Haha, sure thing, Pat. Let me know when you want to swing by.Originally Posted by psparr
Haha, sure thing, Pat. Let me know when you want to swing by.
2016 (first year, late start):
5 taps
1 pan block arch
74 oz. finished syrup
2017:
33 taps
6 pan block arch
Manatawny Maple Works on Facebook
They don't have to be expensive. My RO (Reverse Osmosis) machine cost me just over a $1,000 to build. I published my parts list and design in this forum:
http://mapletrader.com/community/sho...eap-RO-be-5000
In 2014, the season ended just like this year with a huge run. I couldn't keep up with boiling it. I made about 9 gallons of syrup and the rest of the sap went bad in the warm weather and I ended up pitching it. But when the same thing happened earlier this week (Saturday, Sunday and Monday), I made 19 gallons of syrup.
Last edited by HowardR; 02-21-2017 at 09:42 PM.
We went over 50 gallons tonight, going through about 2600 gallons of sap. I just realized today that it hasn't been 2 weeks from my first boil!!!
Anyway, we pulled the tubing from our collection drums and are going to bring them home for a pressure washing.
Then we are gonna lay back, lick our wounds and wait and see what next week brings.
I believe there is still some sugaring season left here in Central Pa. time will tell.
115 red maples on vacuum
100 taps on 5/16 gravity
35 taps on 3/16 gravity
50 taps on shurflo vacuum
about 60 buckets on giant roadside sugars
neighbor bringing from 45 taps
30'x 8' Aof/Auf Evaporator
Homemade 125gph Ro
Lots of Homemade Equipment!
http://s848.photobucket.com/albums/a...%20Sugarshack/
That's very interesting. I'm not handy but my husband is ( and a chemist to boot), if I find more trees to tap I could always give him that as a winter project.
I figure that since I'm not selling it, hanging on for a bit longer will be ok. I'm enjoying it too much and don't want it to stop but I do need to clean those buckets asap
I'm thinking we're not quite done yet. Went out this morning to grab buckets to wash & found that one of my trees had tons of lovely clear sap that smelled & tasted fine. Gonna give everything a quick soap wash and put it back out on Saturday afternoon. Forecast is calling for freezing nights the next few weeks.
Hopefully this isn't in bad taste to ask this here... I do hope for a little more sap after this weekend, If I don't get any I won't get upset, I'll just look forward to next year. However, I could keep the collection buckets full right now by tapping my birches. I have two big birches each with three trunks. I had tapped one several weeks ago and it was dry for quite a while. In the last couple of days it has started running quite a bit. I've been considering it just as a healthy drink, but I understand syrup can be made from it. Just curious if anyone does. Thanks.
Syrup can be made from birch trees, however, my understanding is that birch sap has a much lower sugar content and the sap to syrup ratio for birch trees is 100 to 1.
2011 - 6 buckets
Stove Top
2012 - 15 buckets
2013 - 19 buckets
Camper cook stove with 3 high propane burners
Custom made 42x14x7 maple pan with dividers
2015 - New 12x16 Sugar Shack
2015 - New Lapierre Propane Evaporator
2016 - 28 buckets
2017 - 30 buckets
2019 - 32 buckets
2023 - 32 buckets - Good to be back
.
How to tell when trees have budded
I've found this YouTube video about how to tell if it is too late to make good flavored syrup:
Good video thanks! I went out this morning and checked the trees, I really can't see the buds as the tops are too high and we don't have binoculars. Some were dripping & it tasted normal would there be a really bitter taste i.e. spit it out right away as it's bad? Or would going by color be best?
Really wish I could see if there are buds. I could get some of those tree climbing braces, I bet my younger twin would love to try to scale to the top of the trees
I think I'll hang a bucket back up on one of my big producers, even if it's buddy I'd still like to know what the taste is like.
I'm trying to figure out whether my maple trees have budded
After the trees have budded, the syrup will have a bad taste. I found a Maple Bud Field Guide (pdf) online on the University of Vermont website. It includes the following photos of leaf buds. When you go out to examine your trees, take binoculars as you may need them. You should choose a healthy dominant tree or a co-dominant tree. The following are the relevant photos of leaf buds from the field guide. (The flower buds are rarer and mostly in the upper canopy; they look a bit different after the dormant stage.):
The V0 bud is dormant
v0leaf.jpg
The V1 bud has some initial bud swell. Bud scales are beginning to shift giving a reddish tinge to the bud.
The V2 bud shows some elongation making the top more pointed than round. A light yellowish color is visible between the bud scales.
The V3 bud has a green tip and the scales are light green. There is still no opening at the tip.
The V4 bud has bud break. Leaf tips are barely visible, expanding beyond the bud tip. The bud scales are loosened. I assume that at this point, the sap would have a "buddy" flavor and would no longer be good.
I hope that these photos help you make the determination with your maple trees. I'm going to be examining mine closely this weekend. They may help me decide whether or not to boil the sap. If you examine yours and make a determination, please post here what you have found.
Last edited by HowardR; 02-23-2017 at 11:06 AM.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
