Another Ct. syrup maker

[Mike Van]

I'm new here on the forum, but in my 9th year making syrup. My place is in Kent, a few miles from the NY state line. Into my best year ever, I tapped my 50+ trees the first week in Feb. this year. Ususally wait till valentines day, but early looked good, & it's worked good too. Last year Feb. was so cold, I had a grand total of 20 gal. of sap for the month. This year, 310. I went over 1000 gal/sap yesterday, and it's looking good for another week anyway. 6 of my trees have stopped running, funny the first that stopped had Warner cast spouts in them? I use a Leader 2x4 I bought new from Bascoms. Pic. is of my 10x10 sugarhouse I built in '99, the first year I used it, I had a "rigged up" stovepipe out the back, I worried about all the time. The next summer, I built a brick chimney. I'm soon to be 57, retired from CL&P after 35 years as a lineman. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v386/MikeVan/wintermh.jpg

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mike,

Nice looking sugarhouse and something exciting to look forward to when you retire. Have you gotten 1,000 gallon from 50 taps, if so, that is fantastic for 50 taps. Good luck and keep up the good work!

[Mike Van]

Forgot to add, the 50 are big yard trees, the ones with hundreds of branches, about 15 are on a little pipeline, the rest I have to carry buckets. There's at least a dozen more here I could tap, but they're a long walk - If I ever lose any of the close ones, I guess I'll have to "branch out"

[markct]

nice setup, it my first year here in northfield ct with a small homemade evaporator and a 7 by 11 sugarshack, which next year will be gettin and 8 by 8 addition to fit the 2x8 evap i bought used. i would love to stop up and see your sugarhouse someday since your only about 45 minutes away

[Mike Van]

Mark, I'm at 140 Kent Cornwall Rd. [rt 7] about 2 miles north of Kent. Our family farm is right there [buckets on the trees, can't miss 'em] Visitors allways welcome! Hopefully, up there this afternoon boiling - The wind Friday kind of killed the sap run, today should be better.

[JasonS]

Mike,
Welcome, I'm just a few miles away in New Milford (Roxbury/Bridgewater side). I too am Having a great year, just crossed 1400 gallons on about 100 taps. I'm a long way from retirement, but I was a lineman for SNET/AT&T for several years and now I'm a cable splicer. Welcome to the trader, we need more CT people. We're out numbered!!!!

[markct]

took a drive past your place saturday evening, didnt appear that ya were boiling so we just took a slow drive by an admired your little sugarhouse, a nice looking place indeed

[Mike Van]

Hello Jason - It's a sap crazy year for sure - I'm almost double what I did last year, and it's still running here. I'm almost out of dry wood, short of burning the barn siding. Some of my better trees are getting 3 - 4 gal/day. Mark, I'm racking my brain trying to remember what I had or did Sat., I may have boiled early 'cause we had to go someplace? All these days in the past month are kind of bluring together - :confused:

[Mike Van]

My season ended today, my best year ever out of 9. I got almost 1300 gal/sap from about 55 taps, best previous year was 850. I've got some to finish yet, then clean all the stuff up. I really dislike that part. I had sap every day except 2 in March, the first day & the last. Some of those days it was only 15 gal. or so, I'd save it & combine it with the next days. A few days though, it was 75 - 90 gal/day. Hey, I sold 6 pints today - :smile: