I just can't wait any longer

[tessiersfarm]

I went to the Maple School at Bacon Farm Yesterday figuring it couldn't hurt me too much and they were great. The class was pretty imformative and Kevin Bacon took time to talk directly to me and gave me a lot of good pointers to head me in the right direction.

I fired my new evaporator last night and had good and bad results. The pans came to a rolling boil in under 20 min. The pans cleaned up very well. The steam overwhelmed the three sided building I boil in so I need a hood of some form. (means a lot of water is being boiled off) With the old evaporator the steam just rolled out the front of the building. The refractory block I used already started to break up so I am going to get fire brick before I even start to boil this year. Overall I am glad I did a test fire and the problems are minor and actuall I wasn't sure about the fire bricks anyway.

I am headed into the woods today regardless of snow condition.

[Revi]

It was a good idea to give the new evaporator a test run! It sounds like you're going to need a sugarhouse soon.

I'm going to spend some time getting ready next week.

[tessiersfarm]

Got my firebrick today and will install it tommorrow. Working on plans for a steam hood with pre heater in it. All in all i am feeling pretty good about the whole season.

Have considered a sugar shack but I would like it up near the house and I am not sure how to make it look like it belongs. I am not patient enough to just sit and boil so I check the evaporator and do a few barn chores, back and forth the whole day.

[Revi]

Sounds like you're going to have a great season!

I try not to be out of eyesight of the evaporator once it gets going, but we have a bunch of buckets right near the sugarhouse that are close enough to get while it's starting up.

It's almost here. We're doing some work at the sugarhouse on Monday.

[gator330]

tessiersfarm

100 taps!!! You need four walls and a roof!!!!! Kick the chickens out if you have to. Thats what I did, I was lucky they were on cement. Any way you need a shack no way around it. Build it once and do it right. I can't wait to start one down by the woods. All will flow or be pumped to it. A boilling room, canning room with heat, bathroom and a bunk room. As well as a small gift shop. Easy water and electric. Fresh produce in the summer. Horse drawn wagon rides and a pumkin in the fall. Maple all year long!!!!

[tessiersfarm]

We currently use a three sided building that houses beef cattle in the summer. It actually works pretty well, it is within a couple hundred feet of the barn and house. It gets warm enough to set around and socialize when the oportunity strikes. I am a busy body and I can not sit still for very long so I do my barn chores while I am boiling. I even gave a thought of putting the evaporator in the open bay of the Barn but I am concerned about condensation. I am experimenting with hood Ideas and if one works well that may be the deal next year, with a steam stack through the barn roof. The open bay is 16x28 which is plenty big for a 2x6.

[gator330]

My thought is to get as far from every thing else as I can. Time just for syrup but have it nice for a store and stuff to keep kids active, safe and warm. That all adds up to happy kids. Happy kids happy Dad. Sence I most always have some with me it is important there HAPPY.

Was glad to hear your under a roof with walls. I had visions of you stuck out in the weather. I have been forever in the weather, this is my first year under a roof. It sucked!!!!

[tessiersfarm]

We, my wife and I, run a small farm, plus we both work full time and have 2 and 5 year olds. I do not have time to get away from much of anything. This weekend was filled with barn chores and fruit tree pruning so I didn't get much maple stuff done. I did however get the fire brick installed. I just need to add pan gasket and she is ready to roll. I also got the water results back and mailed the application for a retail maple producers licence from the state, we needed that to sell at Maine Maple Sunday. If I get it filed at least 30 days from opening date, which I will, I can open with or without it. All I have left to do is clean my buckets, taps, and tubing and I will be ready. I have an honest 100 taps between my lot and my brothers woodlot and I am thinking about just stopping there for this year, see how it goes before I expand too much. The other thing I would like to do if time permits, is build a hood and pre-heater. I could do that after the season starts so that's not a priority right now.