just thought id drop in and say hi. most of the posts seemed geared toward bigger setups. I've seen a lot of "hobby" setups with 100+ taps. i guess im in the micro hobby category! 2nd year doing this. daughter asked last year, and after finding a few trees in february, we made our first ever maple syrup. did the stove/firepit and pan thing. wasnt bad, we were a little late, so only made about 3 qt's, but she had a blast. this year, i got a barrel evaporator. i know it isn't super efficient, but has to be better than the stove! so i tapped 10 trees over the weekend. got about 2.5 gallons of sap, which i guess isnt bad for what i have. have 12 trees total now, all within 100 yards of my house. i have 6 acres, never really looked out back for other trees before, but depending on how this year goes, i may have to expand! mid to high 40's daytime and freeing overnight for a few eeks it looks like. good luck to everyone!