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Thread: All done

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Hartford, MI
    Posts
    189

    Default All done

    Kept looking for the signs that the season was over,Peepers,geese pairing up, crocus flowers,daffodils,killdeers,millers,ants,flys, bees, butt the one that told us we were done was almost 40 day old taps on gravity. Quit running this last warm spell, drilled a new hole next to one drilled 2/11, 2 drops a second. Still a good season(butt strange) ended up with 129 gal.
    5th generation
    2 1/2 Buckets
    815 gravity
    2 new flat pans. Back pan now has 16 V's
    Rebuilt the block arch 3x12
    Homemade pre-heater,steamhood
    MES Dolly RO

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Jackson, Michigan
    Posts
    33

    Default

    All done here in Jackson too. For the first time in my short sugaring career my holes have dried up. I was hopeful for a push at the end to get my gallons up, but not in the cards. Usually by now I am looking forward to it being over. This year I am still waiting to get after it!! Worst season for me since the big warm up 6-7 years ago.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    White Lake, MI
    Posts
    4

    Default

    This is our first year tapping a couple of trees in our backyard. I think they are all red maple so I'm not sure how good the sap will be. We tapped the tree's Sunday night (3 days ago). So far we've been getting a couple of gallons of sap each day. Enough for an experiment... We are in White Lake...

    Jon.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Sanford Michigan
    Posts
    182

    Default

    Welcome Jon,

    Reds give a very nice tasting syrup.

    Most of us are smiling at the thought of your future. We know it well.
    Just an experiment.............
    Spends the next ten months looking at all the trees in the area pondering how many taps, contemplates a new boiling method and means of gathering more and more sap each year. Envisions a future with acreage and a sugar house.

    As for done. Friday will finish it here. I am out on Friday. Been a good year, a strange year and at least productive but its taken a lot of work over nearly six or seven weeks.
    43.6728° N Sanford MI.

    2015 100 3/16 taps/buckets. 540 gallons of sap = 12 gallons finished. grill side burner (propane)
    2016 100 3/16 taps/buckets 315 gallons of sap = 11 gallons finished Turkey Fryer/ grill side burner (propane)
    2017 100 3/16 taps /buckets 797 gallons of sap = 8 3/4 gallons finished. Home made brick arch (wood)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Temperance Mi
    Posts
    411

    Default

    Jon, if it gets cold after this week you could make syrup till the middle of April.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    West Michigan
    Posts
    9

    Default

    I pulled all my reds today- still have 20 hard maples with life in them.
    I noticed a funk in my red maple buckets, but it ended up being a sort of mildew (slightly pink/ slimy feeling). I never had that before. Gave em all a wipe with paper towel and got 2-3 more good days out of them. Anyone have this before?
    I wonder if it's because it's been a long season for me? Next year I will clean / swap buckets about 3-4 weeks in to prevent this.
    2015 4 taps- cooked over an open fire = ~4 pints
    1016 20 taps -(16 Red/ 4 Sugar) cooked over an open fire=~9 pints
    1017 70 taps (50 Red/ 20 Sugar)- made a beginners cinderblock rocket stove with 3 12"x18"x4" pans
    My dad stirs and skims while I do the grunt work, and my dog keeps the squirrels away

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Covington, New York
    Posts
    1,680

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pamelance View Post
    I pulled all my reds today- still have 20 hard maples with life in them.
    I noticed a funk in my red maple buckets, but it ended up being a sort of mildew (slightly pink/ slimy feeling). I never had that before. Gave em all a wipe with paper towel and got 2-3 more good days out of them. Anyone have this before?
    I wonder if it's because it's been a long season for me? Next year I will clean / swap buckets about 3-4 weeks in to prevent this.
    I have pink in the bottom of one of my buckets right now, and a slightly slimy bottom in most of them. I've rinsed them out twice this season already. Doesn't seem to bother anything, I just try not to agitate things too much when dumping them. This upcoming run will be my last one anyway.
    Noel Good
    1998 to 2009: 15 taps on buckets, scavenged fire pit and pans
    2010: New 2x4 SS flat pan w/preheater
    2015: New to me Lapierre 18x60 raised flue, new shack, new everything!! 59 taps 23.75 gallons
    2016: 85 taps 19 gallons
    2017: Purchased 2.5 acres and tubed half with 3/16. 145 taps total 49.25 gallons
    2018: 200 taps (162 on 3/16ths 38 on buckets) New NextGen RO 63 gallons
    2019: 210 taps 73.5 gallons
    2023: 210 taps 89.75 gallons
    www.wnybass.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Sanford Michigan
    Posts
    182

    Default

    Collected 90 gallons today and on the afternoon pull we pulled all the spiles brought all the jugs and buckets in and put them in the porch for the washout.
    Boiling now and will again tomorrow to finish the sap we have in storage. Total sap this year for us was 797 gallons of sap. Low sugar content has kept us between 70 and 100/1 so we have not produced as much syrup however its only for friends and family now anyhow. Well and my sugar production to feed me my maple sugar candy all year.
    43.6728° N Sanford MI.

    2015 100 3/16 taps/buckets. 540 gallons of sap = 12 gallons finished. grill side burner (propane)
    2016 100 3/16 taps/buckets 315 gallons of sap = 11 gallons finished Turkey Fryer/ grill side burner (propane)
    2017 100 3/16 taps /buckets 797 gallons of sap = 8 3/4 gallons finished. Home made brick arch (wood)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Lenawee County
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Collected almost 3 gallons per tap on 5/16 today. Biggest collection this season. Will collect buckets and pull spiles this week. Heading to Carribbean next weekend for a week.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Farmington Hills, MI
    Posts
    10

    Default

    Welcome to the addiction Jon. We are close by in Farmington Hills just tapping the trees in our suburban lot. 3rd year in and loving it. I've gotten a lot of offers from my neighbors to tap their trees too so might expand a little next year.
    42.52° N / 83.22° W
    Backyard tapping in the middle of suburbia

    2017 15 taps on 9 Maples & 2 taps on 1 Black Walnut
    2 G Maple Syrup
    2016 10 taps on 8 Maples & 2 taps on 1 Black Walnut
    Missed 1st run - 1 Q Maple and 1/4 C Black Walnut Syrups
    2015 10 taps on 8 Maples & 2 taps on 1 Black Walnkut
    Rookie Season - 1.5 G Maple Syrup & Black Walnut Hard Candy

    Supply - 5 Silver, 2 Red, & 2 Sugar Maples on buckets
    Equipment - Natural Gas wok burner mounted in a turkey fryer stand

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