december journal

[maplekid]

finally christmas is coming only 24 days to go!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I like Christmas in November with a bow the best and hopefully every year but not likely. This year it was November 17th. Best Christmas gift in November since my daughter 2 years ago!

[royalmaple]

Wow, could have used a little global warming up here today. It was so cold out. Had to finish cutting the house lot I am currently working on. Not a great day to be out in the wind and cutting trees. Worse than last weekend and I thought that was pretty bad. It's been in the low teens and with wind chill close to the big goose egg all day.

Glad to come home to a super toasty warm house though.

Gotta pick up stuff around the house and get hunkered down for the "big storm". I love to watch the news stations and hear them hype it all up for two weeks ahead of time, like this is going to be the storm to just keep people burried in their houses for 2 weeks.

Hope everyone makes it ok.

[maplecrest]

yes another day,of doing any thing but sugaring, getting ready for the big storm. putting things away that never should have been put there in the first place. did get in my new woods for two hours and cut brush. hope to roll out wire and main line next week. if i am not snowed in.

[Sugarmaker]

Just filled the wood boxes with Maple for the storm coming. :D

We hunted hard all day and saw total 5 or 6 deer among the group. We did push several deer to other hunters. No shots fired by anyone in our group so far this year. Another five years and the deer population in our area will be severely diminished! We hunt private wood lots in two counties. We did 9 small drives today, and the biggest group we saw was two.

We chased out a 5 point to grandson Mike (12) and an friend of ours Frank. The deer was about 30 yards away and moving so Mike did not get a shot. But the event will be etched in his mind forever: Priceless! We have a good time hunting even if we dont bring home a deer.

Oh yea sugaring. Water froze in the sugarhouse last night but thawed quickly with a little heat, and then I drained it.:) I have 50% of the road side sugar bush tubing system designed in excel. So I know how to build the drops for each run. That's something you dont have to think about with buckets.

Cheryl took some nice goldenrod honey to Erie today for fill a small order. The bakery that wanted it is making Baklava tomorrow. Our honey will be gone well before the bees can make and next spring.

Regards,
Chris

[super sappy]

Spent the morning stringing rope from the back door to the barn so Ill have something to follow during the big storm.I dont want to get lost in the blizzard like conditions that the weather guy has been warning about. Actually took the kids christmas shopping today and stopped at the Better Bee in Greenwich.They had a half dozen honey extractors all bright stainless in the bargin barn. They were all about 15 gallons or so and seemed like they could be made into a filter canner. What I do not need is another project.I scoped out my new woods and am planning on some tubing for next weekend. I have lost faith in the local hunters.I ushally have adout 20 dollars in returnable beer cans left on the road by this time. to date only 3 cans. I did see one nice buck in the road last night (,large rack) 1 front leg was gone and his guts were hanging out.He had seen better days.I had my pistol with me and he just stood there and didnt even look at me about 20 feet away.I wanted to put him down but I am sure I would have been busted.All sugar wood is cut, split , stacked and covered for 2009. Will start 2010 wood after noon on sunday.-Super sappy

[Russell Lampron]

I've started on the 2009 wood pile for the house. Got about 2.5 cords cut in 4 ft lengths' split and stacked. I need to do about 6 cords for the house then I will start on the 2 cords for the sugar house. Have been getting some repair work done on the tubing. Not much left at my house but haven't started at my parents house yet. I've got a lot to do over there. I'm planning to replace all of the drops.

Russ

[3% Solution]

Well here we are in a winter wonderland.
5" on the ground here and snowing moderately.
Supposed to go to Claremont to work on the evaporation enhancement unit, but I think I'm going to stay right on the hill and watch it snow!
What do you guys have for snow??

Dave

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

about 3 inches on the ground here. cold north wind. put up more wire today

RICH

[Sugarmaster]

Christmas!!? Buh-Humbug! It's snowing finally falling and it's only 59 days or there abouts to sugaring season!!!! We are getting antsey around here to get out in the woods and start repairing. (Try to stay out of the woods during hunting season here) Hope this year will be better than last. Isn't that right PaTheron?
Sugarmaster

[mountainvan]

Went to the hospital today for presurgery tests. As much as I've been in hospitals the last couple years I still get quite nervous when someone sticks a needle in me. I have surgery tomorrow bright and early. Hopefully I'll be home by the evening and back in the woods in a couple days. Bottled syrup yesterday, shipped to Pittsburgh today.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Van??

What kind of sugery are you having this time??

As always, my prayers will be there for you tommorrow and a lot of other trader members also!!!!

[PATheron]

Mountainvan- Hope your surgery goes well for you. I dont think from the sound of your posts that much slows you down on the syruping front so im sure things will go good with your attitude. Sugarmaster- You betcha. Im going to be ready to give it a go. I think this year is the year. Two months of 40's and 20's. No south wind. Saps going to run till were prayin for it to end. Youll have both evaps running around the clock for weeks. Youll have to get your men something with a jakebrake, sleeper and and airhorn just to run the sap. Guys- Ive got the line pretty well all done just need to do some fine tuning. I tried to get some better pics of the lines. They turned out pretty good. Theyre on my photobucket. Theron

[Sugarmaker]

MontainVan,
Hope things are going to be fine! Always enjoying reading your posts.

Theron,
I looked at all your pictures the tubing system looks great! Love the sugarhouse and the details you have built into it.

Regards,
Chris

[maplecrest]

flagged out the main lines in my new woods today, more bush to cut, but know where the fall line is. hope to start rolling out pipe later this week. 59 days to go dont think i will get them all this year.

[andrew martin]

THis colder weather has my blood running. I can't wait to drill that first hole in a tree and watch that sap come out. My construction crew is already tired of me talking about syrup, but I am so excited. We will probably expand by another 100-150 taps this year, and adding tubing will cut down on our collection times.
We have a lot of inquiries about syrup for Christmas gifts, but we sold out in June. Rather than losing potential clients, my wife had the great idea of selling gift certificates that people can redeem when we start making syrup. We have already sold four gallons of syrup in the last 10 days, and this means we won't have to keep so much inventory. This really is a great business. I know I don't make a lot of money making syrup, but it is a change of pace for six weeks, our clients really enjoy it, and my oldest son (3 years old) talks about it everyday - life IS great!!!

Andrew

[PATheron]

Jeff- How many taps do you think you will have in by spring? Theron

[PATheron]

Andrew Martin- Isnt the apprehention one of the best parts? I get excited like that too. I can honestly smell the spring air, the way it smells in the morning when you know its going to run like crazy, right now. Theron

[maplekid]

well still havent got tubing hung yet. helped a felow sugarmaker put his lines up and got some ideas off him. he told me all these stories about how he was a little kid and he made syrup with his buddy and how he learned all the stuff from other sugarmakers. i would have to say that sugarmakers are the wisest people in the world.

