Ok everyone, I'm sorry, in deleting many posts in this thread I accidentally deleted the whole shabang... it's only the 10th of December so lets start fresh!!
Again I apologize for the lost posts, but for the most part it wasn't much to read.
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Ok everyone, I'm sorry, in deleting many posts in this thread I accidentally deleted the whole shabang... it's only the 10th of December so lets start fresh!!
Again I apologize for the lost posts, but for the most part it wasn't much to read.
Guys- I like to hear what everyone is doing new before the season becouse sometimes you get good ideas from it and its fun to kind of share in the excitement of it when season comes. Anyone wants to post what there doing new for the year, tinker on the evap, more taps, streamline something, I like to hear about that kind of thing. Also what you have left to do before season. Maybe itll make me feel better about all the work I have left to do. Just fun to hear about that stuff. If anyone is just trying vac thats fun to hear about becouse I can tell you from experiance last year thatll be exciting. Theron
Only a few days left for me to hunt. Then I got to get my act together. I still have a few details to clean up on the rig. Mostly, supporting my steam stack so it doesn't blow down. Plan on tapping the first warm spell in Feburary.
Anybody in western PA have about a 100 gal. poly tank? I'm thinking I could use a little storage:)
TTHHE(NOTGONNAHAVEENOUGHBARRELS)RROONNN- This ought to make you feel better about where you are at,,,I have to get another 16 cords (of dry wood) in the sugarhouse,,rebuild the airtight front I want to put on Marvin and install, havent been in the woods since september, I am sure there is a weeks work just to fix what I had last year,,set up the 5 600-1200 gallon feed-storage tanks I have above the sugarhouse and build covers for them-plumb the together,,,think there is some other stuff,,just cant think of it now,,,,,we will get it-in one form or another-always do,,,
I've been a member of this forum since March or so and never realized there were monthly journals until yesterday. Interesting reading seeing where people are at each month.
I have to finish running laterals and drops, 2-300' of mainline with wire; transport, cut, stack 4-5 chord slab pine; build barn doors, finish getting my evap. ready, build shelving and a bench, wire, and etc. I figure I'll be done just in time for maple season. Perfect.
I am installing vacuum for my first year of sugaring. Looking forward to sap ladders and having everything end up in one tank. It's going to be great having a 15 min. collection time and never mind all the BIGSAP I'll get.
Its been a while since i posted anything in the journal. So here goes. This summer I cut and split 31 full cords of sugar wood. yes 3968cu.ft. 90% by myself. I also have hung 1900 ft of trunk line and 3,200 ft of 3/4 mainline. when it is finished I should have around 1500 taps. I am adding 500 this year, and will add the rest next year. Which sould bring my tap count to some where near 2400 taps. I have sold all my poly tanks except for my transport tanks. I have added an 500,800,and a 1000 gal milk tanks. With all of them together with out the buckets i should have over 5000 gal of storage. I have the same plan as last year and that is to always have sap waiting on me. Except for a few glitches it worked well for me last year and I am in the process of ironing out the wrinkles.
Hey Dave Y good to see that your still around, Sounds like you were busy this year.
I gave a maple sugarin' talk at my parents Grange Meeting last night, I think it went quit well. I found that they were all surprised that I can make syrup around here, and that they didn't know you can tap almost any kind of maple tree.
It was pretty cool seeing their amazement.
I did get my name out there, that way if I have enough syrup I would like to sell syrup locally.
I had one quy walk up to me afterwards and told me that he had some maples and if I wanted I was more than welocme to tap them, wow. For as much as I would like to do that this year I will have to wait till next year.
I even got the word out there that I was looking for some milk tanks and a dairy pump, I had a lady tell me that I was a few months late they just sold two for almost nothing, but I got my feelers out there now so I sould be able to come upon a tank by next year.
Dennis H.
Congrats on the presentation. There is nothing more important to a suucessful business than public education. And not the kind you get at the public school!
I am not the kind of person to get up in front of people I don't know and talk about something, even if it is a fun hobby like Sugarin'.
I was asked while I was there if I would like to talk at a Lions Club meeting in the spring! I told them I would hhave to ponder on it. I mean for-goodness-sake this is only my second season making maple syrup. I am far from an expert. But I might have to take one for the team and do it to get my name out there somemore, right??
Dennis- Thats nice your doing that. What goes around seems to come around. We had the kids whole third grade out last year to my place while we were sugaring. Wasnt my idea but I went along with it. I was glad I did the kids loved it. Especially seeing the releaser dump. I was a little worried about someone sueing me into nonexistance over a cut or something then I figured you cant really live like and its not fair for the kids. Im assuming a new batch will be out this year. Teachers thought it was neat too. Theron
Dave,
No wonder you haven't been on here for a while with all the maple work you have been putting in. Sounds like you have plans for an RO in the near future with all the expansion of taps??
Brandon,
An Ro is in future plans along with vacuum a new sugarhouse and about twice as many taps or more. I am hoping to retire i a few short years. I have to have enough taps to live on.
I forgot a bigger evaporator!
Dave get the RO first. You may find that your evaporator is big enough.
