besides the smell

[maple maniac65]

How close is that garlic to the maple trees????

[Johnny Cuervo]

About 80 feet, but gets closer every year!!

[mcmp]

About 80 feet, but gets closer every year!!

I have wanted to grow Garlic in my garden. Do you start it from seeds ? Does it spread ? Can you get a harvest the first year ?

Thanks
Paul

[royalmaple]

Davey-

If you got the time and the fuel, just boil it all. When it tastes like crap sell it in bulk. Bulk buyers will buy every drop and unless you are beat from the season already or out of fuel keep hammering.

Granted your not going to make the retail money but can help buy a new tank or pump or something. Rig is already thrashed and snotty so pound some more sap through it.

Personally I'm gonna keep pounding on till the "bitter" end.

[davey]

Haven't had a chance to pull the taps yet anyways so if I get a run into the evaporator it goes. thanks to everyone for the input. I suppose a test kit would require determining what chemical change there is in the sap and in a simple world, we could dip a test strip in the sap to detect it.

[royalmaple]

Davey-

I think I do have a research paper on the subject and if I am not mistaken there is a chemical test you can do to tell if the sap is buddy. Or it might be after the fact for syrup only. I can't remember.

But probably would take more time and resources than just boiling and tasting it.

[Johnny Cuervo]

Hi Paul, you just plant a nice clove (point up) 3-4 inches down 8 inches apart
The secret is the moon (The moon is the boss: from an old timer) plant near full moon in October, harvest full moon in July. If your garlic starts to grow a curling seedpod snip it off after 1 curl. This will make the bulb larger.
Each clove will produce one bulb.

Any questions feel free to ask
John

[markcasper]

Matt, Should I boil a few hundred snotty gallons of sap? I see you have some experience in this.

[Russell Lampron]

Mark,

It all depends on what you will get for it as commercial syrup. The prices are good enough for me here in NH to keep boiling. I should get enough money out of it to pay for my supplies for next year. With the RO I don't use much wood and it doesn't take much time to get it through the evaporator. I know I'm not Matt the "RO Pirate" but that is my $.02 worth.

Russ

[royalmaple]

Personally I'd boil it all especially if you already got it. Like russ said worst you'll make is commercial and they'll buy every drop from you. So If you have the wood and the time your stilll going to be getting roughly 20 bucks a gallon, no matter what comes out the draw off.

There were a couple of guys ahead of me and russ in line at bascoms last year and they had a jug of b, jug of c and two jugs that were very watery looking. Turns out they brought there pan drainings with them. Guy didn't taste it since he knew what it was, down graded it to commercial price, and then paid based on weight. So even the stuff most people just flush out on the ground has value to it. Now I don't think it would be worth the time to drive over with just pan drainings but if you are already going, they'll buy it.

It is kinda like kevin says all these small runs at the beginning of the season can bump up your production by the end of the season, just like boiling all the sap can still add some $$ in your pocket. Your gonna buy more crap anyway. But to each his own. I know someone that won't make anything past dark. Once the first draw off comes out that is dark, "pull the plug", done, ka put, finished.

The way I look at it also is I guarentee you won't make a drop of syrup in July. So make hay while the sunshines. It is almost over so keep on pounding.