[3% Solution]

Hi all,
Well I didn't stay on the hill yesterday, went to Claremont and we got all the major parts of the evaporation enhancement unit put together.
Just need to solder them up and we can start piping the thing up.
It was pretty neat helping this guy and watching him bend the metal and having it come out just right, a true craftsman.
This is going to be cool, as I had a hand in it!!
It is 11 degrees here tonight, that should freeze those Maples hard!
Stay safe.

Dave

[Sugarmaker]

Dave,
May your sap come out sweeter and sweeter!
I still have plans in my head and some of your ideas too. But looks like a project for next summer if I can get to it. Mine might be a "inverted steam center and concentration unit".;) Always need a maple project to dream about.

Regards,
Chris

[andrew martin]

PATheron,

If your apprehension gets the best of you, you are welcome to come to central Kentucky for several days. We tap in mid-January and are usually making Grade B by the first week in March or sooner.
I just like walking in the woods and looking at the trees, especially if there is snow on the ground. It's nice to be 35 years old and still get giddy as child with anticipation - keeps me young I guess. Have a great night.

Andrew

[Pete33Vt]

Well its about time for an update. Hunting season is drawing to a close this coming weekend, then its time for the fun to begin. I have so much to do its crazy but I think I can get it all done before we tap. At least the major parts. We are going to try and get our sugarbush setup this year or at least some of them online. We should have a total of 2200 when we are done. I spent alot of time in one bush last yera so it just a matter of a few repairs and tap. The sugarhouse is set just have a small project to do with the front of the arch. Its top secret right know but I am and will take alot of pictures when I get started. We have started with the snow here its up about 12-15 inches and still snowing. So it look like we might be on snow shoes again this year. Well thats about it for now gotta get ready for some muzzleloader hunting today one more tag to fill.
TAKE CARE

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

PATHERON

im 62 and still get giddy, its great to be able to go to the woods everyday.
winter or summer it doesnt matter. GOD i love it

RICH

[Jim Brown]

OGDEN SUGAR BUSH;I'm 60 and know just what you speak! It's all worth it when the thermometer says 219' and the hydrometer floats at the RED line for the first time in the season!

We are ready!!

Jim

[Dave Y]

I compare gathering sap to checking traps, you never know what you will get. and I compare trapping to Christmas. So you know I have a lot of fun.

[maplehound]

I have a good hunting story for all of you. This past fall I spotted a large buck on the edge of the woods I tap. Evidently the news of this large buck in the area spread with several more sightings of it.
When I went up to work in the woods last month the farmer stopped and asked me not to work in the woods till after the deer season was over, how disapointing.
I have recently heard that a 15 year old boy who lives about a 1/2 mile away, was out checking his traps the second day of gun season and saw a large buck laying down in the field. After retuning home he told his father about the buck and he told him he should take the gun back and shoot it. I'm sure he didn't believe he had actully seen that big of a buck.
He returned shorltly with a 17 point buck in tow. It seems that the buck was still there and stood up just as he came on it and gave him a perfect shot. I am sure he will be telling his tale for years to come. I am sure he has the pictures to back up his story too.

[HHM-07]

We have 14inches here in northwestern vermont and is still snowing on and off. also quite cold not good for hunting (black powder} sugar wood is all in just sit and wait now.

[Sugarmaker]

HHM-07,
Sounds like great weather for black powder. We dont like the rain much but cold and crisp those smoke poles ( or stupid sticks as some of us call the) go off just fine.
Looking forward to muzzleloader season right after Christmas.

Regards,
Chris

[Sugarmaker]

Canned some syrup in glass last night for a small order and sold some cream, coated peanuts and syrup and maple mustard for another small order.
We are down to about 20 gallons syrup left, with about half dark and the rest good tasting "B".

Drove past part of my road side bush to get the tree pattern for tubing system on 40 taps.

Taking off work tomorrow to go deer hunting with the crew.:D

We have about 6-8 inches of snow on the ground.:D

Jim and Chase (Father and SON) stopped by couple of nights ago and Jim had a very nice 2008calander that his wife had made with pictures of his sugarhouse and operation. These would be nice gift idea. I believe he said that it was made a Staples for under $10.00?

Regards,
Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You can also go to www.yorkphoto.com and do a lot of things along that line from mugs, to calendars and about everything else you can imagine and you can do a lot of things with the calender.

[PATheron]

Guys-Pretty much done with the line. Gotta work on tanks and finish in the sugar house. Things are going pretty nice I think Ill get some pics as I go for you guys. I kind of wish I was hunting but im starting to get a little nervous about having things done on time so im going to keep plugging. Im getting excited about feb/march big time now. Im an optimist and a pretty lucky guy so im forecasting a humdinger season. Get anything thatll hold sap ready, buckets, tanks, kids swimming pool, bathtub, whatever. If figure you got enough wood to run the season go cut some more. Two months of 20 and 40 No south wind. Calm sunny days cold crisp nights. Oh yea, that what im talking about. Have a happy Theron

[Jim Brown]

Well the temp is a balmy 3 degrees this morning in Polk.Temp for the 10 day forcast looks like perfect tapping weather Highs in the 40's and low's in the 20's

I hope that all Traders have a Very Merry Christmas and Blessed and Happy New Year.
"Remember Jesus is the reason for the Season"

Merry Christmas from the Brown Family

[PA mapler]

Hi guys! Finally got most of my summer/fall projects done and am thinking MAPLE finally. I was hoping to get started earlier, like before the snow started flying, but whatya do. My biggest project this year is to remove taps off of some possibly overtapped sugars, and then add new red maples to the lines at the same time. My (very) limited experience with reds here is that they don't seem to flow much, but hopefully those few trees that I have tried were bad examples. And my sugar percent from my sugars is so bad, the reds might be an improvement.

[TapME]

I here you on the projects Beth; mine are never done in time for the sugar season. I have a person that is holding 31/2 cords of slabs for me and I don't know when I will be getting it. On the bright side the wood shed is done to put it in, but the snow can early. There's still a lot of wood that was left here that I will use this year and it is an easy way to get rid of most of it, and the product that is made taste great.

[firetech]

Well the weather is holding cold in mid Michigan we don't have much snow yet but thats ok I need to cut more wood. I spoke for a used 3x8 evaporter at the local sugar supplier SS drop flue pan and tin syrup pans (those will be gone soon) and a rebuilt arch. I also bought a 500 gal SS bulk tank for 250$ today. The last of the syrup is coming back from the farm stands 3qts and 2 pts and the 5 pts at home is all that let of 19 gals. The syrup is all going to be sold at work next week. That will help pay the sawyers bill,1700 bd ft in storage for next spring to build the sugarhouse. Smoke pole season starts tomorrow so if I can get one more doe that will be it for the season,our doe to buck ratio is way out of whack. Well I wish all the MapleTraders a Blessed Hoiliday season,as our will be with both of the boys home from the Navy this Christmas. God Bless. Herb

[Dave Y]

I just found out today I will be losing about 200 of my roadside taps to the dept of transportation. The said the trees are in bad shape and got to go. Funny they looked pretty solid to me and ran like crazy. Oh well, Good thing I secured the new woods. Maybe I will be off the buckets sooner than I thought.