Hey Dave nice to hear from you again. Russ is right that rig of yours would run3000+ taps with an RO up against the front of it. Who would have thought that you could run 1000+ on vac on a 2x6 we do it with time to spare.
see you in Jan at the meeting
Jim
Dave- Do you think you might have some of the taps on vac this year possably? Ive been going to get a hold of you too to let you know I have some barrells of yours that Jerry gave me the other day. Anytime you want to get together to get them will be fine. Im going to take a bunch back to Richard too so maybe if you want Ill run yours up there at the same time to save you some drive. Theron
Big sap with vac or ro first?
Maple Barron, good to see you made it out of the woods:) I stopped in to see Dave Y over the summer. He told me he hauled a bit of that wood out by wheel barrow. He was just firing up his brand new splitter. He asked if I wanted to help and would pay in beer:D . Unfortunately I was on my way home from work. I would have made out great on that deal.
I'm headed to Kane first thing in the morning. Do alittle work at the hospital then find a deer in the ANF.
gary r i could get you 2 poly 55 gal drums
Dan if your evaporator is big enough do the vacuum first then the RO. If you are already stretching the limits of your evaporator get the RO first. I got them both at the same time.
Dennis nice job supporting and spreading the maple news!
Chris
Guys , no vacuum this year. My money tree has a blight. I hope to do an RO and vacuum the same year. And by the time I have 5000 taps get a bigger evaporator. That way i can do 10,000 taps. all BS aside. I am dead serious about making my living off of maple when I retire. I plan to have enough taps that I will survive even if the bottom fall out of the market
DAVEY you should have your fortune made when you retire
RICH
jrthe3,
I may take you up on that. I have to stop next week at an amish place that has a small sugarshack that has not been in use. Going to see if there are any goodies he wants to part with. TSC wants $250 for a new one. Most used ones have probably been used for ag "spray":( .
Thanks, I'll be in touch.
ogden,
Who is talkin a bout a fortune? Im talkin pay the bills!
DAVEY
people usually dont retire until the bills are paid
RICH
ogden,
30 years is long enough regardless. Plus I would go nuts If I wasnt working or in the woods doing something. So it may as well be something I enjoy and can gain a little finacially. Besides I plan on living till I am 100 and not slowing down untill I am 99, and I am better than half way there.
DAVEY You are right, its nice to have a hobby that gives some pay back, also im holding you to your word no slowing down till 99
RICH
I hope to be able to do this sugaring into my 60's and 70's anyway. I am approaching the big five-oh and have a tweaked back today, so I feel like I'm 99 today. I think I'll take the weekend off from stringing tubing. When I'm back on my feet I'll be back at it.
Revi,
The big five is in my rear veiw mirror. I dont ever want to quit. yesterday I strung 4 roll of tubing after work and installed the saddles that went with them. I like to put it altogether as I go then it is done. After supper I cut up a speed beef before sack time. Came to work at 4 am this morning to plow snow. No rest for the wicked.
Gary the ones i have have only had water in them they will need cleaned out they have been sitting around for a while
Spend this morning making cream, sugars, and bottling 1/2 a case of pints. This afternoon was cleaning ditches to keep water out of the house and saphouse, some fun!
As sugar makers we all have a responsibiltiy to spread the word. I am going up to 150 buckets this year. I'm also a one of the directors for my county. It's not because I have 1000's of tap but because I volunteer and feel that maple is a big part of Vermont. My boy's think we make the best syrup ever.
I feel we make the best family ever.
We all have the responsibility to provide the best product we can.
Now that I'm off my soap box. Sugar makers in large are still the best group of people I've ever met.
Hope your not snowed under.
Al,
Great to see you back on here. Bet those boys are getting big!
Spent the am running the generator and bottling syrup. Maybe enough to get past Christmas but I have a feeling the guy who usually buys 15 1/2 gallons with about 2 hours notice will call when we least expect it! Power finally came on about 2 pm today, about 36 hours here on generators. Haven't been to the woods yet. Did not see much damage other than no electricity most everywhere I went the past 2 days. Hoping not much happened to the sugarbush.
Mark
That was one heck of a storm!! I went hiking today and the distant mountaintops still glitter with ice!, we only had the rain... tons of it, in my cellar too!
BTW fuel Oil around here just around 2 bucks... amazing!
Boy, I hope nobody pre-purchased their oil this year. We shopped around in October and they wanted $4.75/gallon. One of the saleswomen was wispering under her breath "don't do it". Glad we didn't. I wonder what she knew a couple of months ago?Quote:
Originally Posted by mapleman3
It was a good weekend despite the cold. Sat was spent in young five acre lot thinning. It will be a very productive area within ten years. It feels good to make improvments that will pay big in the future. On Sunday we worked in the barn plumbing in the new 3000gal sap buffer storage tank. I now have 2 gal per tap storage at the barn. If I am working it will be nice to have the day buffer if I cant boil. Walked all lines, not even a single branch across a laterial, but plenty of red squirrl and deer damage. The deer use it like chewing gum, and the squirrls chew the fittings right off lines. This summer I removed a porcuupine that was on a 30P diet. I bet I will have to replace around 30 taps this year from animal dammage.
Brian
well i got the evaporator built need to run the chimney throught the roof. do any of you guys know if a 6'' pipe will handle a fire big enough to make a 4'x5' pan boil. i got a 4ft section that is 6'' pipe and the pipe that goes out of the roof is 8''. its probably about 5-6' long. thanks in advance... nate