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Thread: Maplesaint

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool Maplesaint

    My sugar shack is small and I have been working for a week straight to get it up and running. My legs are sore and my fingers are raw. I got my appendix out 2 weeks ago so that slowed me down but did not stop me. New evaporator is all bricked up and the pan is on. Just gotta do some minor plumbing and it should be ready for a test ride. I got 20 gals of sap today and the anxiety sets in for the first test of that sweet syrup and the smell of sap boiling away in the tiny sugar shack. I should of worked on the shack all year but other hobby's always come into play. Tools are never where you need them and the mud is poking through. Haha!! Sugar season is here and hope everyone feels the way I do. All the hard work is worth it when the first drop of syrup goes on my french toast. Good luck everyone and remember if your not having fun then you should not be doing it. Plinking buckets!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Webster NH
    Posts
    200

    Default

    Boy this is a painful, frustrating, sleep deprived and rewarding hobby.
    Tucker in Webster NH
    150+/- on 3/16
    2x6 Leader drop flue
    Custom Hood and Preheater

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    east kingston, nh
    Posts
    4,148

    Default

    Hi maple saint, yep we are all in the same boat. everyone has lots of last minute stuff to do right before we get going because we put it off all year. I usually start going through boxes of band aids this time of year... and yep ice packs on the bad knee and lots of Motrin gets me me through the woods part then its all about the maple shots followed by the boilin' soda chaser.
    may your sap be at 3%
    Brad

    www.willowcreeksugarhouse.com
    585 or so on Vacuum, about 35 on buckets/sap sacs
    Atlas Copco GVS 25A Rotary Vane vacuum pump
    MES horizontal electric releaser
    2x6 ss phaneuf Drop flue, Leader woodsaver blower, homemade hood
    300gph H2O RO
    husquvarna 562 XP
    Its Here!!! 2024 season is here get busy!!!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Default

    Well my first big weekend is another notch in the belt. And if I drink and eat while watching syrup boil for more then a month, I will need a bigger belt!! 😃. I boiled from Friday at 4:30pm till almost 11pm. Then I re-kindled the fire around 9 am. Slow start do to the "boiling sodas". Haha love that term Russell!! We boiled all day and had a lot of friends and family visit. I really need a bigger shack. But the steam was rising and the syrup was flowing. I had a local welder put in some thermometer ports into my half pint pan last week. As soon as I got my thermometer figured out I would boil till I hit 7 and draw off. Hydrometer said not quite done. Brought it up to about 8.5 and started to draw. I would draw off almost 3 quarts at a time. Takes about two hours to draw again. It took about 25 min inside to touch it off and I was done. 9 pm and two gallons of syrup. On Sunday I did not have enough sap to start the big rig up so I went to visit some other sugar houses and enjoyed the rest of maple weekend watching other people work. Not bad for a first boil on a Halfpint. Caught the bug and enjoying every minute

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Lisbon, NH
    Posts
    385

    Default

    Maplesaint, I feel your pain. The best and worst part of all your friends and family coming over on Sunday for "Maple Church" as they now call it is everyone brings food and drink. Just feels rude to not sample all the goodies. Add on that we made a bunch of maple candies and maple nuts for everyone to enjoy while boiling and there were a lot of calories being consumed this weekend. I figure I have 11 months to do penance afterwards.
    Pete Nightingale
    Lisbon, NH

    3 Teenage sap haulers & Plenty of friends and family to restock the beer fridge
    2012 1 tap and a pot
    2013 10 taps, oil tank evap, 2 gallons of slightly too thin syrup
    2014 48 taps improved oil tank evap 3.5 gallons, ouch??
    2015 88 taps 78 5/16" and 10 3/16" nat vac 40"x 48" Homemade Arch 13.25 Gallons
    2016 100 taps 65 on 3/16 & 35 buckets 17 gallons + unknown amount of maple / Jack Daniels testers

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Cool

    Bottling my 8th gal of liquid gold tonight and i am beat. A lot of work from the Halfpint but well worth it. I have about 70 gal left to boils and who knows what's in buckets. I have took 20 down because I'm running low on wood and they were dry for 4 days running. Haven't checked the rest because I have been a little busy. Going to wrap it up this weekend. Hopefully I break the ten gal mark. Let me know how everyone year went. I realized I want to upgrade to a 20" by 66" cdl or 2 by 6. And a 16 by 16 sugarshack. I had to many visitors this year and my shack is to small. The bug bit me!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Raymond NH
    Posts
    74

    Default

    I'm in the market for a half pint for next year. I don't really have any cash right now but I have a sawmill and can make great lumber to build a sugar house if anyone is interested in some sort of trade. It's a long shot but I figured I could thro it out there.
    Started in 2013 with 15 taps on buckets and a turkey frier.
    Now 2020, 250 taps, 3/16's with vac. 10x14 sugarhouse. 2x6 Leader raised flue. Homemade 50 gal per hour RO.
    Munson's Maple’s

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Default

    This just in!!! My maple season is over. My sap % was so low I boiled down almost 70 gal and didn't draw off ounce. It was under 1%. Oh well I will make another 1/2 gal of sweet darkness. Hope everyone seasons went good and now it's all over but the cleaning. Fill the thread😃

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Lightbulb New hand pump filter press

    Just bought a hand pump filter press. It's not a Daryl but he said his brother in law made some for a bit. Anyone have a Daryl or something similar? If so how does it work? Any tips for using it? Collected 55 gal last night and will collect again tomorrow. The half pint will be fired up soon. Can't wait to smell the steam.
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Deerfield NH
    Posts
    82

    Default This is the end, my only friend, the end

    What is everyone's thought on the future forecast. Over or no? Let me know
    540 taps. New 2x6 CDL oil fired deluxe. 7” wesfab filter press with electric pump. Micro 2 RO and a 16 by 32 CDL bottling unit. Can’t wait!!!!!!
    20x24 shack

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