Sure hoping for another cold couple of weeks in So VT. I'll be at least another week finishing up the winter thinning in our main sugarbush before upgrading the old gravity lines to vacuum. Still inching towards 1000 taps, but doubt we'll reach it this season. Maybe next year?
300 on vaccum
300 gravity tubing
200 buckets
100 hilltop acres
16x20 timberframe sugarhouse built in 2010
3x10 Leader max flue & revolution pans w/ Inferno arch - 2013
1998 Kubota M5400
Northwoods Farm and Forestry on Facebook.
More snow...more cold...a real New England winter we are having. Looks like snowshoes will be required in the woods after this storm. I have one more section of mainline to get up and then about 100 taps worth of tubing and saddles to install before I start tapping. I'm thinking I will start right about the 15th.
About 750 taps on High Vac.
2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
Springtech Elite 500 RO
14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
www.littlehogbackfarm.com
We are way behind this year. We are still putting our arch back together. The plumbing for the pan is being welded this week. I have to build a float this weekend so hopefully next week we can start our woods work. We will be pushing it.
Whitetail Maple Syrup est. 2013
2013- 12x12 sugar house 2x4 arch and 196 taps started on gravity finished on vacuum and 13 buckets.
2014- 12x26 sugar house (12x14 addition) 2.5x8 arch 220+ taps on High vacuum (shooting for 28") 500 on gravity tubbing
2015- 12x26 sugar house 2.5x8.5 arch (new front pan) 220+ taps on High vacuum (shooting for 28") 700 on gravity tubbing ( shooting for 300 on 3/16 tubbing)
Yesterday was a beautiful day in the woods...stretching mainline, wire tying, stringing tubing, following critter tracks, and staying warm despite the cold wind. This is what it is all about. Still lots to do, but I'm feeling good about "The 2015 Season".
About 750 taps on High Vac.
2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
Springtech Elite 500 RO
14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
www.littlehogbackfarm.com
I am small time so it will take me only a few days to be ready to go. I will plow out up at camp tomorrow than I have to work starting Sunday thru next Saturday to make sure all those Valentine's Day flowers get delivered. After deer season ended I question rather I be able to boil this spring. Doctor tells me I need a partial knee replacement. But knee has calm down and I think I am good to go. I will have to be in far more constant pain than I am currently in before I let them put a replacement part in me.
110 taps W.F Mason 2x3 and two turkey friers for finishing
2011 expanding to a Mason 2x4 with a blower increasing taps to about 200
2011 Hurricane Irene rips thru my small sugar bush cost me to lose 20% of taps
2014 I have reworked my lines for 2014
32 taps on 5/16 line with check valves
57 taps on 3/16 line with check valves
55 buckets with total tapped trees of 144
Well I am way behind on my prep work, but my incentive is being built now by Smokey Lake ! A new 2x5 divided pan ! Now I need to rip everything out of the shack and figure out how to fit it all back in. With a float on one side and the draw on another I will be tight in there... Still need way more wood, but I may start scarfing pallets. Snow is so deep that pulling stuff out of the woods is not fun...
I resisted the call of the combo flue pan model from Smokey Lake, beautiful, but I would have to expand my taps and I foresee them contracting as my labor pool dwindles to just me...
I think this season is going to start very late... even with warm weather the snow in the woods is going to take some time to recede. Hopefully it is gradual and long once it starts...
31 Taps in 2011 with buckets, Barrel evap
45+ Taps for 2012 with buckets, 2x5 Dryer Arch with steel pans ! 8x11 Sugar Shack, Dump Stations,
60 Taps for 2013- Insulated Dryer arch, AUF,
2014 watched from sidelines...
70 Taps for 2015 - dryer arch, new 2x5 divided pan from Smokey Lake with a float box !
70 Taps for 2016 - added a preheater and new grates for the Dryerator.
80 Taps for 2018 - Dryer arch got new front and door
Smokey With the steep of the hillside your tapping I would run 3/16 line vs your buckets have it all going to one large holding tank. You will triple the amount of sap from the same number of taps. All but one section of my tubing is now 3/16th.
110 taps W.F Mason 2x3 and two turkey friers for finishing
2011 expanding to a Mason 2x4 with a blower increasing taps to about 200
2011 Hurricane Irene rips thru my small sugar bush cost me to lose 20% of taps
2014 I have reworked my lines for 2014
32 taps on 5/16 line with check valves
57 taps on 3/16 line with check valves
55 buckets with total tapped trees of 144
Hey Steve J, At some point I will go tubing, though I really love Buckets, for now I have help collecting and will stick with the dump stations. I do plan to move the shack so I can have the dump lines all go directly to a tank behind the shack. The 2x5 will keep me small since it is a flat divided pan. Hope the thaw comes slow this year, I will try and get up your way to see the Mason running this season !
Chris
31 Taps in 2011 with buckets, Barrel evap
45+ Taps for 2012 with buckets, 2x5 Dryer Arch with steel pans ! 8x11 Sugar Shack, Dump Stations,
60 Taps for 2013- Insulated Dryer arch, AUF,
2014 watched from sidelines...
70 Taps for 2015 - dryer arch, new 2x5 divided pan from Smokey Lake with a float box !
70 Taps for 2016 - added a preheater and new grates for the Dryerator.
80 Taps for 2018 - Dryer arch got new front and door
Tapping when?
Have been following the 10 and 30 day forecast, temps really aren't breaking until 3rd week of March, there are a few teasers around the 19th. With 2-3 feet of snow in the woods and temps the last two nights of 30 and 12 below, can't even drill holes. Shaping up to be a more tradional sugaring season (waiting until town meeting day). Might put a few in tomorrow afternoon - think it might be more like Sunday, next week looks good right after town meeting day.
I'm planning on starting tapping on Monday. I have some more saddles to install this weekend, and a little more plumbing mainlines to the new releaser, but after that I will be ready to start. We may get a 2 day warm up middle of next week but we'll see. Looks like spring will come on slow in early march but may really come fast after that.
I have been finishing plumbing the new ro and making some other changes in the equipment room on the colder days. Running around on snowshoes has been keeping me warm in the woods and now I have plenty of trails so tapping should go pretty quick.
About 750 taps on High Vac.
2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
Springtech Elite 500 RO
14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
www.littlehogbackfarm.com
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote