Who is ready?

[powerdub]

I just got done pulling my lines out of the snow and making the few repairs I needed to do and I think I am ready for sap. Is everyone else ready to go? I am usually not in as good as shape as I am this year but I have had extra time off, luckily. Hope everyone has a great year!

[mapleman3]

Well I have to say I'm getting near being ready, I bought a used half pint from this forum last fall, I am now redesigning it a bit, adding a rear ash cleanout and a arch type grate, and a draft fan, ...now I have to make sure all the buckets and taps are clean and ready to go... but yes I too am a lot better off this year than last. ..last year being my second year of sugaring(small time) I made 5 gals for my family ... this year I hope to make 20 gals and sell some of it.... happy sugaring everyone !!!
Jim D

[powerdub]

Glad to hear it Jim, always happy to hear from the smaller producer as well. keep up the good work!

[Chris S]

I am wathcing the long term forcast looking for a break in the weather. I got all my buckets and taps cleanup up last weekend. The drill is charged and sharp. Now all I need is some warm days and cool nights. My sugar shack is complete and I hope to make 40 gallons this year ( I made 20 last year). Good luck

[mapleman3]

ok... did a lot of work this weekend getting ready... cut more slab wood... finished firebricks... BUT now more snow coming and more frigid temps this week... I'm wondering how much longer will winter be here... darn groundhog!!!!!

who out there is boiling already?

[DougM]

We boiled this past Saturday here in central Indiana, but that sap was collected Monday and frozen in the tanks all week.
From the looks of the weather we won't get anything until at least Friday this week.
Unfortunately we have 3 classes of elementary school kids coming on Wed. We can make a lot of steam with water, though. :)

Doug

[Brian]

Hi,

How did your pan cleaning go? Were the kids impressed? haha, I thought this was a nice idea for the kids, too bad you didn't have sap, or did you? The weather here today is -22below with the windchill. I hope to be tapped the last weekend in February, but at this rate, it won't be til the middle of March!

Brian

[DougM]

Brian,
we ended up canceling, as the wind the night before was 40+ mph, w/temps falling to the teens. Wednesday morning was around 15, I think, w/15-20 mph winds. This is our first attempt at field trips, so we didn't think sending the kids home as popsicles was a good way to make a good impression.
We had already set the 19th as the alternate day, so they will be coming then. Long-range forecast has the temps at 42 hi/30 low that day, so we should have sap AND decent weather.

Thanks for asking,
Doug

[syrupmaker]

I HOPE, I HOPE, THE TANKS ARE PLACED,THE LINES ARE READY,WAITING FOR THE WEATHR CHANNEL NOW. JUST CAN'T SEEM TO FIND WHEN THEY SAY IT IS GONNA WARM UP. ARTIC AIR WHAT A CHILLY SEASON. MY WIFE IS DREADING ANOTHER SEASON, BUT MY KIDS ARE ALL RASSED UP AND KNOW FROM LAST YEAR IT IS OH SO CLOSE. MY SON WHANTS TO TRY ANOTHER MAPLE FLAVRED HOT DOG!!!

[mapleman3]

Maple flavored hot dogs??? I've heard of boiling eggs in the sap pan...never thought of hot dogs lol
Jim

[mapleman3]

well I actually test fired today(water), it's warm enough for sap to run but it'ds only going to be a few days then it gets cold again, But I think it's close... maybe next weekend :lol: . buckets are clean,all I have to do it set up the storage and feed line...preheater?? anyway I have some pics of my crude operation !!

Jim
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/mapleman3

[DougM]

Jim,
I'm glad to see we're not the only ones out there using re-bar for grate. :)

I like the sugarhouse, too, hopefully we will be moving into a similar setup next summer.

Doug

[mapleman3]

thanks Doug... you can come take it if you want it.haha. it really needs to be taken down and a new one built... it's an old garage in need of help lol... but last year I moved the operation in there from outside. next year I am building a new shack... I can't wait
Jim

[DougM]

Jim,
It looks pretty good in the picture. :)

I think if I told my wife I was moving another building she would probably shoot me. We are in the process (had to break for winter, and sugaring!) of dismantling an old barn and moving it to our site. That's why I say we are hopefully moving.
We're planning to re-configure the barn as a sugar house so we can get out of the corner of the pole barn we are in now. I've been studying sugarhouse design info in my spare time.
If all goes as planned (famous last words, didn't happen with geting the roof down) we will be able to use the loft floor as the sugarhouse floor, except for a concrete pad for the rig. We also have plenty of siding.

The trees are FINALLY running here. Warm again tomorrow & Friday, 0 deg. Monday!! Winter is never going away.

Doug

[pegjam]

Hang on, I think we're almost there. This should be an interesting season. We still have to pull lines out of the snow from this latest storm, fix some lines and we're good to go. May everyones storage tanks run over, everyday!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck.

[mapleman3]

Ok Iadded some more pictures from the modifications I made to my half pint...I think I can say I'm getting tired of waiting for the weather to break

so does anybody else have pictures of their operations... we may as well look at each others stuff since we are not getting much boiling done !! :lol:

Jim