Plans for next season?

[mapleman3]

Well now that the need for coffee is done due to the warmer weather being here, It seems like everyone is done or finishing up. I think the general consensus is that it wasn't as good a sap season as last year.

With that said, what are your plans for next year?

I plan on adding more taps, I'd like to pick up 100 on buckets along my route, and put them in galvanized hangers for the feel of the maple season!!, hoping that if we get another"off" year at least I will have more sap, and if we have a big year? well more boiling!!

Also I will be hopefully getting a hood from the guy who made brandons, and I will build my own preheater.
also hopefully close in the saphouse this year. and figure out getting my burner a little more efficient.

who knows what else? I am trying to keep the $$ down this summer and fall, we'll see.

[Al]

Let's see a woodshed and 20 more taps. Do some more clearing and improve my road system. This will be my least inexpensive year since I started. I think I just heard my wife laugh. :lol:
Take care..

[andrew martin]

Maple man,

I plan to buy 70 more taps and buckets next fall at a good price, read the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual from cover to cover so I will understand more of this hobby gone wild, and buy a trailer for my truck. All that helpful info everyone gave me about making a new syrup pan was very helpful. As it turned out, the gentleman who let me borrow his 10 gallon stockpot also has a 4x2 stainless syrup pan he said I could borrow for next year, since he will be in Costa Rica. That means I can save some money, build an outdoor hearth with a stack and preheater and experiment a little bit before next year's season. The pan is a little heavy (~10 gauge.), but it's free, and I do not have to store it from season to season, which is an added bonus, for our gargae is already very cramped. I am going to walk another 300 acres and look for maple trees this weekend, and enjoy our 75 degree weather.

Andrew

[MaineMapleDave]

More taps.
Better sap management system (too much lugging heavy buckets).
Sugarhouse, so I can move out of the barn.
Better blower setup so I can milk a couple more years out of the half-pint before I upgrade.
Boil more often.

Oh, hey--that was my list of stuff to do for THIS year!!!!

[Maple Flats]

I plan to remove the wood floor in the sugarhouse and put in concrete with drains and fresh air inlets in the floor. Want to add 150 to 200 more taps. Already have permission to tap roadside from a friend for about 75 and another friend for another 75 taps in his yard, both are mature trees and all sugarmaples. The roadside guy asked if I wanted to tap any of his woods or hedgerows, I will study that. Want to get bigger evap or RO, we'll see. Want to get filter press to help get clearer glass packs more easily but that will be last because I can use the 16 x 24 with filter rack if I need to. May also add up to 150 taps on my land but these are all soft maples and may not do it unless I get the RO. I want to be able to make enough syrup to bulk pack some for later re packing as needed, this year I have sold essentially all except what is in the canner yet to be finished this weekend and that looks like maybe 3 gal I think. I want to get so much sap that I need to evap. every hour I can. I have an old vac pump from a dairy operation that may be put to use if I do the soft maples in my woods in addition to the 110 taps in my woods on sugars. My remaining 30 pipeline taps are not going to get vac because they are seperate from the rest in another woods. :) I have a blower that will be hooked up when I decide what evap I will have and will also make a hood for the flues pan, not sure about the syrup pan yet.

[brookledge]

Well I'm going to continue to strive to get 1/2 gallon of syrup per tap. Thought I'd get there this year but no such luck. Did end up with .35 gallons per tap which is better than some. Last year I got .41 gal. per tap and I did not have everything on vacuum.My philosophy is to try to get the maximum from the least. It ends up being cheaper in the long run. Other than that I need to spend a little more time on marketing.
Good luck to all.
Al,
What happened to the filter canning unit? I didn't see it mentioned in your plans for next year.
Keith

[themapleking]

Clean out all of the hemlock in my sugar bush. Replace all of the 3/4 mainline with 1". Get a new smoke stack made s.s. going down from 14" to !2".
Anyone know of a good cheap tin smith.
Add more taps. Jim & Rick now I'm only half tapped of what I have. Some where between 700-1000. Increase vacuum threw out the tubing system.
Get a or make a cream machine.
And clone the sugar maple buy my shack that reads 3.8% or higher.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Joe,

The guy who made my hood and is going to make one for Jim made my 10" stainless steam stack for $ 30 for a 4' section. Probably could make you a nice smoke stack for a lot cheaper than what most others could since he is Amish. Jim is getting his delivered to NH, so probably could do something like that for you. Send me a PM. :D

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Is my mind playing tricks on me or is Al TALKING ABOUT ADDING MORE TAPS! 8O 8O 8O I must be getting old because I thought he swore he wasn't going to add any more. 8O 8O Just think, he is already talking about 20 taps and the season isn't even over yet. 8O 8O Probably be 200 more by the end of the year. 8O 8O :lol: :lol: :lol: :wink:

[sweetwoodmaple]

Yup, It's a sickness with no known cure. :wink:

[Al]

My numbers increase each year due to my slow learning curve on my Algiers 2x5 1/2 evaporator. Each year we boil better together and our hourly evaporation seems to increase exponentially. No filter/canner mentioned because there's one sitting in my sugarhouse of the 16x20 variety. Got a good deal and the wife couldn't refuse. :D On 116 taps this year my longest boil was about 4 hours so with 130 I should have some longer boils especially whenever we get a big run. My family is already having syrup withdrawls with my low production this year. Of course my sisters haven't been up to help so there allotment will go down anyways. I'm now basing the giving of my syrup for free on help provided unless your over 65. Then it free. (my parents) :D

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Al,

I always try to tap more trees than I need so I will have enough sap in a bad year. If I have too much sap, I pull the taps when I make enough or just dump some on the ground if I have more than I can boil. Better to have too much than not enough, might even want to shoot for 200 next year! :D :D :D

I just enjoy giving you a hard time, hope you don't mind! :D :wink:

[mapleman3]

if ya got em.... Tap em!!!!

