Has Anyone in the Northeast Tapped Yet?

[C Schoff]

I live in Rochester NY and just got back from vacation in Mexico. We had a 2 day warm up while I was gone and was wondering if anyone tapped yet. I hope I did not miss an early run. It looks like it will be cold here for the next week.

Chris

[powerdub]

My friend up the road put out his 600 taps this weekend and got maybe 600 gallons of sap over two days. As of this morning he has only boiled a little bit, about three gallons worth and it is all dark. I don't think you have missed a thing yet.

[mapleman3]

newbie question
Just curious... what would make it dark so early in the season?
Jim

Yes have 700 taps in got 530 gals. boiled over the weekend. Made some of the sweetest light amber you ever tasted. Worth about a millon dollars. Just down the road in erie county.

[mapleman3]

Thats what I thought... usually the lightest at the start...sure it's not birch lol :P

[powerdub]

Thats pretty funny, I will have to go see for myself what he tapped. I don't know what makes the grades do what they do but I do know last year was a really light year for us, we made more fancy than we ever have but the year before we made more dark. It may be the start of a dark syrup year. More predictions?

[mapleman3]

just funnin ya..scott :P lets hope for a great year !!!
Jim

[Brian]

I TAPPED 150 AND MADE A LITTLE SYRUP DARK A . SOME OF THE WORST I HAVE EVER HAD. WORSE THAN BUDDY. I THOUGHT MAYBE MY PANS WERE NOT CLEAN ENOUGH SO I TOOK SOME TO THE NEIGHBOR. HE MAKES ABOUT 4000 GALLIONS A YEAR. HE SAID AFTER TRYING IT THAT IS TREE TOP SYRUP . THE SAP WAS FROM THE TOPS AND BEEN IN THERE ALL WINTER. THE TASTE IS ACIDIC SAP AND ONCE THE BUTT OF THE TREE WARMS UP I WILL GET GOOD SAP. IT HAD BEEN SO COLD FOR SO LONG THE SAP HAD NOT STARTED TO MOVE UP AND DOWN THE TREE YET. ONCE YOU SEE THE SNOW START TO MELT AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE TREE IT IS A GOOD TIME TO START TAPPING HE SAID. I STILL HAVE 300 BUCKETS TO HANG. I HAVE 2 1/2 X 8 EVAPORATOR THIS YEAR. LAST YEAR I USED 2X5 FLAT PAN. I ALSO ADDED VACUUM THIS YEAR. I BOUGHT A RELEASER AND GOT A DE LAVEL MODEL 40 AND RUNNING IT AT 17 INCHES OF MERCURY. I AM NEAR ST. JOHNSBURY VT

[powerdub]

Bring it on fellers, I can take a good ribbing but you better watch out :twisted: I can dish out a little fun too. By the way oaks only run in the fall. :wink:

[mapleman3]

in town here someone tapped a telephone pole for haha's...
that'll make for some interesting conversation !!! :lol:
Jim

[mapleman3]

Finally... I put out 88 taps today... the family helped.. we had a ball!!!
it's going to get cold mon and tues...oh well.. I'm ready !!!!
Jim
http://photos.yahoo.com/mapleman3

[SugarbearT]

We finished today.Supposed to drop down to zero tonight.Forties by the end of the week.Cant wait.Two weeks late for us in Ohio.Can smell the steam already. :D

[bobbyjake]

As of this weekend (March 1 and 2), I think we are a little over half tapped out (4000 out of 7000). Man, that snow has just made things a bear :x . Good Luck to all.

[pegjam]

We started tapping on 2-27, and are just about half way. There was a small run going on Sun, while I was tapping, but not enough to monkey with. I am hopping that this darn weather will straighten out and we can get started with some real sugar'in soon. When it does come off warm, we're gona be real busy. Good luck, may your holdin tank runnth over, every day!!!!!!!!!

[FMWARREN]

Scott ,Never look up tap what comes along!! :roll:

[mapleman3]

Well lets see if I can do this in a song.... OH I'm boiling tomorrow.. I'm boiling... I'm boiling tomorrow ...I'm Boiling.. do do do da dah dah... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Does it show I'm excited ??? :D
Jim

[Goodenough]

Hi Chris, when you start boiling, I'd be interested in stopping by and seeing your operation if that would be ok. My e-mail is hwh5@frontiernet.net. Thanks, Dave

[mwarren]

I tap in Jericho VT and have approximately 250 Taps. I am boiling on a new Leader King 30X8. The weather is supposed to be warm this saturday and I am thinking of tapping. The only problem is it is supposed to get cold for several days after saturday so I may wait until the warm weather breaks for a longer period to tap. Hopefully it warms soon.

Mike

[Salmoneye In VT]

UVM/Proctor Maple Research Center tapped over the last couple days and have their 'Tree-Met' online at the link below...You can see sap pressure at the taphole and flow from 2 trees...Pretty interesting sometimes...

I am about 10 miles south of Burlington, and will not be tapping my 200 till Wednesday 3/12 at the earliest...My spotter buckets have gotten less than an inch in 2 weeks, and that was all last Saturday...Shut off right at 3PM when the sun went behind the clouds...I hold out no hope for Saturday the 8th...-10 tonight (3/6) with a high of 20 tomorrow...Saturday will be 40 yes, but cloudy and windy...

