Plan for 2025 season and beyond

[ProBoot]

So I finished my first season of production, made enough to feed my personal cravings and some family. Total produced was about 28l(7Gal)

My limits were time, it took forever for my sap to boil down, I managed 4 batch boils and finished on my propane stove in my house(not ideal), this was all done on buckets(48 total) over a collection span of a month.

I have easily 400 sugar maples on my property, what would you do?

Current evaporator = flat pan, 24" x 48" ish on a oil barrel arch, patio stones as fire brick. Nothing sealed up and lots of smoke escaping around the pan etc.
Building is purpose built sugar shape with pergola openings and space for a 6'X4' likely bigger evaporator if needed.
I have 300gal milk tank for sap storage and drop line that can be plumped into the evaporator if I can figure it out.

Transport is by 2 70gal storage totes on the back of my SXS.

for 2025 I want:
1. Better transport, looking for a single trailer based transport system, likely a plastic tank like a IBC tote for water etc.
2. Taps/lines upgrade, looking to do lines to storage containers to limit the amount of walking/movement I have to make and streamline the process as much as possible. my property naturally slopes so gravity feed would work well I think.
3. RO - If I can take my sap from 2% to 4% it means less boiling = less time.....ideal.
4. Upgrade the Evaporator to be a complete system with auto draw and auto leveler.
5. upgrade(as in add something) to better filter my finished product.
6. Better bottling system, right now it's a funnel and laddel/measuring cup, slooooooow.

So with all that said, money isn't exactly growing on trees here(haha) and I need to focus on something there, I'd like to increase to about 100-125 taps to hopefully produce upwards of 30gal of finished product for the season.

I need some focus on what is the best investment for the money of the above....

[Vtmaple2]

Adding more taps you mentioned and sell the additional sap that you can not boil/use to a local sap buyer. Take your new sap money keep investing in your operation. Money is made in the woods and spent in the sugarhouse.

[Pdiamond]

It really depends on how much you want to grow and how much you are willing to spend to do it. You'll definitely want to upgrade your evaporator to something larger and that will be more efficient. Look on the trader facebbok ads or classified ads you may find something there. If you have a local sugar bush nearby visit them, get some ideas, most people in the maple world love to talk. Check out your local maple supply store they may be able to give you suggestions. You didn't say where in Canada you are so that doesn't provide us any information for us to send you any where.

[BAP]

Look for used equipment. Let someone else take the initial depreciation on a new piece. Buying a better evaporator would be a good place to start, especially where you don’t have one currently that allows for constant flow of taking off finished syrup. If you are going to plan on 100-125 taps, then a 2x6 evaporator is a good size.

[aamyotte]

If you don't already have a blower, adding a blower drastically increases the boil rate. I use a 12V fan since I don't have power at the shack. Preheating the sap helps as well.

[ProBoot]

Thanks all,

Investment wise I could likely sell some of the stuff I currently have and replace it with stuff I would be able to build on.

My pan is essentially a finishing pan from a LARGE evaporator system I think, it has a left/right side draw off ability and is a divided pan inside but is flat. the problem I had was pulling the product off drained the pan and would scorch the bottom as I didn't have a quick way to flood the pan when the product was nearing completion. Hard to turn the fire off.

I was thinking on keeping most things the same this coming season but adding in an RO system built from amazon parts etc and using that. Hoping it cuts the boil time done enough to make it cover it's cost etc. Thoughts?

My evaporator is adequate for what my current production would be up to about 100taps I think. Would love to find a nice decked out evaporator for under 10gs, but seems they are all HUGE(4X12) or expensive, 20k+

This "hobby" is more expensive then being into motorcycles. lol

I'd like thoughts on running lines and such too, how to run them for gravity, how to store the sap, etc. I'd likely be able to run about 50 trees on a main line if possible? 2-3 collection points would be ideal and a pump to connect all to and move the syrup to my main holding tank.

[ProBoot]

I'll state, I'm in Ontario Canada, Will also be looking for a funding source possibly to expand operations, anyone aware of any type of funding source beyond a bank loan/credit card for Agriculture business in the maple industry?

