Ereanna
03-18-2007, 10:05 PM
Hi all!
I am new and I just wanted to post my first hello and introduce myself! I am tappin about 400 trees in the NEmadji state Forest this year. We tapped last weekend - got a first run for two days and then some cold weather. I am pretty new to sugaring. I joined friends at their sugarbushes for the past two years but this year me and my best friend are running our own camp.
We set-up camp two weeks ago. Built a longhouse style structure out of tamarack and spruce and covered it with wool blankets and tarps. We've got a 8-10 foot long pit fire in the center of the structure and two 55 gallon drums with the tops cut out for our boilers.
Our Sugarbush is a good stand of mostly older maples nestled between a tamarack/spruce bog. We've got atleast 30 trees that are large enough for 3 taps. And, quite a few double tappers.
We are using about 300 sumac taps. We de-barked them and burned the pithes out with a hot wire, then boiled the juices out and then carved them into spiles.
We are having agood time even though the first few nights (before we set up camp) the nighttime temeratures were close to 0 and we were stomping through snow that came above my knee.
The sugarbush is a 45 minute hike into the forest from the nearest road and there is one creek crossing. Which wasn't so bad for packing in camp since we had a tobagan and it was frozen, but it is going to be hell to pack camp out without the snow.
We plan on doing the whole camp without any "modern" conveniences - as primitive as possible: no motorize equipment, no chemicals, no 4-wheelers, no chainsaws, no vacuums, no propane, no oil lamps or propane lenterns. Just fire, hard work, good food to keep us going, and the resources around us.
None-the-less we are having a great time. And are enjoying more visitors and helpers then we expected! With usually about 4-6 people (and one baby) choppin wood and haulin buckets and keepin the fire burnin (though, the baby doesn't work much!)
Our first batch we boiled down about 55 gallons and got a few quarts of dark delicious vanilla flavored syrup. mmmm mmmm good! its totally worht it.
happy sugaring!
I am new and I just wanted to post my first hello and introduce myself! I am tappin about 400 trees in the NEmadji state Forest this year. We tapped last weekend - got a first run for two days and then some cold weather. I am pretty new to sugaring. I joined friends at their sugarbushes for the past two years but this year me and my best friend are running our own camp.
We set-up camp two weeks ago. Built a longhouse style structure out of tamarack and spruce and covered it with wool blankets and tarps. We've got a 8-10 foot long pit fire in the center of the structure and two 55 gallon drums with the tops cut out for our boilers.
Our Sugarbush is a good stand of mostly older maples nestled between a tamarack/spruce bog. We've got atleast 30 trees that are large enough for 3 taps. And, quite a few double tappers.
We are using about 300 sumac taps. We de-barked them and burned the pithes out with a hot wire, then boiled the juices out and then carved them into spiles.
We are having agood time even though the first few nights (before we set up camp) the nighttime temeratures were close to 0 and we were stomping through snow that came above my knee.
The sugarbush is a 45 minute hike into the forest from the nearest road and there is one creek crossing. Which wasn't so bad for packing in camp since we had a tobagan and it was frozen, but it is going to be hell to pack camp out without the snow.
We plan on doing the whole camp without any "modern" conveniences - as primitive as possible: no motorize equipment, no chemicals, no 4-wheelers, no chainsaws, no vacuums, no propane, no oil lamps or propane lenterns. Just fire, hard work, good food to keep us going, and the resources around us.
None-the-less we are having a great time. And are enjoying more visitors and helpers then we expected! With usually about 4-6 people (and one baby) choppin wood and haulin buckets and keepin the fire burnin (though, the baby doesn't work much!)
Our first batch we boiled down about 55 gallons and got a few quarts of dark delicious vanilla flavored syrup. mmmm mmmm good! its totally worht it.
happy sugaring!