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/index.html

[mwarren]

I think I have decided that I am going to wait also. I hate to put the buckets out, then end up dumping out the ice. (too much work for nothing!) Last year I boiled on a half pint and only had 60 taps, all on 5/16 line. (much easier to collect) This is my first year with more taps, buckets (The land that I am boiling at doesn't lend well to pipeline.) Hopefully it's a good year.

How big is your evaporator? How much syrup do you make a year?

Mike

[mapleman3]

Well I here ya on the ice thing. I boiled today on my draft induced half pint and had alot more ice in my storage than I want to talk about :?
I only boiled for 3-4 hours ...but hey ..still got 2 quarts made of some **** sweet light amber... hopefully I will hit the 15 - 20 gal mark this year
Jim

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/mapleman3

[Salmoneye In VT]

This is my third year of my '5-year plan'...First two years were spent scrounging, thinning the small section of my bush, and building this years shack (don't tell the Wife that it is not her greenhouse!)...I bought an old Grimm 2x6 Arch (from an ad on this site) a couple months ago. Got a good deal...Lots of toys came with it such as 100 buckets/taps/lids, scoop, skimmer, syrup hydrometer, etc...The front pan is stainless but the sap pan is the original tin and in bad shape...I have it sufficienlt patched for this season, but after that it will be scrapped...Already pricing a new 2x3 stainless flue pan for this arch, and a 2x4 flue pan for a second arch I have...For next season, I will be in a differnt building here...Old garage with a concrete floor...Will retrofit it with the 2x6, and then the 2x4 set 6 inches higher so it will feed the 2x6...This will effectively give me 2x7 area of flue pan and 2x3 of syrup pan...Evaporative capacity should be in the 60-75 GPH range with forced air on the second arch and a preheater on the first...I already have an old stainless parts washer pan that will be fitted with gas grill jets to be used as a finishing pan...This is all so I can run 500+ taps next year and start selling to the public here...The fifth year of the plan will see a brand new evaporator in the 4x10 range...I should be able to run 1000 taps easily with that size...I plan on paying for the new rig with proceeds from next years syrup and by selling the 2 small evaporators as they will be all stainless and in very good shape...

I am planning for 50 gallons finished this season, 125 gallons next year, and want to top out at a sustaining 250 gallons by year 5 of 'the plan'...So far 3 years in, I have less than $1000 in the whole shooting match including equipment and the shack...I plan on a total out of pocket by the end of less than $2500...This is the only way I could justify the project as we are on a severe budget...We own everything outright (house, land, cars, etc.) and I have been home with our Daughter for 5 years now...The Wife insisted she remain working 4 days a week, so we are not going backward...But we are not saving anything either...

I just do not see myself ever getting back into the work-a-day world...Trees make so much more sense than most people LOL

If you ACTUALLY read this far...Thanks...

[mapleman3]

Well I envy you... I would love to be a stay at home dad.... oh the things that I could do... my sugaring would triple and my woodworking could become a small side business!!!

ok enough dreaming for now !!

Sounds like you have a great plan going
Jim

[backyardsugarer]

The heck with it, my taps went out last night (100) and I will boil this weekend. Even if I only make a pint, syrup will be made this weekend. :lol:

[mapleman3]

backyarder .... thats the way I looked at it... I took yesterday off and was determined to boil... I have been waiting too long... good weather coming here tomorrow and sun. I'm sure I will have visitors, just hope I have enough to boil tomorrow early !! but it was nice to be back in the shack smelling the fragrence of maple again !!
Jim

[mwarren]

Sounds like a great plan. I would also like to increase my number of taps. The 30X8 that I have is capable of much more sap than I will be able to feed it. I was going to buy a 2x6 but was afraid that I would soon find more taps and end up out growing it only to buy another larger one. (This whole maple thing is addictive...)

The land that I am tapping on is only good for 250-300 taps. I am hoping that I can find some place (not too far) that I can tap some more trees for next year, then I can haul it in my pickup truck back to the sugarhouse. I tried to find someone that would sell some sap this year but I have had no luck so far.

I have invested a fair amount this year so If I don't make back a little money I may be sleeping in the sugarhouse... I would like to make 60 gals this year. Maybe 100 next year.

How many tappable trees do you have where you are? It sounds like at least 1000. What town are you in? Must be near shelburne/charlotte?

Mike

[Salmoneye In VT]

Ayuh...Lived in Charlotte all my life...

I only have enough trees here for appx. 300 taps, but I already have permission for about 200 more along the roads in and around the village...My Mother owns a mixed stand on the other side of town, where I will eventually start running about 500 more...

My 'bush' here is split into two sections...They were all laid out in measured rows about 50 years ago, and should have been thinned 20 years ago...I am just getting to it now, so the number of taps should eventually rise to maybe 400 here when the trees crown more and fill out at the base...They are just too close together for now...

