Value of data for the back yarder

[Swingpure]

The picture of the sugar maple leaf is one I found on my lawn this morning. We are still a month away from looking like the drone picture of the area I live in.

Today I mapped out the locations of the various trees I will be tapping. It shows 26 taps, one tree will be a double for 27 and I will be tapping (yet unmarked) 9+ trees on the property above mine in the third photo.

For a backyard, not planning on selling any operation, is there value in keeping track of how many pails of sap you get from each tree, or what the sugar content is of their sap? Or you are just so busy collecting the sap and boiling it is all you need to do.

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[berkshires]

Personally speaking, I have no interest in just getting bigger and bigger. I prefer to get more and more efficient. That means tapping the best trees, rather than every tree I can. And that means tracking the sap from each tree. This is only possible if you're on buckets, which I am. If you're on lines, I guess you get what you get.

GO

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

It's kind of neat to track as much information as you can. Looking back on the records 10 years down the road is kind of neat. You'll probably find that the one thing that remains constant when making syrup is that everything varies from year to year :lol:

[Swingpure]

I like measures and spreadsheets, so I will keep my data.

So when the sap just starts running and there is only a couple of inches in the buckets, do you leave it in the bucket, until it is like half full, so it is easier to measure, or do you simply guess the amount, and take all sap as it comes?

[NhShaun]

Since you are only tapping a small amount of trees for now, I would say collect as much data as you can. It gets harder to keep track as you add more and more taps in the years to come. I have done so for the last 7 seasons and it has been really interesting to look back at all the data to compare and help make improvements in my process. It also gets more difficult to remember stats from the different seasons, it all turns into a blur eventually so a detailed log is always a helpful tool.

[Swingpure]

Since you are only tapping a small amount of trees for now, I would say collect as much data as you can. It gets harder to keep track as you add more and more taps in the years to come. I have done so for the last 7 seasons and it has been really interesting to look back at all the data to compare and help make improvements in my process. It also gets more difficult to remember stats from the different seasons, it all turns into a blur eventually so a detailed log is always a helpful tool.

Thanks, I will do my best to record as much as I can. I may have to get a second refractometer to measure the sugar content of the sap.

I found four more trees to tap. Three on the edge of my property and one just on my neighbours. That is 31 taps. I will marking more trees on his property and that will be 9+ more. Another friend is considering letting me to tap on his property. It is about a 10 minute ATV ride away. There will be 10+ trees there. If i decide I want to tackle more, I will use 5 gallon pails on the ground and hoses from the spiles/spouts/spigots. That should take pressure off checking it every day. Another friend has offered me to tap their trees and I will see what is easy to get at.

I am very cognizant of the mistake of taking on too much for the very first time trying it.

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[aamyotte]

I am very cognizant of the mistake of taking on too much for the very first time trying it.

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Going too big the first year can become stressful. Last year was my first with 15 trees, this year going to 32. The benefit of last year's low production allowed me to get organized and get a feel for the process.

With your evaporator being built tested and modified you have that out of the way.

Working from home last year gave me the chance to run in the back during the lunch hour on heavy flow days to empty the buckets. Had I not done that there would have been spilt sap. If you have multiple taps per bucket keep that in mind for the collection.

[Pdiamond]

i've had some of my trees fill a five gallon bucket in one day.

[Swingpure]

i've had some of my trees fill a five gallon bucket in one day.

This is really going to be a learning experience!

[Pdiamond]

You bet it will be. I can tell you you have a lot of help right here with almost anything you may need. We support as best we can.

[Swingpure]

Originally I was going to have buckets on each tree and it would have been easy to make measurements for each tree. Now 3/5ths+ of the 50+ trees I will be tapping, will be on lines and in one case two lines with empty into one 58 gallon barrel. Is all you can measure is the gallons per line(s)?

[Pdiamond]

I have always taken just a total for the day. Never really got that much into the measurement side of things. I just wanted to know how many gallons of sap I ended up with at the end of the season and how much syrup i made. There is an app you can join called saptapapps. It costs $1.99 US. I am sure you can get on it. One other thing I wanted to mention, once you are all settled I highly recommend getting a murphy cup and gold hydrometer from Smoky Lake. It will be worth the money spent. You will wonder how you ever tested without one once you have it.

[Swingpure]

I have always taken just a total for the day. Never really got that much into the measurement side of things. I just wanted to know how many gallons of sap I ended up with at the end of the season and how much syrup i made. There is an app you can join called saptapapps. It costs $1.99 US. I am sure you can get on it. One other thing I wanted to mention, once you are all settled I highly recommend getting a murphy cup and gold hydrometer from Smoky Lake. It will be worth the money spent. You will wonder how you ever tested without one once you have it.

I have signed on to saptapapp. Great app and I hope to report on it.

I have a hydrotherm and a refractometer, and will go with that this year. The Murphy Cup looks great. By the time it and the hydrometer crosses the border, it is about $250 Cdn. Next year I will be making a few purchases to improve what I am doing, but would like to live one year of making syrup before I decide what to spend the dollars on.