Hoping for an interest free loan type deal over a number of year to repay, push myself to produce more and more and make the payments for something I can't get enough of. I think I drank a few gallons of the product as it was boiling, such an amazing drink at around 20%+ sugar content

[maple flats]

You need to improve your efficiency. Decide how much you want to grow, then do 2 things. Look for a wood fired evaporator (and have dry wood to fire it) to increase your evaporation rate. Also look at The Bucket RO. He offers many options for starting size RO's, (reverse Osmosis). That will remove lots of water, generallt his units remove about half of the water, thus if you start with 2% sugar in your sap, it will get you to about 4% sugar. That will cut the amount of boiling needed in half. Ask Carl for recomendations on which is best for you. He's very helpful and an honest man to deal with.
Then try it for 1 season and go from there,
I fought getting an RO for about 8 years, now I won't do any maple without an RO.

[Pdiamond]

North Star Leasing is a company in Vermont at does a monthly payment leasing program for maple equipment. I have used them several times over the years to get additional equipment and you basically own it from the start, unless you don't make the payments. If you call them ask for Jason Butkis, he is really a good guy to work with and will help you out. I am sure they do business in Canada.

[Pdiamond]

right now there is a set of pans on mapletrader - facebook for sale that might fit your needs. You would have to buy or build an airtight arch for the pans This would definitely get you into a better position than where you are at now.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Start with an RO and evaporator. For this year if you want to keep your old evaporator then look into different options at RO Bucket or a used set up from them on one of the Maple Facebook sites. Go with a 2x6 evaporator when you upgrade, that will be one and done. Your RO will need to be upgraded and grow with you but generally hold their resale better than evaporators. I would get everything together and sized for what you need for the 400 taps and go from 100 to 400 all at once when you are ready for it.

[ecp]

Thanks all,

This "hobby" is more expensive then being into motorcycles. lol

I'd like thoughts on running lines and such too, how to run them for gravity, how to store the sap, etc. I'd likely be able to run about 50 trees on a main line if possible? 2-3 collection points would be ideal and a pump to connect all to and move the syrup to my main holding tank.

Maple is not a cheap hobby.

You ask about running lines. I think the big thing it to try and think out 10 years from now (yes, it is hard). If you will only ever want gravity than you have lots of options. If you are going to be going to a vacuum system, try to reference the maple producer's manual for vacuum set ups. Most of all have fun.

As others have stated get an RO if you are looking to cut time, and if you are looking for payback put your money in the woods and sell sap. All that shiny crap in the sugarhouse is a liability (depreciating asset, overhead call it whatever you would like). The trees in the woods are the asset if you are looking at it from a numbers game (then again if you were into number games you wouldn't tap tree haha).

[Andy VT]

Discussions about taking a small, inexpensive hobby to a large, expensive hobby are some of my favorite! I agree with everything said so far; just 3 things to add.

Something doesn't seem right about your draw-offs. I have not yet used a divided pan but it seems like with a 2x4 divided pan the draw-off of finished syrup should be something like a cup or a pint; not something that requires flooding to avoid scorching. Sounds like you might not have a gradient. It would help to have an experienced guy see what you're doing and give pointers. If for some reason a gradient is not achievable on your setup, or a manageable draw-off of syrup, I would recommend finishing on something else. Don't empty your pan no matter how you're doing it. Just keep the concentrate in there between boils. No reason to scorch any setup. Just draw off whatever gets you or keeps you down to the desired liquid level.

My other thought is that if you added RO, tuned up your current evaporator, and maybe did your finishing in a stock pot over an induction burner or propane burner, you could handle 125 or more taps while saving up for your ultimate evaporator. An oil tank arch will probably never be the most efficient thing but there's no particular reason it couldn't be the hottest thing. An experienced builder of homemade arches might be able to come over and help you tune it up.

Finally, you say "forever", but you need to keep track of numbers. What was the evaporation rate of your setup? You can compare this to what a 2x4 flat pan should do, and get a feel for what you could get if you can get more heat to the bottom of your pan.