[TapME]

firetech, thank your boys for us for serving in the military and protecting our freedom and isn't great to have them home for the holidays.
Dave, sounds like someone on the public works has bought an outside boiler.

[sapman]

Dave,

They started doing that to some of my old roadsides, and the landowner screamed at them for it. But as it turned out, I stopped tapping them anyway, since the traffic flies down that road, and not many people like to slow down for sap collectors around here.

Tim

[Dave Y]

This is a old secondary road that doesn't get much traffic. I know the one foreman pretty well so i may talk to him and try to find out whats up. You can never figure out Penndot.

[royalmaple]

Dave-

Can you expand in the new woods or is what you set up there now, pretty much maxed out for what is there?

[Dave Y]

Matt,
What I am setting up in the new woods is jut the tip of the iceberg. I jut hate to lose those trees the give me 3% sap. I also have a camp developement I tap that I know I can make those taps up. I just have to carry the buckets farther.

[royalmaple]

You won't look back at those buckets once you got it all flowing down hill to one spot.

You might be rethinking the whole vacuum thing now. Should have hi-jacked that pump you brought up for me this spring. Would have worked super on that system.

[Dave Y]

Yea I Know. I thought about that pump when we were hauling it up there.But I wouldn't do that to anyone. Everything in good time.

[TapME]

Not to change the subject but did anyone catch the monster quest show on the history channel wednesday night? It was about the Turner Beast and a similar animal in Minnesota.

[royalmaple]

Lou, I did and almost posted again about that whole thread. Neat story.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Monster buck????????????????????????

Where???????? Where?????????????????

[royalmaple]

It was all about this monster creature that was all over the news last year. Someone in Turner, ME had this creature in the ditch by their house I guess that they thought a car hit it. The show had numerous people with various accounts with a similar beast. It was the first time I heard the story from the people and not a spined version from the papers etc. Most everyone in the media made these people out to be idiots and just said it was a rabid dog or something. Most of the people I saw on the show may have not been Ivy league grads, but I'm sure they have seen their share of critters in the woods and from what they described it was nothing I have ever seen either.

Very interesting regardless, and we have a lot of wooded areas in this state and something could be out there and only have had limited exposure to humans.

There was also another study being done in Minnesota I think as well. But it seems most of the eye witness accounts were people in Maine.

They were trying to say it was a fisher, or coyote, and from what these people described it was not close at all. One guy had a neat comparison to a hyeena and wolf mix or something. The narrator ran with that as being more reasonable possibility. There were some pictures of the"beast" on the net last year, very odd critter.

I heard that the gov't and state game wardens were there to take samples of the one hit in the road, but no one ran right over and by the time they got to it, not much was left of the carcass. Gee that doesn't sound like the gov't.

[Parker]

I saw a picture of it in the paper last year "the devil dog" is nothing I would want to run into in the woods.........

[maplekid]

here is part of the storie http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/Beast3b.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/mq-canines/&h=286&w=381&sz=39&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=nRNnmLjiN-R0jM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dturner%2Bbeast%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10 %26hl%3Den

[TapME]

We have a camp about 5 miles from where this creator died, and we over the past 5 years have had weird noises and strange things happen that you could not explain as regular wild animals behavior. One of our neighbors had a run in that he thinks was this animal. All I can say is it's a strange felling to have unexplained weird things happen and strange noises occur, and all the time I thought it was me and the getting older thing.

[Parker]

I just have to relay a conversation I had today ,,I was talking to a sugarmaker about some equipment he had for sale,,turned out he wants to sell his 6X16 and get a big R.O. and a smaller rig to boil on,,I thought he might be selling off his opperation which was not the case,,I told him I was looking for tanks-vacuum stuff-presses-finishers,ect.,,,,he said "Well now, there was an older fellow up the road that set up a 2000 tap orchard 2 years ago, but, he had a heart attack out in the sugarwoods and died,,now the orchard has been sold and the equipment might be for sale",,I said GOD-thats awful!!! he said "Why? he died happy"

[Uncle Tucker]

Mmmmm...
Devil Dogs!

[fred]

the history channel is playing the creature show on sunday at 3:00 about maine

[mountainvan]

Made it back to the computer after a busy week. Surgery went fine, my doctor said I look good inside, I just need to hear the lab results monday then I'll sleep a lot easier. Brandon, I had another cysto/ biopsy to make sure the cancer didn't return. Told my doctor he was gentler this time since I didn't have much pain, he replied I was just less of a wuss! If he had spent time with me after the good hospital drugs had worn off his opinion may have changed. I set myself up in the house to bottle syrup for todays winter market before the hospital trip, boy scout motto," Be prepared". Bottled syrup thursday and friday, and sold most of it today. Santa's going to be generous this year. Still not up to going in the woods quite yet, my wife helped a lot today. Should be set by midweek. Thanks for the notes of encouragement

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I have a camp north of Rumford Mexico on rt 17, we had some strange stuff happening , and some blood curtling noises every night. Then one fall hunting we found 7 coyotes dead and half eaten within about 3 sq miles... Later that hunting season I was in the woods and I heard branches breaking and a small yearling moose came running by me about 20 yds away headed hell or high water. About 50 yards behind the moose was a black cat about 5 feet long and 2 1/2 feet tall.. Maine says there are no catamounts there??? They can go to hell....

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I am glad to see you keeping up with all and all of our prayers are with you...

Where abouts are you located?? I met a man that stopped into my sugarhouse a few years ago that was a sugarmaker and he was also fighting cancer..

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Van,

We'll keep praying you are cancer free!

[Russell Lampron]

Van,

I hope the lab results are as good as the doctors findings and that the cancer is gone for good. That would be the best Christmas present of all.

Russ

[TapME]

mountainman, you are in out thoughts and prayers.

Valley View, We have friends from that area that have taken pics of a cat the size of a cougar that the gov't said were made up. The stories just keep the interest I guess. Use to here all kinds of noise when I was on the farm in Upton back in the 60's. I have never seen any strange creature but sure have heard some interesting sounds and stories from individuals.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

The state doesn't want anyone to know that they are there.. They are the only beast that will attack a human un provoked. Maine officials are afraid that if it gets out then thay will lose tourist revinue.. Its kind of like the wolf, they say there are wilfs in quebec so I guess they can't get through the border patrol at the crossing huh..

[Maplepro]

Here Where i am in New Brunswick About 2hr drive to Calis maine we have a smiliar Cat they call it a couger up here and just like in maine the Gov't says we don't have them but i for one can say that we do. we have had several sightings around our area and the national park 20mins away is doing studys because they have found hair samples it a big black cat simlar to what Valley view has seen. i have seen at least one a year for the last 10yrs.

