January Journal

We got some snow today. And cold New England weather is coming back. That means tapping trees is getting farther away. Oh well I need the time anyhow. I need one more thaw for a few days so I can build a block arch for preheating sap. Farmboy

Well, between yesterday and today, me and the ol man went to the woods for a little wile, and got some mainline up and ran some latertals, and cut in drops, have to install around 20-30 more saddles, then moving to the next mainline, hopfully 100-200 more taps, there, Should be at or around 2000 taps on vac, and running 500 CV adaptors, hopefuly we have a good season, Key thing for me this year is keeping the Vac pump on and not having gas engines blow up like last season and had to scarmble for a gas engine, This year i plan to hav a back up pump and a back up motor, probably have 2 back up pumps if all goes, well, you never know whats going ot happen, been wicked windy here today, calling for -35 with the wind chill here tomororw wont be doing much if its that cold


hope everone is doing good and are planning on BIG SAP this season

Helped a buddy today set up his new piggyback on his 6x14 evap. 4 degrees above 0, alot of work with air bubbler tubes and hose clamps that you couldn't use gloves to work with the stuff. warming hoses up with hot water to slip them on the pipes and then our fingers would stick to the cold metal. and had a good time doing it. we are a strange bunch of people. but as the saying goes.....if i have to explain......you wouldnt understand.

Well, I've been working in the bush the last two days replacing leaky Ring style clamps on my main line with SS clamps. Running a few new lateral lines and setting up for a few more taps this year. Yesterday was nice and this morning was OK other than it snowed pretty hard. Well I dont mind working in the snow but 50 mph winds while it is snowing is another story. Finished my day pretty quick. We should have another couple weeks or so here so there's not a hurry. I will fire up the heat in the shop and maybe clean some tanks tommarrow supposed to only get to 14 degrees.:mad:

COLD, hunkered down by the wood stove!

I would think that if anybody had any buckets out in this wind they are long gone. Drove home in a snowstorm down 81 at 10 miles an hour with a line of traffic in front and a line in the back. This dang tractor trailer driver decided to bully his way by all of us and a few hundred yards I passed him in the ditch. I was going to stop if he had a trailer full of maple equipment in the back spilled all over but he didn't so I kept on going. I think I might have a problem I see maple equipment everywhere. This weather sure takes a smile of your face.

Got the 2010 construction on the sugar house finished last night. Finished siding the last wall and got the bay window in. Looks awesome, I planned to post pics but left the cell phone in the truck, which my wife took to work.
Drove 4 hours down to Mass in a snowstorm to pick up a storage tank for WCProctor last night. Nothing like unloading a tank at 8 degrees in a 40 mph wind at midnight by yourself.
Good news is my sugar house roof stayed in place during last night's wind. Good to go for the next 50 years now.

:cool: It's colder then a witches t....t... ...hart here! Things are coming together though. The arch is bricked, the stack is up and the blower is bolted on and wired in. I was going to set the pans on the arch today but the buddy that was going to give me a hand with them whimped out from the cold. So I brought the 3x3 finish pan in and set it on the warm wood stove added boiling water from the tea kettle and gave it a good scrubbing with green scrubby pads. Mostly just sugar sand but it had a few black scorched spots from the last user. It cleaned up pretty good though with a lot of elbo grease. I'll work on it a little more when I test boil the pans and scrub down the flues in the flue pan. Now I need some better weather so I can string mains and laterals plus set up tanks and barrels.

man you said it., winter returned with avengence. like I always say I can take the cold but man the wind it just rips right through you!!!!

I can't stay away from the trader I see noone else can either!!!! the fever is just too much. 219F I got it man!!!:lol:

Here's a couple of pans for you guys looking for something small. Bet this copper one would kick butt!

http://cgi.ebay.com/COPPER-Maple-Syr...item2c52c9eac6

http://cgi.ebay.com/Maple-syrup-pan-...item45f0ae7bbc

http://cgi.ebay.com/Maple-Syrup-Pan-...item2a04542ce6

http://cgi.ebay.com/Maple-Syrup-Pan-...item1c0fc074ff