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2011 2010
40 Gallons syrup 18 Gallons syrup
240 taps 220
2 1/4 cord mixed 1 cord
50/1 55/1
this year started at 35/1 when to 60/1 ended at 50 to 1. 20% M/a-25%D/A-45%B- 10%just under B with good favor pull tap before real dark.
PS no over time for months started with first good run and ended day after last good run everything is normal
Ok, we finished up last nite:
2011 46 Gal vs 2010 33.5
2011 410 taps vs 2010 381
2011 1916 Gal sap vs 2010 1765.
Not sure how much wood, but better than 3 cord this year.
Sugar content was much higher this year than last. It never went below 2% and was as high as 3% last weekend. Definitely helped the evaporation rate this year. Sap quality was excellent right to the end.
2010...
27 gallons syrup
250 on vac,
25 buckets & gravity
approx 1900 g sap(didn't keep good records)
2011
55 gallons syrup
280 on vac
27 buckets & gravity
Approx 3700 gal sap
and ran outta wood!!! or I would have had more!!!
2011
187 gallons of syrup all from purchased sap!
Thanks to everyone who helped me out my first year of cooking was a big sucess. I was hoping to make 75 gallons and I had no problem doing that.
I can't wait until next year, with a filter press and adding one or two membranes to my R.O..
Now its time to start the asphalt plant for the road constuction season.
Very good season. Turned off the vacuum pumps last night.
We made 1,270 gallons from 1,940 taps. All on high vacuum and check valve adapters. Our woods have been managed for maple production for 30 years.
180 gallons per cord of hardwood.
.65 gallons of syrup per tap.
Lots of nitre this year and easy filtering.
The first barrel we filled was B color and delicate flavor. We bade 200 gallons of dark 120 gallons of light and the rest was medium and light medium. The last syrup we made was a light medium.
The new vortex evaporator runs hotter and faster than any we've used before.
Had some trouble with smoke leaking from under the syrup pan until we strapped it down.
This is the first night out of the sugar house in 30 days and we hear the peepers for the first time.
Tim,
Sounds like you had an outstanding season. Your numbers are great. You must have done everything right. Is it safe to say you are happy with the CVs? You have got to be the New Hampshire Rock Star of sugaring. I bet you wish you had 10,000 taps. Do you replace your drop lines every year along with your CVs? Nice job Tim.
Spud
253 1/2" gravity line taps
30 buckets
4,746 gal of sap or 16.8 gpt
1,406 gal of sap sold
3,340 gal boiled
84 gal of syrup
3.5 cords
Depending on how the sold sap is taken into account, .40+ gal of syrup per tap.
Still considerable room for low cost improvement.
Yes we had a good season but last year wasn't bad either with 1,020 gallons from 1,900 taps .53 gallons per tap. We farm here full time here and can find time to find and repair vacuum leaks promptly. We put only one tap per tree except for ones over 30" get two. We do tap 8" trees. We cut non-maple trees that are competing with the sugar maples and have done so for over 30 years. We don't replace droplines every year. Our tubing probably averages 5 years old. This year we finished a multi-year tubing and pipeline upgrade. We try to keep the tubing laterals short and steep. For the 4 years prior to last year our per tap average was around .45 gal per tap. The new tubing layout and the CVs make about a .2 gallon per tap difference for us. We will continue to use them for the foreseeable future although it is possible the CVs keep the sap running late enough so the extra syrup has bad late season flavor. That was not the case for us this year. Our syrup tasted good until the end. Last year the last 120 gallons was medium color and tasted very strong like burned caramel.. had to sell it for 2.20 per pound.Quote:
Originally Posted by spud
We fill 40 gallon stainless barrels during the season and transfer it to retail containers all year and sell to stores, restaurants, gift shops and farmer's markets. That gives us part time work all year. If we had syrup from 10,000 taps... our local market might not absorb it and we probably would have to sell bulk. I don't like doing that because we don't set the price.. the buyers do. Sometimes you get a reasonable price sometimes not.
Nice season totals Tim and Hop Kiln...
Another question for tim...what range of GPH can your Vortex-max flu- steamaway do?
2010 - 16 gallons 2011 - 21 gallons
2010 - 260 taps 2011 - 160 taps
2010 - 1.8 to 2.0% 2011 - 2.2 to 2.5%
same amount of wood