A year off

[MidMichMaple]

Last year as a rookie I produced about a gallon of syrup and I really enjoyed the process. So of course the normal pattern is to keep expanding every year right?

Well, we put our house up for sale last fall with plans to move to another place about 30 miles away, to rent a property that has been in the family for a while.

So when does the sale happen? Just before maple season! We are supposed to close on April 1st, and our free time leading up to that day (and after) will be spent moving. I just don't really see a way to pull off any syrup production this year. Which is quite a bummer.

The silver lining? There's a lot more maples on and around the property we are moving to. So spring of 2016 is going to be a lot of fun. :D

As for this year, I will just be lurking here quietly...

[Tickle]

that stinks you should still put in a couple taps at new house and at least make a little to keep it going good luck with the move keep on sugarin

[MidMichMaple]

that stinks you should still put in a couple taps at new house and at least make a little to keep it going good luck with the move keep on sugarin

Yeah, I am toying with the idea, but it all just depends on the timing. If I get a weekend where the sap is flowing and I know I'll be at the house the whole time, I might try to pull something off. But for now I am planning for no syrup so that I don't get my hopes up. Maybe I'll just get the taps and buckets cleaned up and ready to go just in case. :)

[DaveB]

I had a couple of years in the 90s where I knew I wasn't going to be able to do a season "whole hog" and I tapped a tree and collected about 10 gallons of sap in plastic buckets. I then simmered the sap on my stove over a couple of days and made a really nice quart or so of syrup. I wanted to be able to say that I've made syrup every year and I did!

[BreezyHill]

MMM,
Back in Dec 2010 my dad died and with three sons doing soccer 12 months and what ever school sport is on at the time, plus running our feed mill and the beef farm we decided it was more important to snowmobile than to do maple. Then in 2012 the middle son at age 15 begged to start up the operation again. The family voted 4 to 1...seems my wife was the only smart one. So that season we put in 235-250 just to make him happy. Well last season we were back up to 600 or so and this season we should have the main bush all retubed and tapped for around 1100. We have plans to retube the front bush for another 350, and then it is on to neighboring bushes.

My dad started sugaring when I was 5 in 1971 so I could not deprive my sons of all the memories. And there have been plenty.

So when you get things under control you will get back into the bush and start tapping and making memories.

So take the time to walk the bush and lay down some plans.

Best Wishes

Ben