the line. Same job would have took me 4 hours , but with 2 extra sets of young legs we had it all done in an hour . We had a great time together and real blessing for me as a Dad to have one of the "kids" helping out especially when I don't get to see him that often. We are shooting to run all the laterals on Friday . Have a Merry Christmas everyone.Al

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Had a great day yesterday, our son and his family are up visiting from Georgia for the Christmas season, so I dragged him quite willingly to the sugarhouse to run some mainline . We got the help of his cousin Colin and the 3 of us ran another 350 ft mainline on this piece of woods I couldn't get to last year with my broken leg. We unrolled the 3/4 inch line and I walked the line up the mtn while they kept me from kinking the line. Same job would have took me 4 hours , but with 2 extra sets of young legs we had it all done in an hour . We had a great time together and real blessing for me as a Dad to have one of the "kids" helping out especially when I don't get to see him that often. We are shooting to run all the laterals on Friday . Have a Merry Christmas everyone.Al

Working in the woods with a visiting son --- priceless.

[lakeview maple]

It was an awesome day, I would love for him and his family to live closer but its not in the cards yet. Hopefully someday he will be able to take over the maple and blueberry business.

Working in the woods with a visiting son --- priceless.

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

That sounds like an awesome day. I enjoy working in are woods better with my son, and watching him learn and grow.

[Maplewalnut]

Took advantage of the nice weather and no snow cover to run some more lines today. Very grateful to have three sons who help in all maple chores. Here is the little guy who carried rolls of tube and handfuls of drops probably a 100 yards or more through the woods from the truck multiple times. Not bad for a six year old. Happy New Year to all. Couple weeks and we will be all tapped, then the fun begins!!

Mike

[LittleEnnis]

Replying to Brian (Sunday Rock Maple)'s question to EnnisMaple about Rapid Tube.

I'll step in and answer, since my brother isn't paying attention.

The one afternoon I stretched Rapid Tube, I wasn't doing it "smart". Going around sharp corners, I was using the Rapid Strap to hold the tube to the inside of the corner tree (snap!). I attached our winch to the end tree instead of a tree behind it (logistical issues). I did a poor job of tying the mainline to end trees. And I swore my head off for hours. Still, it was slightly faster than using a mainline lashed to a support wire - which I'm fairly good at doing.

My big brother went several times as fast because he didn't make all of my mistakes. He likes the stuff, although we'll have to see how durable it is in the long run.

Farrell's Finest has used Rapid Tube for a couple of years. They like it, although they might be having issues with the saddle manifold holes stretching into elliptical shapes instead of staying perfectly circular. The local CDL rep was going to go see them sometime in the fall if memory serves.