february Journal

Nate- Sounds like your working your way up pretty good to me. You might want to get the press if you can. Thats a super big help. You can always ro and boil longer but the filtering is a pain. Keep us posted once it starts running. Theron

No Maple today except for running a add in the girls softball booklet that they are using as a fund raiser.

jdj,
wow 2000 buckets! Need a good crew to do those kinds of numbers:) I could only ever do about 100+ per hour, and on a big run it took a little longer.

You need to look at tubing it is the best time to get into it, the quality of the products are very good. Not a cheap date but would help on the gathering.:)

Regards,
Chris

jdl,
Buckets aren't bad if you can talk someone else into dumping them, right!

I never minded dumping buckets. We used to do 1500 of them. Sometimes hauled sap with 2 teams of horses and 2 rigs. One guy would just move the rigs to and from the sugar house while a crew of 3 or 4 would keep filling the gathering tanks. Gathered 3000 gallons in 6 hours that way. I did sleep well at night then:rolleyes:

Plain and simple - 2000 buckets is hardcore, especially in deep snow pack.

Speaking of which - looks like winter has set back in. I'd say it's snowing about 3"/hour at the moment. Tim (sapman) and 3rdgen - you guys dug out yet? Looks like 2' or so for you guys since last night - with a clipper tomorrow and possible Nor Easter Sun/Mon.

I don't see much tapping whether forcasted.

The Tug is having a banner year. http://www.northernchateau.com/webcam.html

That's right - 6 1/2' of standing snow on the ground. Want to collect buckets in that?

Everytime we get dugout the old snowplows fill us back in. About 2 feet since yesterday and still coming. News says 8 to 12 overnight. Yeehaw Why do I live in the northeast? Oh yeah MAPLES BABY MAPLES! Thanks for asking Danno

3rdgen -

Where in Altmar are you? We have a camp right up the road from you on the Res. in Orwell. Spend alot of time up there fishing the lake and river in the summer and snowmobiling in winter.

Danno on rt 13 between pineville and altmar. Redfield Res. is a great fishery
Little tidbit for ya, Favorite place for Teddy Rosevelt's flyfishing was on the East branch in Redfield. His summer Home is still there and currently occupied. Great Grouse hunting there too. There use to be a pretty big syrup producer over there too. Not sure if he is still around, he had a pretty nice setup. Definatetly snowmobile heaven.

Theron- Last year we had 1600 buckets and darned near killed myself, so with 2000 this year........well I guess you could say I am a glutten for punishment. My father and I are in this together but he isn't getting any younger. He has a knee that is wore out and has a hard time walking through the woods so I delegate him to driving the tractor as much as possible. Usually there are three or four guys to gather and it takes most of the day since I tap four different sugarbushes. It wouldn't be so bad but I work full time, usually the midnight shift, so when sugaring arrives I don't get much sleep. To me the worst part of buckets is washing them but it is something that has to be done.

We gather everyday that there is sap even if there is only a pint in the buckets so we can make good syrup. Our evap. is a 3x10 so we don't have to have tons of sap to run it. Last year we didn't get a "real good" run. I think the most we gathered in one day was 2200 gals of sap. We just never seemed to get the right weather combinations, hopefully this year will be better.

Dave Y- Usually once someone experiences one day off gathering sap from buckets...................they never come back!!!

When I was a pup we had 3500 buckets and I didn't mind them at all, but now it is a little different story. We have a family in northwest Vermont that still uses buckets to the amount of 10,000 and gathers with oxens, it is kind of cool to watch.