Backyard Sugaring how to video.

[leppell]

Hey Folks! You all were so helpful to me last season as I jumped into this crazy hobby, including providing some images for a how-to video that I filmed. I've finally finished editing it, and wanted to share it with all of you before it premieres in 2 weeks. Please let me know if there's anything missing or factually wrong so I can correct it before it goes public! There's a shorter version of this that is going to air on Midwest Outdoors on Feb. 8 or 15. Thanks Everybody!

Edit: I've updated the video with the corrections, thanks everybody!

https://youtu.be/2EUM15HFYSU

[DrTimPerkins]

Nice video. Great to see the kids involved. Two corrections:

1. Sap moves up in the tree as the tree is freezing, down during the flow as it thaws.

2. Niter is mostly calcium malate, not potassium nitrate.

[leppell]

Thanks Dr. Tim! I'll see what I can do to correct those!

[dogpatch]

Very good video, I'll be waiting for Midwest Outdoors to air the segment. Let us know the date.

[leppell]

NBC Sports Plus on Thursday, Feb 6th at noon. Fox Sports North and Midwest on Feb 8th. CS100 around the same time, we air at different times every day of the week. Tons of other networks throughout the midwest on Feb 8th or 15th.

It'll be a cutdown, 6 minute version covering just the basics (I'll direct them to youtube for things like evaporator design and the finer points of finishing).

Thanks for Watching!

[dblact38]

great job on the video

[Trapper2]

Great job! Really also enjoyed the Girls involvement. I think shelf life properly sealed is much longer than the 2 years.
Nice job!
Trapper

[maple flats]

Yes, in glass if bottled at proper density and at the right temperature, then turned to get the cap hot as soon as packed, it will last for years, not just two. That is a great video, nice job indeed.

[leppell]

I thought that number was a bit conservative also...I read '2 years' in some information source that I was using during research and stuck with it.

[berkshires]

Great video! I think two years is what I've read if bottled in plastic. In glass it should last decades!

Did I hear your daughter say you have twelve trees and 40 taps? That's a lot of taps per tree! Most folks don't like to go over two taps per tree for the long-term health and productivity of the tree, or three if they're really monster trees.

Cheers,

Gabe

[leppell]

20 taps. A couple of them are monsters, but only one with 3. Most the others have two. I have one giant by the creek that has about 9 trunks growing from the base, but I only tap a max of 3 of them per year.
I have 4 trees at the office that I tapped last year, but they didn't produce very well. I may give them 1 more year before I write them off as not worth it.

The subdivision across the street has a ton of young sugars growing along the sidewalk, but I don't think their HOA would take kindly to my running a vacuum line along them!

[Woodsrover]

Nice work and a great explanation of the process for beginners to learn from. I'm sure you'll help bring more first-timers to the syrup world!

[leppell]

I've updated the video with the corrections, thanks everybody!

https://youtu.be/2EUM15HFYSU