July Journal

[Russell Lampron]

This is the first time that I've started one of these in a few years.

Yesterday I put my releaser back together. I had taken it apart to seal up the seam where the connector pipe goes into the manifold. I still need to order the hinge piece for the internal flapper. It didn't survive the trip back up from the woods.

I removed the pump for the membrane tower so that I can replace the bearings and seals. I need to figure out how to remove the impeller without breaking it to get to the bearing and seal.

It's hard to believe that it's July already! I hope everyone is having a good summer.

[Maplewalnut]

I tore my bicep towards the end of sugaring season and finally had surgery the beginning of May that that has delayed a lot of jobs including my firewood preparation. But we forge ahead
Was thrilled with my 3/16ths bush this year, it is about 8 miles south of the home bush and about 800ft lower so it started much earlier than the trees behind the house and ran when it was too cold at home since it was about 6 degrees warmer on average. Diversification is the word if your committed. Find some trees that will run when others don't and extend your season. Might be lower elevation, north facing vs south etc.

We will see what second year tubing provides and whether the dreaded 3/16ths line plugs show their ugly face

[maple flats]

I just had a real nice repeat order for customer pick up. 24 bottles of bourbon barrel aged maple syrup, plus 6 half gal dark and 4 pints amber. Orders like that brighten my day. Now I need to deliver more syrup to my one retail outlet. Sales have been good this month, but were slow the previous 2 months. Things started picking up about July 1.

[buckeye gold]

Spent an hour today just getting one of my 3/16 lines out of a big beach top and a soft maple tree. My woods got hammered about three weeks ago. I have two lines still up out of six. What a mess. I think I will just abandon one run and put a new one in more to the back of my woods. I just put them up last fall and now I'm redoing almost all of them,,,,,arrrrgggggg

[Maple Man 85]

Averaging 4-5 of sleep a day between bottling syrup, making value added products and working full time. I'm happy to say we've reached a point to where we are ordering jars by the pallet... Business is growing quicker than I'd ever expected and I still have to put our expansion in before next season :o

[Super Sapper]

Sent a care package of maple products to the wife's nephew last week in Afghanistan. I think it is his 4th tour and supposedly his last. Shipping is pretty good compared to anywhere in the US.

[maple flats]

I sent a package to my grandson 2 weeks ago, he is in his final stage of training to become a Navy Seal.
Sales have been very good, we are bottling a batch of bourbon barrel aged maple syrup today. I ordered more labels 2 days ago but I still have a few from my last batch. I have decided to add another size bottle because so many are buying multiples when they reorder. Until now I have only filled 200 ml glass, I will also be filling some 375 ml today. I also need to find another freshly emptied 10 gal bourbon barrel to start another batch next month, if I can't find a 10, I may take anything from 5's up to a 15 gal.
Then next week I hope to get started sawing some hemlock I took down last fall. I need the lumber for 3 building projects, a loft in my shop, an equipment shed off one side of the shop and a blacksmith shop on the back of the shop. Plus I need to build a ventilation cupola on the shop roof to help it stay a little cooler. Another project I need to get going on is dig a trench from the sugarhouse to the shop to run power for a 100A sub-panel in the shop. Lots to do for sure and the heat slows me way down.
Then in 2019 I hope to build a walk-in-cooler on the 3rd side of the shop

[Paddymountain]

I will have to bottle my last 5 gallon jug this weekend. Sales were slow in June, but have really picked up since.
I have some more wood to get ready, but have been hampered by problems with my neck. I'm going to the surgeon on Monday
we will see how that turns out.

[buckeye gold]

Been working fire wood. i think I have all my wood done and just cutting ahead. decided to hold off on fixing lines until cooler weather

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Just filled a nice order for a wedding. 120 glass 200ml bottles to be given away as gifts. Customer picked out the bottles they wanted and we filled'em up. Just in time for the bill from CDL!

[Russell Lampron]

Sales have been good considering that it's July. Had a customer from earlier in the month call and order some more. He hadn't had my syrup before and was really impressed with the flavor.

I was planning to have some wood cut and split by now but have only managed to get the chainsaws sharpened. If I'm not working my regular job it's either too hot or raining. The weekend camping trips have been cutting into the wood cutting time too. I keep telling myself that I've got plenty of time but fall will be here before I know it.