I marked a small section of woods today for maples. I thought there would only be fifty or so trees in it and turns out there is way more than that. Just placed an order for more tubing and supplies....I did not tap any yet.
I marked a small section of woods today for maples. I thought there would only be fifty or so trees in it and turns out there is way more than that. Just placed an order for more tubing and supplies....I did not tap any yet.
Well, I'm now starting to think about syrup season...been thinking MORE about trying to find a job...I am hopeful that the big guy upstairs is on my side and the interview last week will result in an offer. Anyway, with all the mild temperatures in December I did tap one tree thinking I could sneak out enough for a pint or two...no such luck. The bad news is I lost access to a grove of maple trees last summer, The good news is I obtained access to a different (smaller, but more accessible) grove just up the road from me!! Last year I started getting sap March 9th near St. Cloud - thinking this year, if the weather predictions are close, could begin in a week or two!! I hope things go well for everyone and looking forward to reading the posts!
As I prepare my sketch of one new pan, my wife informs me the Ojibwe word (get ready for this!): iskigamizige-giizis
means 'the time of collecting maple sap and boiling it into syrup'.
She's reading 'Thunder Bay: A Cork O'Conner Mystery' by William Kent Kruger.
Now, back to my replacement pan. I am replacing one of my 'hotel pans' - want a sloped bottom and a bung/nipple/spigot.
I suspect it should be thicker than the 'hotel pan' for welding to.
Any suggestions on the type and gage (sp ?) of SST I should use on this cooking pan?
Started getting the itch over the weekend. Looked up at at my 140 or so 5 gallon containers and decided I wanted to move to sap bags. Made 60 holders out of PVC. I will make another 60-80 next week. Anybody wanna buy some food grade containers with caps, LOL?
Hi, I am new to tapping this year. Next week we are going to have a few warm days in the lower to upper 30's and then it looks like it may get cold again. I am located in Crow Wing County, MN. Is it ok to tap trees early or should I wait until the temperatures are consistently in the upper 30's / low 40's ?
How many trees will you be tapping Jodi?
Mark
Where we made syrup long before the trendies made it popular, now its just another commodity.
John Deere 4000, 830, and 420 crawler
1400 taps, 600 gph CDL RO, 4x12 wood-fired Leader, forced air and preheater. 400 gallon Sap-O-Matic vacuum gathering tank, PTO powered. 2500 gallon X truck tank, 17 bulk tanks.
No cage tanks allowed on this farm!
Hi, We will be tapping about 45 trees or so.
Last edited by Jodiekauf7; 02-11-2016 at 06:48 AM.
I'm in Central Wisconsin. I'll be ready around March 1st. If and when favorable weather looks imminent, I'll tap. If nothing looks good, they go in March 15 regardless of weather. Doubt if I would ever tap earlier than March 1st.
Its pretty early to tap now. I usually tap 1st or second week of March.