Another new guy with no experience. Last winter I decided to try my luck with one 12" sugar maple and only collected two gallons of sap. I used a large aluminum stock pot on an LP burner as my evaporator. Everything was going fine until I got sidetracked by a visiting relative. I think the pot still has the black syrup residue welded into the bottom.

This year has been so goofy with the warm weather I'm not sure when to tap. I'm concerned that I have missed my opportunity. Last week I tapped one 20" tree and only got about 1/2 gal. in 24 hrs.

I look forward to learning from the experienced folks here.