[Maplewalnut]

Well rifle season is over here in Pa and if you've followed some other posts by Pa guys and girls you know the state is consciously reducing the deer and bear populations to very low levels. After a very slow season, we finally hit the honey hole. On the last drive of the season four standers and one driver shot bucks (5 out of 6 people). Three eight pointers and two six pointers. Of course they were holed up in a small woodlot adjacent to a large housing development!

Wood is ready to go and now that hunting season is over I can keep looking for that 2x6

I have new sugar shack pictures but need directions on how to post. Help please

[PATheron]

Maplewalnut- We gotta see the pics. Dont panic stay on the computer we can get you through this. Just kidding. Im totally computer illiterate and I figured it out. Im assuming you have digital pics. If you do use the software that came with your computer and put it on the puter. Then hook up your camera with the line that came with it and turn camera on. The computer will prompt you to upload the pics to the computer. Once thats done name the file something. Itll go to my pics or something like that. Then once its on the puter go on the internet to photobucket and youll be able to set up a personal account. Once thats done therell be three boxes that say browse or something like that. Click on that and itll bring up your pics right from the puter. Choose the pic you want and click on it and itll put it right on the photobucket. Just do that one pic at a time untill you have the pics you want and then on the trader youll be able to put the photobucket account title whatever on your signature and everyone can click on it and see your fine syrup establishment. Thats an overall if you cant get it have one of the experts like Royalmaple of Henderson help you. Hope that helps. Heres an update on the goins on in Therons world- Got all my tanks home and in place. Last night hooked up 100 amp service into sugarhouse. Gonna try to have all the lights and receps in this week. No more extension cord strung along the lawn. Hoping to have stack on evap and brick done end of next week, got a guy helping me with that. Want to put concentrate tank in shed but not sure how without killing myself or damaging something. Have to put it on edge to get it in the kitchen. Way easier to put it outside but I kind of would like it inside to be able to take care of it easier. Gonna have to make a decision on that. Found a cool new way to side tie my big main line last week, my dads 4 wheel drive tractor with loader. Thing doesnt even grunt line goes real tight. Theres only one draw back Ill let you guess what that may be. Looked awesome for a little while. No sags there. Overall things coming along nice. Hope to be ready by spring. Theron

[mountainvan]

Delivered/shipped a nice amount of syrup today. Looks like The Catskills are in for the first good snow tomorrow. I have some mainline on the ground to get up in the trees before it comes.

[ennismaple]

We just filled another large order for our primary retail outlet yesterday. They've probably taken more than double the amount of syrup they sold last year. We made over 200 gallons more syrup than in 2006 and we sold one less drum in bulk and we'll still sell out before the season starts in early to mid March. For the first time ever we may have to buy syrup to keep our retailers happy.

The twin 1200 gallon tanks are in the new building, the 4th wall is up and the boards are on the 2nd side. I turned 4 rolls of semi-rigid into 879 droplines over the past few weeks. The new vacuum pump and the dumper came late last week. We should get the mainlines up in the new bush over the next month with the intent of putting the laterals up in February.

[PATheron]

Ennismaple- What do you guys use for evaperator/RO combination to process your sap? Will you be able to take care of the additional sap that you will have when the new bush is done to completion? Theron

[maplecrest]

dear ennis maple, after doing the math you are making your drops 27 inches long, i was wondering why you did not go 30 or 32. most here are making 36, for more tap able wood. i found making mine 28 that after a few years you find your self on the dark side of the tree and limited on tapping space on smaller trees.

[ennismaple]

Maplecrest - I measured them out at 28 to 29". No specific reason why other than I noted that you can buy pre-cut droplines at 24" and 28" from D&G so I opted for the longer length.

Theron - I've never measure our evaporator but it's in the range of a 5'x16' plus a separate 2x4 finishing pan - all wood fired and not air tight. We can get between 150-200gph through it depending on the weather and how hard we fire. Our RO is a 600GPH and we've been concentrating to between 8 and 9%. For now we should be able to easily accommodate the new taps by concentrating to a slightly higher percentage and maybe starting the evaporator a bit earlier. Most days my father lets the pumps run all morning and starts gathering sap just before lunch and concentrates as he brings it in to the camp. He'll fire up the evaporator when making his lunch and is home in time to see the end of the 1st period of the hockey game on most nights. When we get the entire new bush tapped and we're at 6000 taps or better we'll likely have to get rid of the old evaporator and get a new one.

[PATheron]

Ennismaple- Sounds like you and your dad have a good system figured out. Be neat to see how much syrup you guys make this year. Theron

[maplecrest]

dear ennis, instead of a new evap, i would think that you would get another membrain for your r/o and consentrate 1200 an hour instead of 600, and use same rig.

[Sugarmaster]

PaTheron-Orders, Odres, Orders, Guys started working in the woods, clearing deadfall, checking lines. With just 2 working got 3 bushes checked and started working in the big one today. Only 23 more bushes to check. If the weather gets too bad I'm having them work inside. Things are pretty disorganized. Just look in Linda's office!! Get Christmas orders out of the way and can start getting serious about cleaning up in here. Maybe I will be able to find things. You know I always say " I have one of those here SOMEWHERE. Not too much damage have we hit in the woods. Still more to go so I will cross my fingers. I've decided no big add ons just consintrate on new vaccumm for a couple more woods. Looking at the forecasts I think we have a real good year. Prices staying up, Boil Boil Boil.
Richard

[mountainvan]

Got most of the 5/16 up on the long road. Pretty easy with a manifold at almost each tree. We got around 10" of snow yesterday with more on sunday. Glad I got all my mainline up.

[PATheron]

Sugarmaster- Just hitting the sack. Had to add oil to transformers in knoxville tonight. Gotta keep the power flowin. Got my lights wired up in the evaperator room before I went in though, slow but sure. Tons of sap in the spring. Youll be running both evaperators around the clock for days. Gonna try to have the evap bricked, stack run, lights done by end of next week. Have a happy. Theron

[themapleking]

Got my new leader revolution pans with the max flue pan today. These babies are big. Got'em sitting on the arch loose fitted everything for now. When leader makes a 5ft flue pan it comes up a 1" short. 59" not 60" I'll have to adjust the hood flange so it will fit.And will need to raise the inlet feed line 12"
I'll do that sunday while it's snowing. They claim we'll get 2ft from this storm. But weather men are always wrong, and still keep their job.

[royalmaple]

I went for a walk out back on the back side of my property and found a nice maple blown over with a porcupine den underneath, time to get the 220's out and put an end to them. Then walked my back property line and found out that some P.O.S must have needed my ladder hunting stand more than I did. Sunz-a-B....

