I'm worried. The maples are changing color!

[PerryW]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y235/perryW/2004-NH-Foliage1small.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y235/perryW/2004-NH-Foliage9small.jpg

[3rdgen.maple]

Gotta love the fall. Im sure there are a few deer in them there woods. Nice pictures.

[KenWP]

Looks like around here also. Easy to figure where the maple trees are for a while.

[Buckeye mapler]

The only thing I am worried about is getting everything done before the season starts. I am going out this week to identify trees in the new area we will be tapping this year. We are in the process of building our arch and pan. Plus there are some loose ends to tie up and some of them arent things you want to do in freezing temps. The changing leaves has set off a panic alarm. We are on pace to finish in time, but I am sure we will encounter some set back! It is Murphy's law and that stays in the back of my head. Hope everyone is where they want to be at this point of the year!!!

[Clan Delaney]

I still love it how we can be 5 months away from boiling and scared to nuts that were not ready yet.

[danno]

That there is gods country. Nice pics and I'm sure they don't do that scene justice. My backyard is beautiful, but what I would give to look out at that every day.

[Fred Henderson]

That second pic looks like a place near Saranac Lake NY. They sure are great and thanks for sharing them.

[stoweski]

Looks beautiful. I went to the beginner's maple sugaring workshop at the Proctor Research Center. Man, the backside of Mansfield sure is nice. Stayed in Stowe the night before. The drive through the notch was beautiful as always.

The week before we were in Saranac Lake and the mountains were full of color. I'm staying away from the leaf peepers this weekend!

I have a nice view from my place just outside of civilization here but as soon as the first decent piece of land appears in northern VT I'm jumping on it. Of course I have to wait until I retire to move there permanently but I'll be visiting it as much as I can!

People often go on long trips to see beautiful mountains, the ocean, or other vistas. As far as I'm concerned the NE beautiful enough and more reason to stay right where we are!

By the way, the workshop was educational and worth the trip. I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking into sugaring.

Keith

[Bucket Head]

Stoweski,

What do they cover at the beginers workshop? What do they talk about and what is shown? Just curious about the presentation. Thanks.

Steve

[brookledge]

what's there to be worried about? Is it because you are not ready for winter?
I like to think of it as crunch time. That is when I do my best work
Keith

[red maples]

Nice picks heading to the far reaches of vermont to visit my sister I hope its not to much past peak up there. She 's about 15 minutes from that other country up there. but they never go because her husband got busted for drunk drive ...can't go up there for another year yet!!! ooops. Dummy

[stoweski]

Stoweski,

What do they cover at the beginers workshop? What do they talk about and what is shown? Just curious about the presentation. Thanks.

Steve

Hey Steve,

There were three presenters. Tim Wilmont discussed the basics of buckets & spouts, gave a few tips for people who were planning on using buckets. He then went on to discuss using lines and how to properly set the mainline & feed lines and also how to connect various lines together. We went into the woods to run a few lines and put on connectors.

Brian Stowe discussed the boiling operation and how it all works. He also talked about cleaning the equipment during and at the end of the season. We actually took a tour of two different sugar houses. The PMRC sugar house has a large oil fired evap, probably 4 x 16 or so - a very nice piece of equipment that would make any sugarmaker jealous. The other sugar house was down the hill and was a ma & pop operation using an evap probably 2 x 4 in size. Was nice to see how the boiled.

The third presentation was by George Cook on syrup finishing. He discussed the techniques involved with finishing, bottling, grading and syrup contamination & impurities such as using previously used bottles or tanks that may have had other foods in them, ie. mayonnaise, buddy syrup, metabolism. The taste tests of 7 or 8 different syrups was a bonus. We were able to taste good syrup along with syrup that was off flavor.

All three presentations were very good and worth the trip. I am also considering attending the NY workshop for beginners just to see if they offer any other advise.

And to think, I now have a sugar house and evap and I've have yet to tap a tree!
Keith

[Bucket Head]

Thanks for the summary. It sounds like a good presentation.

Steve

[stoweski]

Steve,

I was browsing your photos and noticed the barrels you are using. Did you buy them new or were they some of the used barrels that have been floating around craigslist and other places? If they were used how did you clean them? And, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get them and were they a decent price?

I still need to get a storage tank for sap and was looking for something in the 200gal range. Since I need to get stove pipe also I'm trying to keep the cost down on the barrels. My problem is that after going to the class I am afraid of using anything that has had food products in them. I currently have five barrels that had sesame oil in them. Gotta tell ya, that stuff reeks. I highly doubt I can get the smell out of the barrels.

Thanks,
Keith

[KenWP]

I am far from ready and who knows if I ever will be. Trying to get ahead of the game here lately.

[woodsmith]

that looks like my neighborhood too, can't beat fall in New England!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

The pictures are tremendous, just nothing like the fall colors and the mountains and trees. Made a trip up to Myersdale and Salibury, PA yesterday to Henry Brenneman who is my dealer and it was close to 500 mile round trip and the trees are a little behind here and up there, but they were coloring quite nicely and beautiful views. Working in the sugaring woods today and set down at the edge of the woods in the field and just took in the God's beautiful creation and the awesomeness of it all as I ate lunch.

[sapmaple]

Amen! brother

[Round Mtn Mapler]

Great picture... I love to see these colors.
They go by so fast. Almost all the maple leaves
are done here except for couple leaves on the sugar maples.