Another newbie

[fishercatwoodchuck]

Hoping to do a little backyard sugaring in the spring with my 8 and 4 year old. Just started grooming 75 acres in Waterford, Vt. for my retirement hobby in 15 years. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Excellent site to.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Welcome Aboard!

[Fred Henderson]

Welcome and get them kids into training right away.

[KenWP]

Man free labour. I could use a couple of kids also if anybody wants to share. She who has to be obeyed helps but it's costly.

Have to find a map of Vermont again to find all these places.

[Maplebrook]

Welcome aboard!

Are you sure what your getting yourself into trying sugaring?

That first whiff of boiling sap will stay with you forever!

Keep us posted.

Darren

[michelle32]

Nice to see new people. Welcome aboard Firecat wood chuck.
Keith & Michelle

[DrTimPerkins]

Hoping to do a little backyard sugaring in the spring with my 8 and 4 year old. Just started grooming 75 acres in Waterford, Vt. for my retirement hobby in 15 years. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Excellent site to.

Howdy there. If you find yourself in the Underhill area, feel free to stop in and visit us at the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center www.uvm.edu/~pmrc (and that goes for anyone on the list here). If you want to chat for a while or have a thorough tour, a phone call ahead is much appreciated.

If you want some good wintertime reading, get ahold of a copy of the North American Maple Producer's Manual. Everything you ever wanted to know about sugaring and more.

UVM Maple Extension does occasionally hold workshops for beginning sugarmakers. Unfortunately for you they just held one last month, so the next won't be for a while. However you can get a lot of great information at the Vermont Maple Conferences held in January each year.

Another good source of info is the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association (www.vermontmaple.org) ....consider joining.

Tim Perkins
UVM PMRC

[3% Solution]

Firecat,
Welcome!!:)
Everyone here has been a great help to our operation and will no doubt help you out too.
Sometimes folks here say that we are a sick bunch, we have adiction.
Well maybe we do, but we have our own on board staff .......... Dr. Perkins and he knows all about our sickness.
Seriously, you will enjoy this sight very much, lots of good folks here.
Pay attention and ask questions, you'll learn alot the same as I have.
This goes for the rest of the new folks coming on too.

Dave

[DrTimPerkins]

...we have our own on board staff .......... Dr. Perkins and he knows all about our sickness.

Just take two drops of defoamer and call me in the morning. :)

There is no cure for this affliction, but then again, it probably won't kill you either.

I'll send you my bill later.

Tim P.
UVM PMRC

[red maples]

welcome! here we don't call them kids we call them sap haulers. I have 2 of my own.

[Perkmapleacres]

Hello, My name is Rob Perkins - farm manager of Perkins Maple Acres Farms, LLC. Our farm is in Allegany county in western New York. The family has made maple syrup since moving to this farm around 1863. Over the years many changes have been made, from using wooden buckets, horses to haul sap, dump stations on the hill to minimize the hauling from the main sugar woods to using lines with vacuum and reverse osmosis. We currently use a woodfired 2x8 Leader evaporator with a homemade preheater, have mainly stainless steel tanks for storage. The sap lines run into a main tank and is trucked to the sugar house. We tap only a small number of the trees we could, mainly because I work a full time job off the farm, as a production supervisor at a local factory. I have been to this site many times looking at all of the information you all provide and the items for sale. What a great place to gain information and help others who have limited experience. Hope to be able to contribute in the future.:)

[fishercatwoodchuck]

Just picked up my first SS pans. Got three nice one's for $75 at Pete's Equipment in North Conway. Time to erect the arch with a little help from my son (sap hauler) :). I'll post pics when completed.

[hurryhill]

First thing you do for yourself is purchase the North American Maple Producers Manual from Ohio State to learn the "science" of making maple syrup and the second, and most important, is to go to your public library and take out a copy of the 1957 Newbery award book Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen to learn the "art" of making syrup. Read it aloud to your 4 and 8 year old, and anyone else willing to listen. Mrs. Sorensen gathered sap and spent many hours in a sugarhouse and then wrote a wonderful chapter book. Enough said - it IS A NEWBERY - the olympic gold of children's literature - and a book written for every sugarmaker - real and armchair!

This book ill be conversation for your entire family all during the sugarin' season and for years to come. And don't forget to look for the Miracles all during the season - including the peepers marking the end of the season!! How lucky those kids are - learning to make syrup and memories!

Janet M. Woods
Hurry Hill Farm and Maple Museum
11380 Fry Road
Edinboro, PA
4X14 Leader Special - all wood/all buckets/all lanterns
2009 PA Farm Show Premier Exhibitor and Best of Show

[ennismaple]

And don't forget to look for the Miracles all during the season - including the peepers marking the end of the season!! How lucky those kids are - learning to make syrup and memories!

Well said Janet. It's funny you mentioned the peepers - my grandfather used to claim he'd make as much syrup after the frogs started to sing as he did before. It may have been as black as roofing tar, but still syrup!

[fishercatwoodchuck]

Thank you for the info on the book, just ordered on amazon for 5 bucks. I'm sure my kids will love it. We love the peepers to, my wife is originally from Holland and we moved back to Vermont in 98 and that was one of the first things she fell in love with was the peepers.

[bwellington@hdc.on.ca]

My father always said that the frogs had to freeze up 3 times before it was spring so i never get in a rush to shut down when I first hear them. usually we get another 1 or 2 freezeups.

[KenWP]

I made syrup for days after those goofy frogs started to make noise. I thought they were birds untill I figured out there wasn't a bird around. The starlings had been hanging around in flocks earlyier. The ditch beside the house was full of them.
I don't know if that book would be around this part of the country or not. My library is actually half in Vermont and half in Quebec. I cross over the line to get into it every week.

[bwellington@hdc.on.ca]

Yup. Very interesting. I think there is always something to learn from other producers. Even if it is an expensive hoby.

[fishercatwoodchuck]

I made syrup for days after those goofy frogs started to make noise. I thought they were birds untill I figured out there wasn't a bird around. The starlings had been hanging around in flocks earlyier. The ditch beside the house was full of them.
I don't know if that book would be around this part of the country or not. My library is actually half in Vermont and half in Quebec. I cross over the line to get into it every week.

Sounds like the Haskell, I probaly have seen you a few times crossing.