Figures it was a nice one, they must have really wanted it those are a bugger to take down/put up, and even took my screw in bow holder too. They left my climber alone just a few hundred feet away, it's up 35 feet. Maybe they'll be back, if I see them they won't need to worry about being home for dinner.

Hung some mainline wire today at the house to add on some gravity taps to vacuum. I gave them the year off last year, so they are gonna take it this season.

[Dave Y]

I hauled 4 more loads of wood this week. That puts me at 20 cord. Might haul some more after Christmas. Can never have to much firewood. I worked in the bush today finished my laterals. Glad they are done. Spent the evening making drop lines. If the weather is not to bad I will start installing them tomorrow.

[PATheron]

Dave- Putting the drops in is fun. Making them up is a pain but I kind of enjoyed putting them in. You wont know what to do with yourself when the tubing is done. Youll think boiling all night is a cakewalk after all that work with the tube. Theron

[Dave Y]

Theron,
I have no problem figuring out what to do. I have tanks to set,wood to haul, sugar house to tidy,evaporator to clean,deer to shot, beaver to kill, help to hire, help to pay, snow to plow, snow to shovel, the list grows everyday. As i saw written on here somewhere "God put me here to do a few things, I'm so far behind I will never die"

[andrew martin]

Darn, I wish it would snow in KY. All we get is rain, rain, and more rain. I'm tired of it. My brother-in-law just moved to Montpelier, VT from Chicago, IL and they are just bombarded with snow the last week or two. I don't mind the rain, just in smaller amounts. Just makes it hard to get in the woods without tearing everything up and creating a mud pit.
Only 5 more weeks til we put the first tap in - YEEE HAAAA.

Andrew

[maplecrest]

well it is snowing here, or blowing here cant see out the window. 60 days from tapping, and so much to do. still cleaning up from the april storm of last season. my plans of adding more taps in the new sugar woods are fading into the snow bank. got some new mainline up and wire tied this week for a 100 taps. the otherside of the road where most of the new taps are, i have flagged for main line. but with something different comming across the work board everyday, i might get there in january.. i have come to the understanding in my mind at this point, to get what i have ready, then get what i can built for this year, for there is always next year, with the price of maple supplies going up every day. the moral of this story is the lack of time is going to cost me money for that future long run.

[Dave Y]

Maplecrest,
The weather here doesnt know what it wants to do. We got 5" of snow before midnight last nite then it turned to freezing rain. Now it is snowing again. I was going to work in the woods today but it look like I will be plowing instead

[jemsklein]

well here in peterborogh canada it started to snow aruond 5 this morning and still going we got atleast 6" already with another 6"-8" on the way with heavy winds and the temp is -12 C

[jemsklein]

90 mins later we have a foot of snow and it is still coming it a wight out i cant see 200 feet away

[H. Walker]

What do you think of our border control??? They should have stopped this American storm at the border!! I was kind of getting used to those winters with 12" or less snow all season.

[jemsklein]

yah up here in canda eh we just measured and we got 17 inches eh

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

weather man finially got 1 right today about 6" on the ground and now high winds. no work in the woods today. plowed snow all day and looks good for tomorrow 2.

RICH

[Sugarmaker]

Building drops and hunkering down in the blizzard today.
Nic was dehydrating jerky today and I said they looked like minute steaks so we put some butter in the skillet, a onion, and some Worcestershire sauce, and in less than 10 min had a meal fit for a king. This marinated deer steak was just delicious.:D

Chris

[Parker]

I have really been dropping the ball on the sugarwoods work end of things,just so many things to do,,,,,I sold my tractor (75hp 4wheel drive John Deere) this spring,,so I havent plowed my driveway this winter,,last week (realizing my aversion to snow shovels and hearing the weather forcast) I bought a ford 8-N from a family I had logged for,,,,I had gotten the tractor running and ran this tractor a littel this summer,,did not run great but it has a small loader on it,,wasent to expensive,,,gotta beat a shovel right????
Well, after 2 full days and untold dollars (cap-rotor-coil-fuel filter-carb rebuild-6 volt battery charger-either-tire chains and trucking) I got the littel fighter home,,,after you get the rig started it runs like a top,,BUT,,nothing like a 6 volt positive ground electrical system when its 15 deg out!!!
I really have to say it seems like a tough old bird once you get it going,,I put a 6 foot scraper blade on the back and did manage to get the driveway opend up and a path broken open to the sugarhouse,,but what a lot of time,,,mabey it wont snow this week-weekend and Ill be able to get into those sugarwoods,,,,wonder where I left my snowshoes? (been a while since I used them!)

[maplekid]

well we got a snow day today so im thinking about going over to the neibors and plot what i can and cant do with tubing. weve onl got 31/2 inches of snow. but i did have a guy call dismorning and he wants me to plow his drive.

[Jim Brown]

Parker; My Dad had one of those bears and his trick to getting it started was to take a propane torch and heat the air intake just ahead of the carb on the right side of the engine. This would have it pull warm air into the card and the **** thing would fire on the first roll. No warm air and the thing would roll forever and not start. May be this will help?

Jim

[New Hope Mapleman]

Grandpa showed me if you take the propane torch and let unburned propane into the air intake it works like starting fluid without the harmful effects. We were taping last year and after listening to the neighbor try to start his, my brother took my torch over and fixed the guy right up. Its amazing what a little can do for you!

Keep telling my grandfather he needs to download his hard drive for all us grandchildren. Been alot of times I told him something I'd figured out while he was gone and he just raises his eyes saying, "oh really!" Thats when I know it was one of those you should have paid better attention when you were younger! I owe alot to that man!!

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

Well finished plowing snow storm gave us about 11 inches, kept me busy most of the night and all day till 2:30.

hopefully back to the woods tuesday

RICH

[jemsklein]

the storm finished around here at about 4 or 5 pm yesterday leaving us with about 17-18 inches wich is great because we just got our tractor fixed last night

[Dave Y]

jemsklien,
Did you get your mainline pipe yet?

[jemsklein]

yep my aunt hade some left over in caladon area

[andrew martin]

All this talk about snow makes me envious : snow-envy, is that in Webster's? We got a mere dusting, but had 30-40 mph winds on Sunday, makes me glad I did not start my roof job on Friday. I put two walls up on my sugar shack Sunday and framed out the front wall and door. I just need to run some electric for lights, and frame the stand for the sap storage tank and build a work table, and I will be good to go for this year. I do not want to be standing under a roof with no walls this year while it is raining or very windy. AT least the wife and I can play Yahtzee or Cribbage while we make syrup now - a vast improvement from last year, and a lot more cozy. I cannot wait for this year - I am itching to drill that first tap, and maybe we will have a little snow on the ground when we do.

Andrew

[Dave Y]

wow, andrew you have time to play games while you are boiling? I dont have time to scratch my back side. If you want snow you can come stay at my place for a week this winter. I have three extra bedrooms. you can stay for free all you have to do is shovel the snow.

