Don't overwhelm yourself. It takes all the fun out of it.
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Don't overwhelm yourself. It takes all the fun out of it.
Here is another vote for that! nothing is more depressing than pouring out 700 gallons of sap because it turned to snot because you couldn't boil it fast enough....just sad...Quote:
Originally Posted by Z/MAN
Thanks that was what my brain was telling me. There is still a drive in me to take on more, but I will listen to my brain.Quote:
Originally Posted by Z/MAN
I know they are there for next season, if I am allowed back on the hill.
I have to admit this morning while I was waking up, half awake and half asleep, I considered running down to CDL and getting more tubing. Once I fully woke up my brain took over and said no.
Last year the locals said the sap flow was really poor. I had 109 taps and in no day did I ever get a gallon a tap. (109 gallons). Looking at my sap records, I averaged 31 gallons a day on any day I collected sap, and 58 gallons a day on any day I collected 40 gallons or more.
This year if the sap flow is good, where you have several days of a gallon a day, that would be 176 gallons, which would take me two days to process, not counting any time saved by ROing any sap, and goodness forbid if I ever had one of those peak days of 2 gallons per day.
Based on last year’s slow flows, I could have a number of days with 90+ gallons which is more than enough to keep me busy. I won’t add anymore lines in the future unless I upgrade my evaporator or get in a sap sharing agreement with the land owner, which is a possibility in the future.
My wife and I walked the lines today. I marked the tops (start) of the lines on Google maps. We then explored the forests behind the lines. If it was my land and I wanted to getting into sugar making seriously, I could have a couple thousand taps.
On the way back, we walked down the potential fourth line, but I kept telling myself, I would be overwhelmed if I added it.
As we got close to home, I checked the line where I lost the tension hooks. I never found them, but I noticed a tree I had marked, but did not include in the line. It was a mature maple and I decided to change the line so I could include it. So I now have 178 taps.
I looked at my last years flows and there were a number of days where I collected zero sap, often after a larger flow day, so if there are days, I get more sap then I can process that day, there will be another day I can boil it. For the most part I will boil sap within 24 hours.
87 days before sugar season for me.
I'm no more experienced than you are... I've done two seasons versus your one season, but you've done more stuff and way more taps.
But I've been finding it helpful to think in terms of goals, and keeping a check on new goals.
You've got a lot of new goals. First time divided pan, first time with new arch, as you have opportunity first time with RO, and upsized 50% or so.
Adding significantly more taps than planned now would not serve any goals and would interfere with goals you've got.
If you ever want to do a larger operation in the future, adding more taps than planned for 2023 wouldn't do a thing toward that goal, and might even set it back. Your other goals of getting good at RO, divided pan, and other things (also landowner relations) totally go toward that goal, and will go better with the number of taps you've got.
Meanwhile, as you walk those woods, take notes as you have done. Those are your 2024 season notes. By April 2023 you'll know whether you want to expand and you can spend the summer deciding how much.
Have fun!
I finally got my hands on some free 5/16” tubing and cut them to size. I likely range from 1 7/8” to 1 3/4” of the bit exposed. Now I have the tubing, which I will start off with. It does not fit super snug, so I expect they might fall off sometimes while carrying the drill. I have seven of those. I have many pieces of dowel drilled and cut to size and I have the drill stops, which I expect I will never use and are headed for my drill bit tool drawer.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
I add both the iCloud link and the forum picture attachment, as the iCloud link is a clearer picture, but it only lasts 30 days, so the forum attachment is there for a long time.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/00eL...jDB_lxvSXnQ55Q
Attachment 22651
I met the landowner who owns the steep hill where I have the three lines, in person today. We chatted for a little bit. His family has been tapping trees in the area for generations. They used to own very large tracts of land and still own a fair amount.
He said they used to tap on the hill that I will be tapping, about 60 years ago, but stopped doing it, because the trees did not flow as well as other areas they could tap.
Hopefully things have changed a little and hopefully the natural vacuum from the tubing will help. Whatever I get will be welcomed.
The sugar content from the trees this year will be interesting. Last year I was routinely getting 3 to 4% sugar content.
That's a neat history! I'd say 60 years is enough time to give it another go. :-)
I have to say making maple syrup has fundamentally changed my perspective on things. Winter was a season with snow and cold and ice fishing, now winter is just pre sap running season. Looking at the snow on the lines today, all I thought about was the sap running in the lines in less than 3 months, and did not think about the snow falling.
Today we received 16 cms (6.3 inches) and the snow is not stopping and we are supposed to get another 25 cms (10 inches) in the next 24 hours and we are another day closer to the sap running.
We are 80 days away from the sugar moon.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0056...GmdJol9x0c3gjA