Thank You so much ! We will be waiting until March 1st for sure.
Thank You so much ! We will be waiting until March 1st for sure.
Welcome Jodie - we are in Aitkin County just north of Garrison. Lots of people around here to help you out.
I'm a 'back yarder' with 100 taps going on 15 years. We have a large commercial operation very near here
and the people there are really nice and willing to show others their operation. It is impressive!
Yes, typically mid March if not later. Seems the best runs can come at the end of March, but usually, it is into April.
I looked back at my previous 4 years of records here in SE WI. My evaporator requires at least 165 gallons of sap to start the initial fire and season the pans. So historically I have my first cooks between the 6th and 16th of March. Since my bread & butter job forces me to work it takes 1 -2 weeks to fix lines & tap all my trees. So although we watch the forecast close as long as I get my taps in by the second week of March I think I will be satisfied. The season can be tiring towards the end so I hold off on tapping to early since we hold out to the "bitter" end also to harvest as much as possible.
2x6 Smokey Lake raised flue w/AUF
16x30 Sugar Shack
7" SL SS filter press
Smokey Lake water jacketed finish pan & bottler
350 RO
517 taps and I seem to keep finding more!
Hey Ed,
How is that knee coming along? Will you be able to walk in the woods this year? I saw you with another person a couple years ago. Was that your father? He still with you?
Remember, if you need more intensive knee therapy, I can do that right here in my shop. Just call.....
Hi Big Pine, - We are right out of Garrison too, so this is great information. It is nice to talk to others in the same area / location to know the best time to tap. I have been doing a lot of research as this is our fist time but wasn't quite sure about the best time to tap. I may be asking more questions as we go along, so Thank You, what a wonderful Forum.
Hey Larry I don't think I need your type of therapy I am beat up enough after getting the ends of my knee bones sawed off for a prosthetic. After 3 weeks I wasn't comfortable but was out cutting wood to get off the couch and gain some sanity. Every day is slightly better.
Yep that was Pa with me. He's 72 now and getting a bit nervous right about now thinking my recovery time might force him into picking up the slack this spring. I keep telling him not to worry though since my healing is going great and besides my 10 & 12 year old boys are chomping at the bit and excited for the upcoming sleep overs in the sugar shack. This makes him all the more nervous knowing those two little shysters agendas don't exactly align with mission accomplishment
Last year to keep them busy I sent them out on their own to tap a couple nearby box elders. Ya $10 of a $20 drill bit is still stuck in one of those box elders. I didn't find this out until after they found a replacement drill bit, 1/2" or so and peppered those box elders full of holes and then started asking questions how to keep the 5/16" tap from falling out of the hole
2x6 Smokey Lake raised flue w/AUF
16x30 Sugar Shack
7" SL SS filter press
Smokey Lake water jacketed finish pan & bottler
350 RO
517 taps and I seem to keep finding more!
Oh. .
Jodie - I am retired so I have lots of time to dabble with this stuff. If you are interested in coming over for a 'tour', we are usually around.
Don,t tell anyone but my name is Wally and our tele is (218) 678-2194. We are just north of Trotter's Resort (on Round Lake) on the back
road up to Big Pine Lake (NW corner). Or 2-3 miles west of 169 and south 1+ mile.
I really get into the physics!? My homemade cooker is 3 levels, and I am always tinkering. Trying to get a new pan designed and fabricated
- Temco in Aitkin is a great source for welding SST. Contact me if you are interested.
davewittwer- I am in Ottertail county, but get to the metro weekly.