[danno]

20" of snow since it began Saturday night. Did'nt really begin to accumulate till Sunday when the cold front blew through changing sleet back over to snow. After the storm eased last night, the lake effect kicked and it continues to snow nicely as I write. Had a hard time breaking trail with the sled up to the sugarbush this afternoon, but I love it!

[andrew martin]

Dave Y,

Well, I should say, a little time to play games - in between splitting firewood, stoking the evaporator and drawing off syrup. I used to live in ST. Mary's PA and we occasionally get up there. Just take me ice fishing, that's all I ask, and I will gladly shovel snow. THanks.

Andrew

[Dave Y]

Andrew, It will be either at chapman dam or buzzard swamp. and it will be in between work and getting ready to make syrup. But you are welcome.

[ibby458]

Old Indian Trick #317 - If your tractor is parked close enough to the shop, bleed a little Oxygen & Acetelyne (or propane) from your torches (UNLIT!) into the air intake. If there's any spark, it'll run on it until the gas takes over.

[H. Walker]

OK, is there any old Indian tricks for starting a diesel in the winter besides "ether it will or ether it won't"

[Grade "A"]

I find parking them in a heated shop works well, but for real if there is any way to install glow plugs they will help alot or a block heater if you can run power to your engine.

[Russell Lampron]

Be careful with the ether on those diesels. I have seen a few shortened connecting rods because of it. The block heater is the best idea if you don't have a heated garage.

Russ

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

Block Heater Is By Far Your Best Way To Go If You Have Electric Available

Rich

[VA maple guy]

If you don't have electricity you can use a propane torch, the kind
roofers use to melt tar between roll roofing. It has a burner head of around
three or four inches. Apply the heat to the intake manifold and the head.
Be very careful not to scorch any near by wires or hoses. I use this method
on my old worn out low compression Kubota. Gerry

[ibby458]

Lacking a block heater, try draping a tarp over the tractor and putting an electric space heater under it, or a salamander. I've used halogen flood lamps, too. They give off a lot of heat.

There's an element of danger, but diesel isn't explosive like gasoline is.

I remember my grandfather talking about building fires under the dozers they used in the deep Adirondacks for logging. I haven't had to resort to that - yet.

[Fred Henderson]

I have built a fire under my wood splitter. It don't take much heat to loosen up that oil. The way I build them the engine is mounted on a 1/4" piece of diamond plate.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have seem them hang light bulbs around the engine also and cover it up to help hold in the heat.

[maplecrest]

34 degrees today, and the snow is deep enough for me to work in the woods now. main line slides easy in the snow when it is warmer.get day for main line work

[tappin&sappin]

Sometimes the steering on my IH-544 freezes up. Apparently there is water in the line somewhere. I throw a tarp over the front of the tractor and put a kerosene heater under there. About an hour later, it's good to go.

Jake

[royalmaple]

After tonight, it is going to be snowshoe season for sure for me. I went for a stroll in the woods after work last night for the last 1/2 hour of daylight and it wasn't easy going(I think I found a couple more trees to add to the estimate). Snow as well over my knees in the woods, and with tonights 5-10 inches that is coming from nowhere, yippee skippee. Time to dust off the snow shoes. Haven't needed them in many years. Looks like we are in for a more traditional winter so far. Its been a while for sure.

The deer seem to be yarding up in there pretty hard.

Power company is meeting me there in a week to go over a site for my pump house and electric supply. I'm going with a 100amp service down there. No more gas and hopefully can rely on the pump running more steady.

[Jim Brown]

Well guys it sounds as though we have enought suggestions on starting cold engines to burn up a couple of tractors and burn down a couple of garages!!
Merry Christmas!

Jim

[ennismaple]

We've got so much snow in the bush that the boss is shovelling the roof of our sugar camp and the four pump houses today. He says there's 3 feet of snow and with the possibility of rain on the weekend we could be in trouble if they don't get cleaned off. Our old sugar camp (abondonned in 1976) was flattened like a pancake by the snow some time over the past week. I'll be sorry to see it gone.

[Father & Son]

I like seeing old sugar houses. Are there any pictures?

Jim

[Dave Y]

Started installing drop lines on tuesday. There is a lot of snow hanging on the trees. Gotta keep working tapping season is only 6 weeks away,and too much work to do. wont get much done until after christmas . then its all or nothing.

[maplecrest]

put the snow shoes on today, seems like i never took them off from last year. fit like a glove. and went thru three pair of those today with the wet snow.

[PATheron]

DaveY- Im feeling like you seems like a ton to do to get ready. Everything takes so long to do right. Quality work takes time even the kind of work I do takes times. This is my update. Tanks in place except sweet tank. Hve support made but have to lift tank and put on support and put whole rig in position. Revamped cupilo to run stack through it. Looks real neat. Should have stack run with in week. Ill get picks soon. Sealing up shed next week. Closing in soffit etc. Then starting in Kitchen. Lights allmost all done. Keep on plugging. The stack will run right up through cupilo with 2' of clearance to any wood all way around it. I think you guys will like that. The steam wiill be albe to vent right around it. Have a happy. Theron

[danno]

I enjoy the production side of syrup making so much more then sales, however I do like the $ that goes right back into syrup equiptment.

By far, my two largest selling seasons (for my small operation) are March/April and December. I always get nervous that I don't have sales over the summer, but come the holidays I always sell out. We have been very successful with gift baskets which include a holiday basket, napkin, local pancake batter, 1 or 2 glass bottles of syrup and 6 or 8 oz. bottle of cream. Great way to move product in volume at good retail prices. Others selling gift baskets this time of year?

Now it's time to get back in the woods for repairs and to string some additional laterals/drops. Love that! After lining up laterals for a few hours, do you ever get that dizzy, disoriented feeling from spinning around looking at lines all day - or is that just my vertigo:)

[danno]

Dave Y - are you doing 1900 taps on just the 3x12 and half the taps are buckets? yikes, you're a braver man then I. Good for you!

[Dave Y]

Theron,
Sound like you have plenty to keep you busy. This work is never done always some thing you didnt do that you should have sooner.
danno,
Braves got nothing to do with it. If you gonna make money in this business you gotta work your *** off period. And I dont mind working as long as I like what I am doing . then its not work . I figure I will boil 10 hrs a day after work and 16 hrs a day on weekends. I am hiring help to collect the buckets, so I should be alright.

[gmcooper]

Danno,
your not the only one with the dizzy feeling. When I redid a buch couple years ago. had run all laterals then did all drops just before we tapped. When tapping I looked around one day and found half dozen good trees that I missed completly. Wouldn't have been quite so bad if the neighbor wasn't the one who asked whats wrong with those trees?