Good luck! Make sure its fun because otherwise there are easier and cheaper things to be doing. :D

[maple flats]

Andy, is right on a 2x4 divided pan your draws will be about a cup or 2 at a time, there will be no need to flood the pan. Get away from the large flat pan without dividers. That will reduce the chance of scorching the pan. If you keep the same pan, make a side support so as the syrup is ready you can safely remove the whole pan from the fire. While I've never used a flat pan, even my first pan was a 24x33" divided pan with 4 chanels, I've read where others have removed a hot pan safely from the fire. To do that the side support must be very sturdy and perfectly level with the boiling level of the pan being moved. Read back thru the old posts to learn how others have done it.
But, the better approach is to get a divided pan and have a float to regulate the depth from a dependable source. Look for a 2x4, 2x5 or 2x6 used evaporator, but don't accept a soldered pan with lead solder. Lead free solder is fine, in fact my new 2x6 is lead soldered, as was my first pan, my second an my third evaporator. Then I bought a 3x8 welded pan which I then sold as I cut back on my number of taps, that's when I bought a new 2x6 lead free soldered pan.
As far as auto draw off, I boiled for 14 years without an auto draw, you just need to keep a close watch on the boil. Then on years 15-20 I had an auto draw, which made it easier, but I encourage you you to boil at least a year or 2 before getting an auto draw. It will help you better understand the whole process better.

[DRoseum]

Lots of great advice from everyone!

#1 make sure you keep it fun, and don't scale too big too quickly where it stresses you or takes away from the great joy of this unique hobby.

I do like the advice that was given regarding making the most of your current pan and investing in an RO first. RO is a total game changer and you can make one (or buy one) very economically. I have built multiple, and if done right you can scale it up over time to keep pace with your expansion.

Also, cannot overstate the importance of mastering finishing/filtering/bottling. Make sure you have all the right tools, such as hydrometer, thermometer, murphy compensation cup / chart and know how to use them.

Filtering is painful for everyone at first. Multiple options to improve that ranging from something like the cone "optomizer", to vacuum filters, and filter presses. Vacuum filters are easy/cheap to build, give pretty good results, but many people eventually move to filter presses as their operation grows.

Lastly, tubing (and simple diaphragm pump vacuum systems) can be a big time saver during the season and increase your sap yield per tap. However they do come with their own maintenance (cleaning, repairing, hanging up, taking down).

This forum has tons of info on how to do/build all of these things and tons of people here to help share their experiences. I also have a bunch of videos on topics for the hobby producer and building ROs, vacuum systems, tubing setups, and hope they are of some benefit to you

[Andy VT]

I forgot to mention filtering and bottling.
You can get quite fancy and good stuff, and eventually you probably should, but while saving up:

Cone filtering at $30 per setup is way underrated. For my 30 taps one cone has at least 4 times the capacity I need. If I had 125 taps I would still use it, but perhaps I'd have two cones for more capacity. Just make a stand from 1x3's or 2x4's or whatever you've got.

Canning is my bugaboo for sure. I use a stockpot with a lid and a good pouring rim and pour directly into jars (no ladle) and juggle a BBQ thermometer in it between pours. This would be an upgrade from your ladle, but I think a brewing stockpot (stainless steel stockpot with spigot) would be a pretty good interim canner. One of these days I might get one (would be a long term solution for me).

[ProBoot]

Finishing wise, I finished the first "batch" in teh evaporator and it was beyond stressful, trying to draw off finished product was a heck of a feat and I ended up with a scorched spot on the pan.....learned to not do that.
Next batch was much better, draw off when it was close through the filters and into a stock pot. Stock pot then into the house to finish on the propane stove(benefit was a external fan drawing out any stickiness). This made a much more consistent heat and product. Filtered again through a cone filter and into another pot to bring to 180F for bottling.

The pan I have seems to work better for batch making than continuous flow/draw, but that also may be my lack of understanding on how to set it up to allow raw sap ibn one end while drawing off finished syrup on the other.

Right now I'm seriously lacking funds to expand in any form beyond adding maybe some more buckets(have 100's of taps already), and maybe a larger transport storage trailer/tote, etc. Want to get away from it being in the back of my SXS since spills are inevitable.

So fixing up existing Evaporator, an RO system and developing the bush is the key areas to focus on for season 25 I think from what's stated here. I may be able to come up with the cash this fall to run about 50 taps on drop lines possibly along with 100 buckets(maybe) but that time to collect becomes the issue. Much easier to collect from 1-3 points then stopping at 100 buckets.

Thanks all for the grand suggestions! Appreciate all the information.

I think to start I may go through what I have, decide what I'll use and then look to sell off the rest, Like I have easily 100 old galvanized buckets, 100's of old taps, old sap storage tanks etc on the property. I know they can't be used for Syrup production/sale but someone could use them for planting, decoration, family set ups, agriculture, etc. I'm sure.