When I was in highschool, we ran 1300 buckets at a place over on Moms side of town...The Woman that owns it called me in late January and asked if I wanted to run her bush...Has not been tapped since the ice-storm...1300 buckets would just be too much for me alone at this point...Not to mention I want to work for me...I tried two different people I thought might want to run that operation, but they were otherwise occupied...I bet she will be calling me again next January...A really nice bush...Just too darn flat, and way too far to power for a vacuum...

[Tomten]

Man o man...am I jealous. I only have 50 taps, a log hut, stainless steel pan on a fire brick and metal wood fire stove, but I am dying for a run. To cold here in Wisconsin. Hoping to break 10 gallons of syrup and 20 gallons of Maple Beer this year....Hearing about your operations at least makes the wait bearable. Thanks fellas.

[mwarren]

Last year I made 10 Gallons and Three pints on a half pint (from leader Evaporator). It was then that I was bit by the bug. Ever since then I have been in hundreds of near fatal accidents looking at roadside maples and sugar houses. (i'm sure I am not the only one.)

Mike

[mapleman3]

warren..so you have a half pint... barrel arch or the new designed square arch? how much were you boiling a day? How many taps did you have out.... I'm very curious this is my first year with my half pint.
Jim

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/mapleman3

[Terlil]

you should try deer sausage in boiling sap that real good

[south buff]

you should try deer sausage in boiling sap that real good

I had a Half Pint last year. It was the new version not the old barrel type. It was a great rig. You will find that you can spend an 8-9 hour day boiling to make approximaltely 1 gallon.

I had a total of 63 taps all on 5/16 line. There were three seperate lines that I had run into three different rubermaid trash cans. ( Can't beat a nine dollar sap tank.) The problem that I ran into with this set up is that there were too many trees on the 5/16 line. The line was too restricted and was always full of sap. At the end of the day the line would freeze solid and it would take several hours the next day for it to thaw. I should have used a small section of main line to help keep the sap flowing.

I have two suggestions for you with this setup.
First, if you have power available get a small fan to help blow a draft into the ash cleanout. This will really help get the fire roaring. You may not need it once it is going but it will help to get things going faster.

Second, Buy an electric coffee maker. I think it is a 6 or 8 quart capacity and has a little valve to pour out of and red light at the bottom to let you know when the contents are heated. (Don't use an old one as the coffee will flavor the syrup.) I bought one a Service Merchandise for $29.

When you draw off syrup you can check it with a hydrometer in a small cup and if it is the right density pour it through a filter into the coffee pot. At the end of the day you will have a gallon or so in the coffee pot that is all the correct density. Bring the pot into the house and plug it in. The coffee pot will heat the syrup to approx. 180 deg. (check it with a thermometer) and then you can neatly pour it into any cans or jars that you want without too much mess. I found that I had to can half a gallon at a time as a gallon was too much for the pot to handle. It would only reach 160 deg. with a gallon in it.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.

Mike

[mwarren]

Last post was from me. I forgot to log on first.

Mike

[mapleman3]

I did add a fan and has been working great... I have only been getting small runs so far this season, so been making 1/ gallon or so at a time.. but I havn't had to boil as long as I used to with my old homemade steup... can't wait for a good sap run, it's supposed to be only around freezing a good part of next week... jeeze winter doesn't want to give up !!
Thanks Mike for the the info
Jim

[johnK]

We finally tapped on March 6 and 7 after a colder and later than normal season. Usually, we are boiling by Mid February here in Western PA. Had a small flow on the 7th, only about 250 gal from 520 taps, but all heck broke loose on the 8th, with 1700 gal of sap before I shut the vacuum pump off at 3:00AM and went to bed. Still had sap to boil the 9th even though we had a freeze and no flow. Every year I wonder at how good fresh light syrup tastes! Hope we all have a good season.

hhh

hhh

[mapleman3]

Mike... I was just browsing thru a kitchen equipment warehouse in CT. with my boss... and came upon an old used maybe 16 qt coffee pot with heater and spout like you described it's pretty big and no smell whatsoever they had a new one for $120 got this for $20 it will fit my filters in just great.... I'll take a lil steel wool to it clean it up real good... should work awesome, thanks for the idea... the guy said it will get hot enough to boil.... so 180 deg will be easy !!!!!

Jim

[mwarren]

Jim,
Glad it worked out for you. It sounds like the same thing I had. There are two types, the industrial type ( for businesses) and the non-industrial ( for home use). I think mine was more of a non-industrial because it was so cheap and kinda small. If this is a big one than it may actually work better for you. You may be able to heat the whole gallon at once.

Hopefully you will get a chance to use it this weekend.

Mike

[mapleman3]

yep it is the big one... it heated half a pot ( 8 qts) to 185 in no time.. so I'll be filtering the syrup in at around 200 anyway... should work fine..... lets get this big run going !!! I;'m ready !!!
Jim

[maplemargaret]

Well Maplemargaret in north central NH is all tapped out ( 1500)with nothing to boil yet ( so I guess Ill have to clean my house instead)... just 200 gal of ice in the tank we had below zero temps here in the AM this week. I dont think anyone up here has made any syrup yet Sound like it might start this weekend Think sweet spring everyone and may your tanks runneth over.