[Pete33Vt]

Well the snow is really piling up, plowed out the road to the sugarhouse yesterday, thank god for a backhoe with a cab and heat. Moved some of the wood outta the way. Know I can get the splitter in there and get to work. Gonna have to clean of some of the snow off the roof starting to look like last year. Gonna fire up the dozer today and make some roads into the woods. Alot to do but getting a slow start to it. Looked through my records this morning and never started tapping last year till March 8th so still have time. We are still planning on seting up our big bush this year. Should be able to get in about 1000-1500 with no problem. Hopefully the warm weather this weekend will knock down some of this snow.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year !!!

[Parker]

Weatherman said this morning that we have had 34" of snow this month,,I know it is deep in the woods allready,,,wish it would slide off the sugarhouse roof befor it rains this weekend,,,,that is a lot of weight up there,,might have to put the MR.Heater in there and encourage a slide,,,found my snowshoes yesterday,,I got get into the sugarwoods!!!,happy holidays

[ennismaple]

I like seeing old sugar houses. Are there any pictures?

Jim

I've added a couple to my Photobucket account - Enjoy! As my brother put it "A large squirrel could have pushed that building down."

http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/ennism/2007%20New%20Sugar%20Bush/

[mountainvan]

Almost finished my new tubing projects in the valley. A couple more days in the woods, and then it's time to get the saphouse ready. Hope everyone is having fun Christmas shopping, sorry, Holiday shopping!

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

looks like putting up wire and tubeing is on hold for 6 weeks. got my hand caught in the log splitter yesterday . broke thumb in 2 places and completely ctcushed it. doc sewed it back together, now hope it heals quickly, or it will be buckets 1 more year

RICH

[TapME]

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope the healing goes quickly.

[PATheron]

Guys- I added a few pics to my bucket. I took some pics of my buddys evaperators. He runs two of them but I think he only gets like 100 gals per hour. I know that doesnt sound too impressive for two evaps but thats syrup not sap. I also took some of my cupalo. Theron

[Russell Lampron]

Rich,

I crushed my thumb in my wood splitter Back in October. I only got the meat though. I hope you heal up fast.

Russ

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

thanks for the support russell i am hoping things go good so i can do what i really enjoy

RICH

[Dennis H.]

Sorry to hear about your finger, Keep lots of ice on it for the first 48 hrs. It will help in the coming days.
The end of Nov. I dropped a 4" round 40" long steel roller on my toe at work, Doc told me to keep ice on it for the first 48 hrs, man was I amazed how well it looked a few days later. It was 16 shades of purple but I had no swelling and now 3 weeks later I have no trouble walking on it.

Anyway take it easy over the holiday weekend and I hope you feel better soon.

Oh did the Doc give you pain meds, That helped me also the first few days;)

[Sugarmaker]

OSB,
OUCH! :( Sounds like your lucky to have a thumb. Hope you recover quickly!
Chris

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

doc gave me vicaden for pain it is working it has quit throbbing. time will make it better thanks to all

RICH

[PATheron]

Rich- Did the doctor think once it healed up it would pretty much be Ok? My dad crushed his thumb when he shut the tailgate on his 18 wheeler coal trailer when we were younger. The only thing holding it I think was skin and I believe that it pretty much healed up and doesnt give him problems. I hope it heals up good for you. Do you have a lot of buckets that you put out? Hope you get your line in. Theron

[Brian Ryther]

Guys- I added a few pics to my bucket. I took some pics of my buddys evaperators. He runs two of them but I think he only gets like 100 gals per hour. I know that doesnt sound too impressive for two evaps but thats syrup not sap. I also took some of my cupalo. Theron

While looking at your photos I noticed your smoke stack and how it goes through the roof. You have the rafters and 1x boards cut out tight to the stack. Are you concerned with the heat that close to combustables?

[PATheron]

Brian- Theryre steam stacks and those evaps arent wood fired. Those evaps arent mine theyre a friends. Im sure the way theyre run are fine. Theyve been in service a long time. My shed is the cupalo pics at the beginning. I havent run the stack yet im still working on it. Theron

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

THERON
doc said it should heal ok most likely cold will bother it. i put out about 150 pails

RICH

[andrew martin]

I ran the electric to my sugarhouse today so I could have lights and other necessities. Just need to cut a little more firewood, set my sap storage tank, solder some copper tubing and set a 6' counter top, and I will be set. Now that I have lights, I can do most of this while my wife studies at night and the kids are asleep. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. One of these days I will post pictures. Merry Christmas to all.

Andrew

[PATheron]

Traders- Im feeling a little everwhelmed thinking about everything I have to get done to be ready to tap this spring. Do any of you have anything to do to be ready or are you all sitting at home with your sheds all spotless, wood at the ready, just watching tv and practicing your quickdraw with your cordless drills? Theron

[PATheron]

Andrew- Sounds like you and I are in about the same boat. Im pretty excited too but my energy level is winding down. Theron

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

We are all in the same boat... We feel as though we are never going to be ready.. I have 4500 taps worth of pipe to walk strech repair a RO sitting in a styrofoam room to hook up tanks and evap to clean, a 2500 gal tank to get on a stand, a trailer for sap hauling to finish, and hopefully 5 or 6 more cord od wood to get in.. oh yah and about 40 syrup drums to buy with no money... lol but no matter what happens I as well as all of you seem to find a way to make it work in the end..

[PATheron]

Valley view- You just made me feel a lot better about myself. Holy cow thats a lot of stuff to do. Do you work a full time job besides the syrup? Theron

[andrew martin]

Theron,

I work backwards so to speak. I make sure everything is ready in the sugarhouse first, including firewood. I am going to set all my tanks this weekend, build a stand for my bulk tank, set my countertop, and make sure my finishing stand/stove is operational. After all this is said and done, then I will go to the woods and try to access more taps. By the way, my wife is taking our two boys (3 years and 17 mos.) to see her Mom tomorrow and not coming back until Wednesday, so I have plenty of uninterrupted time to do my "chores." I'd like to stain the sugarhouse too, but that may have to wait for a later time. I put a new coat of high temp paint on my arch front and rails - looks really great.

Only 25 days until tapping - My crew is definitely getting tired of me talking about syrup.

For Christmas, we sold $125 in gift cards for syrup this spring.

Don't sweat it Theron, just start at the sugar house and work backwards. You can have all the taps in the world, but if you can't collect it, hold it, boil it and can it, all those taps don't really matter if your dumping sap or letting good syrup go to waste. I have only been at this for four years, and we add something every year to make our process larger or more efficient, so if you don't have everything done this year, just think about next year.

I run my own remodeling business with a two-man crew, and all my stuff gets done after 7 pm or on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons.

Andrew

[PATheron]

Andrew- I did it a little different. I put up the shed and then did the woods work becouse I didnt want to do that in the winter. Now im doing the inside work. I bit off a lot for one year. I started in january of this year with nothing. Ill be making syrup but Ill have to leave the finishing touches in the shed for later. Im going to just focus on what it takes to make syrup for now. Theron

[danno]

PA - no doubt you bit off quite a bit this year. Last year was my big year with setting up a sugar shack, evap, new hood, new 3000' main line, new vacuum, new taps ....

