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Thread: 2015 tapping

  1. #41
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Vermont, Illinois
    Posts
    80

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    Collected 110 gals yesterday and cooked it down last night. Finished out another 4.5 gals of syrup this morning and got it bottled off.

    Froze last night and just starting to run now. 37 F now but full sun. Had 17" HG on 3/16 tubing yesterday too!! Weather after Monday says I'll be about done, but I think I said this two weeks ago too. I should be getting close to 30 gals syrup??

    Hope you have a good long boil all weekend, Mounder. I think we deserve a little for the effort that is put into this hobby. Keep us posted on how things finish out.
    Flatlander Sugar
    300+ taps on gravity
    Wood Fired 2X6 with piggy back
    Great family & friends to help
    One expensive hobby!

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Northern Illinois
    Posts
    93

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    Hey Flat, glad to hear the season turned around and you ended up with a decent season after all. Our tree's ran hard all weekend and I saw 3 am in the Sugarhouse several days in a row. Look's like I will again as I am boiling now with no end in sight. Church did fly by yesterday morning though, wife said I never fell a sleep so I must have been dozing with my eyes open😄. I am boiling now and getting text's our bags are running over around town. Wife and kids are going to collect in a bit and call it a season. This hobby, which I love has quickly turned into a part time job. Definiatly need to look into a flu pan, this 2 x 4 divided flat pan has been great for 5 years but time to upgrade, anybody looking for a pan?😊

    Hope everybody else's season ended up decent.
    New To Maple in 09'
    16' x 24' Sugarhouse
    Smoky Lakes Corsair Arch
    2' x4' Smoky Lakes Hybrid Drop Flue Pan
    200 Taps On Bags
    IH 806 Diesel & Allis WD
    2 Horses, Black cattle & Yes Chickens
    An Aussie Named Mable Sugar
    Wife, Kids And A Couple Of Friends To Help!

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Vermont, Illinois
    Posts
    80

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    Took the last of the sap on Monday. Finally got the sweet cooked down and finished bottling today. Ended up with 36 gals bottled this year. Not my best year, was hoping for 100.

    Treetapper, glad to hear you got to keep going.

    Mounder, I just found out we have a mutual friend. It is really getting to be a very small world. If you get down this way, you should drop me message. Maybe we can get together. Hope your season finished out well.
    Flatlander Sugar
    300+ taps on gravity
    Wood Fired 2X6 with piggy back
    Great family & friends to help
    One expensive hobby!

  4. #44
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Northern Illinois
    Posts
    93

    Default

    Flat, glad your season turned out good. I finished off the sweet yesterday and have it settling out in stainless milk cans, we are just under 30 gallons for the season which isn't too bad for us. Washed the floor and cleaned up the evaporator tonight.

    Heard you talked to my baby cousin Kyle today. Thank you very much for helping him with his Masters project, I appreciate it. If we get South we will certainly send you a PM, please do the same if you ever head up North. We're only 30 miles South of the cheddar border. Maybe all of Land of Lincoln sugarers should put an Assocition together. The comrodery would be great, also we could hopefully have some input on the laws and standards. I know the state just changed the rules this year on honey, you can make a decent amount without inspections and such.

    Keep in touch, Mounder
    New To Maple in 09'
    16' x 24' Sugarhouse
    Smoky Lakes Corsair Arch
    2' x4' Smoky Lakes Hybrid Drop Flue Pan
    200 Taps On Bags
    IH 806 Diesel & Allis WD
    2 Horses, Black cattle & Yes Chickens
    An Aussie Named Mable Sugar
    Wife, Kids And A Couple Of Friends To Help!

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Walnut,Il
    Posts
    101

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    I'm all in for a Land of Lincoln association.

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Vermont, Illinois
    Posts
    80

    Default

    I would second that notion (motion).
    Flatlander Sugar
    300+ taps on gravity
    Wood Fired 2X6 with piggy back
    Great family & friends to help
    One expensive hobby!

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Vermont, Illinois
    Posts
    80

    Default

    Mounder.

    I didn't know Kyle was working on a masters dealing with maple until we were talking yesterday at a track meet. If I had known, I would have had him working all this spring!
    Flatlander Sugar
    300+ taps on gravity
    Wood Fired 2X6 with piggy back
    Great family & friends to help
    One expensive hobby!

  8. #48
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Il
    Posts
    21

    Default

    I am clearly very late discovering the "tapping in IL" thread. I live around Peoria and have been tapping for two years now and am completely hooked! I would be all for a state wide group or at the very least a get-together meet and greet! I enjoyed reading the play by play of this past season, brought back memories!

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rockford, IL
    Posts
    175

    Default

    Hello to all, I always have a hard time finding this site. Its been so long since spring, my memory evades me.
    I hope everyone is doing well and the maple bug is growing for the 2016 season. We have most of our wood split( smaller this year).
    Thinking about ordering things for the up coming season. I managed to break all of my hydrometers last year, careless on my part.
    My plan is to tap more trees and add an RO system.
    Last spring we ordered sweet sap maple trees. Only lost one otherwise they did exceptional. We got close to 2 feet of growth on them!

    So what are your plans for the coming season?
    2020
    8th year making sugar
    120 taps second year on vac

    2x4 Divided pan.
    Homemade RO 4x42XLE
    Shurflo 4048 pump

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Vermont, Illinois
    Posts
    80

    Default

    Fleman202

    Glad you found us.

    All. Starting to get my head into the game for the coming season. Unfortunately, the tractor won't start today, just too darn cold I guess. Been clearing lines of fallen trees and starting to figure out my ordering for supplies. Need to rebuild a couple of lines and repair the rest the squirrels attacked. I hate squirrels!! Maybe its time to by that tubing guard a friend makes.

    Anyway, hang in there all. Sap will be flowing before we are ready!
    Flatlander Sugar
    300+ taps on gravity
    Wood Fired 2X6 with piggy back
    Great family & friends to help
    One expensive hobby!

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