[Al]

Shoot if I tapped all I had available around me I need a 3x10 and alot more money. :D

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Al,

The good thing is you have a little more time than most of the rest of us, so go for as many as you can! :D :D :D

[Al]

I would bet you dollers to doughnuts that I put in just as many if not more hours a week as a stay at home Dad doing my job as you do in your job. Being a stay at home parent if done correctly is not free rein to do what you want whenever you want. Most days I'm the first up at 5:45 fix breakfast and don't get any free time until after dinner at 6:30 which I cook. Any projects I do during the day involve the boys and take twice as much longer then normal. By the way I wouldn't have it any other way. :D My family is a gift from God and I treat them that way. My projects are secondary to my family's needs.
Don't take this personnally it's just I get alot of free time remarks and it makes me a little touchy so I gently tell people how it is. :D No offense is intended in this statement. :D
Oh and I'm not complaining this was our choice and my life style for now! :D
Have a great day!

[mapleman3]

Al, you must have a lot of time on your hands to think about this!! ... hehe gotcha!! :wink: hey I'm with you, Kids are MORE than a days work, I'm sure when days end comes your beat and wanna take a break!, and it sounds like sugaring is a relaxing hobby for you....

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Al,

My wife is a stay at home mom and so was my mom with four kids and I know exactly what you mean. That is why I said a little more time. What I meant by that is that you could go out during the middle of the day and gather sap for an hour or so and the most of the rest us can't do that due to punching clocks. :? I think it is great what you are doing and I didn't mean anything as I am sure you take plenty of shots as does my wife. :wink:

[ANMAN]

Building a whole new sugarhouse, with the lumber that's still in the tree that we'll saw out. Build it around our nice stainless 2000 gallon milk tank we got as a gift for helping take down a dairy barn this summer. It'll be nice not to do the sump-pump dance constantly and have running water!

Then we'll add 1000+ taps on pipe and then use as little of our 500 buckets as possible.

Pull 50 cords of non-maple from our sugar-bush if we have time.

Light stuff!

[WF MASON]

I'm with you Al, my wife returned to work when our son was two , you have my respect.


Anman , sounds like you must be running more then an hobby evaporator ??

[Al]

Thanks and now lets get back to sugaring. Woodshed designs. I'm going to do a lean too of the back end. Would you build walls or leave the sides open? On the inside would you leave it open or build doors to close in the sugarhouse in the winter? Looks like I'll be moving my wood pile again. :D
Take care

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Al,

Might just want to leave the sides open as it will make it much easier to access wood and to stack it also. Supposedly, it will dry better this way too as more air can flow through it.

You could also just extend your building roof out a few more feet on the end of you building and at a few more trusses and a couple of 6x6 treated posts and it would be stronger and last longer. That is what I am hoping to do with my building, extend it 8' from the end of the building and this will give me an 8x24 woodshed! :D

Good luck! :D

[mapleman3]

Al how bout a sliding door to the inside of the sugarhouse so you can grab wood fast without going outside?
Stack the wood right to it and then start burning from there

[brookledge]

Al,
I have found that keeping the wood inside I can get a better boiling rate than if the same wood is outside covered. As long as the wood going in is good and dry you are ok. If it is wet when you stack it inside it will get moldy and slowly rot. I have been told that wood that is stored outside that is covered will have a higher moisture content than the same wood stored inside. It seems to be true for me because I can notice a difference. But if you can't close it in atleast a roof over head will be better.
Keith

[saphead]

Jim, I'm with you on the sliding door. Was in several sugar houses this year and the cold breeze,wind, blowing in on the syrup pan didn't help the boil at all. If at all possible have the temp all around the syrup pan even,cold spots can mess up your gradient big time!

[Parker]

Like saphead said,,a door is critical,,,when I tried to boil with the woodshed doors open it REALLY slowed things down,,as for the shed I think you should leave the sides open,let the air in there a little,heck if you dont like it that way you can board it in anytime

[gmcooper]

Hey guys the best wood shed idea I have seen was added on the gable end of the sugar house. same width and height. It had sliding doors on 3 sides. They could put wood in from 3 sides and open any side or all sides to dry wood. If rain was forcast they pulled doors shut. When they boiled they could open any of the 3 doors or close them. Had a 4th slider between wood and sugarhouse. Wood shed was about 24x24. They also had wood cart (maybe 2) they loaded and rolled near the evaporator to keep supply handi to fire box. Concrete floor on both and only slight ramp from one to other.
Get building and remember 40x60 sugarhouse is just till you get time to build the one you really need.
Mark