This year easier, but still plenty more to do. Just walked the bush the other day pulling off branches and pulling tubing out of the snow. Started on the sugar shack expansion for the bigger evap last weekend. Hoping to begin setting up the new/used evap this weekend. Still need to put up a few more cords of wood, clear a new portion of the sugar bush and throw up another 10 to 20 laterals/drops. Spoke to my friend the fabricator about giving me a hand with the new smoke stack and steam hood.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Theron,
I work full time as a builder.. I was caught off guard with the addition of 3500 taps in oct.. I was running 1000 taps on a 4x10 and that kept me busy but I had the chance to grab a 4500 tap bush with room for expansion to 10000+... Hell throw all that on top of a wife that works 3 nights a week from 6pm-7am mixed shedule including weekends and 2 small kids (Adoria 5 Mitchell 3) oh and yah a little one on the way in July lol.. makes for a busy season.. If any of you feel bad and want to come help please message me lol

[Dave Y]

Valleyveiw,
How did you find the time to make another one? Theron pace yourself! Life is a marathon not a sprint! You got to be careful you don't bit off more than you can chew.

[andrew martin]

Theron,

Looking at your pics, it looks as if you have been extremely busy this year getting your bush ready. Don't be too hard on yourself, you have accomplished a lot already.
I forget that you guys up North get a lot more snow than we do here in Central KY, my bush is accessible year round except for the miniscule accumulations of snow we get on a very rare occasion. Just keep steadily plugging away at your "TO DO" list and it will all come together for you by the time the sap starts running. I might need to take my own advice and get off the computer as I will be tapping in less than a month. Good luck.

Andrew

[Sugarmaker]

Theron, Have the evaporator so it will hold sap and a fire. Have some wood cut and dried. Tap the trees and the rest will happen.

I set up some road side tubing this afternoon. Took me a while to get started but the second group of 20 taps went up better. All systems look good the loop and hook over end fitting should allow me to adjust, take down and hopefully reinstall easier next season. The line level works good to adjust the grade of the tubing. Only 360 more to go:)
I was deer hunting most of the day and decided to break it up a little by working on maple too. ( Will be playing hooky and hunting and hanging tubing all next week ):).

Regards,
Chris

[Dave Y]

Sugarmaker,
Are you putting all your taps on tubing this year?

[Sugarmaker]

Dave,
I will have about 400 + on tubing, If I tapped all the buckets too I would have over 500. So I think I will just do the tubing and skip all the buckets. I may have to gather by myself this year, it may save some time and effort.
I will miss some good trees but I cant tap them all:)
I hung some more tubing (40 taps) today in between hunting sessions. I realized I missed 16 taps (on tubing) so the count continues to grow.:)
400 taps is plenty for me to handle with the old 3 x 10 and wood fire.
Starting to get the hang of putting this up by myself. Just keep tugging and pullin. I build the system from the tree with the tub and weave in and out to the end tree, then go back and adjust the level of the line.

Chris

[maplekid]

put out the test tap today and put up line i made the first syrup of the year even though it was a half of a spoon full. hope everyone has a safe new years!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I believe it would be possibly the last syrup of the year. Have to wait 2 more days and you can say it would be the first syrup of 2008. Ha! Ha! Couldn't resist!

[Sugarmaker]

While hanging tubing along the road over the last three days I have had a lot of folks stop and ask if I was crazy:) Probably:p
Building this tubing system for the first time is taking a lot longer than I had expected. I have about 6 hours into 120 taps. I had as much time into removing barbed wire and cutting brush as I did with the tubing. It seems like it will work OK. I set the grade then used black spray paint to mark the location on the tree. I am not going to set the totes until we tap.
But I think those are done and I should not have to go back until I tap them. ( I may even ask the owner If I can leave them up?)
Deer hunting again tomorrow with the smoke pole. To tired to skin one right now.

The shelves are looking might sparse. Syrup and honey are almost gone for 2007.

Happy New Year everyone.
Chris

[Dave Y]

Sugarmaker,
Keep plugging away you will get it. I am still working on my tubing. I have about 360 droplines to go. then I have to go back thru and pick up some trees that I left stranded with out a lateral. Then set tanks. then the tubing will be done i figure about 3 days of work. Then to straighten up the sugar house.

[maplecrest]

well here is is dec 31st, snowing going to be 10 below in 2 days, going to get 8 more inches on top of the 8 we got last nite. more main line to put up, and lats to string. time is going to run out ,but there is always next year

[3% Solution]

Hi everyone,
Well here we are at the end of the year, month and a half left before tapping (maybe).
I would like to thank everyone for an enjoyable year of ideas and bouncing ideas off you folks, too.
Met some great folks on here and I am looking forward to meeting more of you during the spring!!
So with all that said, HAPPY NEW YEAR".

Dave

[andrew martin]

Well, my wife is still out of town, coming back Wednesday afternoon. I am getting a lot done in the sugarhouse - installed new transfer lines for the transfer pump, build a stand for the 325 gallon SS storage tank (which I "borrowed" from a local farmer - nothing is free you know), built a new work table, finished t-111 on the sugarhouse and installed a few more lights. THen I just sat back for a few minutes admiring my work, and thought, "In just three more weeks, this is going to be a really cool place to be."

Tomorrow I will spend all day in the woods accessing more trees and just walking around enjoying the beauty of the forest. Have a great new year all.

AKM

[andyp]

Sugarmaker
I think all of us syrup makers are a little bit crazy. We have to be to work so hard for a little bit of golden necter. But O!!!! what fun it is.
Happy new year everyone and have a very productive syrup season.

Andyp

[Sugarmaker]

Happy New Year to all,
Andrew, are you going to have the 400 taps in 2008? Sounds like that would be about right for your 3 x 8.
Dave thanks for the pictures and words of encouragement I still need to build a sap reduction unit too;) .
Dave Y, Hope you get the majority of your tubing up before the big snow. 360to go still sounds like a lot to me. Hope the tubing works great for you.
I know Theron's out there putting the last minute touches on many items.
Brandon, We are still hunting deer and seeing very few, which is kind of disappointing.
Jim and Chase can't wait to come over and see that new rig boil like crazy.
GaryR stop in when you are up here.
Good luck to all maple syrup producers in the 2008 season.

Chris

[andrew martin]

Chris,

I will probably only get to 325-350 for this year. My summer was very busy with work and I did not get to the woods as often as I would have liked, except to cut firewood. I will be in the woods all day tomorrow making more trails and trimming back some brush. I will set my sap storage tank tomorrow night and then the rest of my TO DO List will gradually get knocked out over the week nights and then I will be ready. Happy New Years to everyone, have fun and be safe.

AKM