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Thread: Backyard syrup enthusiasts

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Mount Vernon Maine
    Posts
    217

    Default Backyard syrup enthusiasts

    Mapletrader has a large contingent of impressive larger scale syrup operators, but who/where are the backyard people? I thought I would create a thread where small guys can share "mapling". Who are the backyard operations, where are you from, how do you collect sap, what do you use to boil, how much are you getting, etc. Though listed under Maine Tapping 2018 all backyarders, no matter your location, step forward!

    So here is my setup. I live in Mount Vernon, northwest of Augusta. This is my third season, the second here and the first being in Hermon, by Bangor. I started out with an old wood stove and stream tray, which worked fine except it took many boilings to get a moderate quantity of syrup. This is my second season in Mount Vernon and my first with a new stove arrangement of concrete blocks and 3 steam trays in conjunction with the original wood stove/tray as a warming pan. After some tinkering, my last boil was around 7 gallons per hour so I can easily get a gallon of syrup a day without being out all night. My wife and I finish it on the kitchen stove.

    I collect in milk jugs attached to 5/16 spiles with a piece of tube and jute as a hanger. This has worked well over three seasons, but now that I have some really productive trees I will be using a combination of jugs and buckets next year to cut back on collecting time. I drag a homemade sled (old generator frame on downhill skis) around with 5 gallon pail to collect. The pails go in a snow bank for storage. Free frosting buckets from Hannaford are great for storage.

    We are looking to make 4 to 6 gallons a season for our own use. The property is blessed with a large number of maples so I can let some trees rest every other year. Trees are mostly sugar maple with some red. Some trees are well over 150 years old. With 13 trees tapped (15 taps) so far this season we have made nearly 3 gallons of syrup off 110 gallons of sap, brix between 2.2 and 3.4 depending on the tree. I've got 50 gallons waiting for Sunday, perhaps the last boil for this season, but we'll see. Heck of a run this past week.

    I find backyard syruping a great way to "get out in it" in winter-kind of a tie to the people of yesteryear. Just got my daughter into it in the city. You can do this anywhere. She even uses a neighbors tree!

    Thats my brief-what's your story?
    Last edited by Mvhomesteader; 03-14-2018 at 04:21 PM.
    Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
    Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.

    Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Carrabassett Valley, Me
    Posts
    112

    Default

    Great Story Myhomesteader!! We are still out here, and remembering those day's you are having fun with!! It's supposed to be fun right!! But my soon to be 62 yr. old body say's make it a little easier, so instead of milk jugs, galv.buckets etc. i have gone to 3/16ths line and bring it all to me. It empty's into a 275 gallon tote. I have a friend who picks it up and trades me syrup for the sap. He has a new CDL Evaporator and needs volume. I still finish bottling it for my own touch and style. I was using 2 turkey burners, with a 10 gallon and 5 gallon pan, The 10 gal. pan i could fill at 9pm, and cook all night, but get right out there by 4 am or burn down the shack. Needless to say i didn't sleep very good those nights!! I made 9 gallons 2 years ago that way, and said i can't do it this way no more. I do Love playing plumber with all the lines and getting it to flow to the tote. You have made the bigger outfits day, they are sitting back and smiling, and remembering when they wore a younger mans pants. I am 7 miles away from Sugarloaf, the season has pretty much just started, and i plan on tapping 125 tree's, 55 all done. The rest today. With Luck!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Fort Plain, NY, Montgomery County
    Posts
    661

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    Great idea! I've been posting about our change of circumstances. We had to sell our farm about 2 years ago and it's been a real hard transition. We had an off grid set up,built the place ourselves. 15 acres sugarbush on tubing and vacuum. All run with a custom Indiana pump. 3 microturbines and solar panels,woodstoves and a variety of evaporators. Ended with a real nice Bill Mason 2x4 xl. About 500 taps. Getting older and sick ended that. Now we're in a tiny rural village with 4 mature maples. Ron tapped 3(the huge silver has budded)6 taps and he can put in 1 more on each of the other 3. He's making a pint a day. Boiling on a propane fish fryer and finishing inside. We got a couple of steamer pans also. The neighbors are a bit amused(we don't know anyone)so far a gallon that we never expected. It's golden with a light flavor. Nothing like the rich syrup we made at the farm. I'm glad he's able to do this. Sugaring was a huge part of our life for 20 years. The garage is making a great saphouse. Concrete floor with a drain,right next to the house. Improvising with equipment as we had to leave everything with the farm. So all in all we're doing OK. My 2 cents from beautiful upstate NY.
    Last edited by highlandcattle; 03-14-2018 at 06:07 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    108

    Default

    Great idea!! We are out in Durham and started about 5 years ago with one tree and a turkey burner. Had a lot of fun (and spent way too much money) working on perfecting the propane setup. Made a homemade RO which helped save a fair bit of propane and we got it down to about 3 gallons of syrup on two tanks of propane but it was SLOW. My wife bought me a Mason 2x3 two years ago for my birthday and what a great gift that was!! The first year (2017) we made 10 gallons and look to be on track to make that or maybe a little more this season. We (daughters and I) put out about 55 taps or so and they are a mix of 3/16 lines and individual buckets. The new evaporator is great and soo much faster but need to come up with a good pre-heater. So far this year has been unbelievable on sap volume and sugar content!
    1st year - 6 taps and a turkey fryer and 1 gallon of syrup
    2nd year - 12 taps, turkey fryer and another gallon of syrup
    3rd year - 45 taps, new propane setup and 5 gallons of syrup

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    rockport maine
    Posts
    71

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    I agree, many people are large producers. I am a Kindergarten Teacher and I have been making syrup as a part of our school program for the last 7 years. The goal is to have the children do as much of the work as possible, this means simple. We have 41 taps and collect in 5 gallon buckets, we use an old steel wheeled WW2 Ammo cart to haul the 5 gallon buckets (as a class they are able to pull it with little help). We bring it back to our sandbox. Now we have sort of an evaporator set up--make shift that is. We started using open fire pits and cast iron cauldrons, I have made it safe enough now so that the children can do nearly all of the work. I finish on the stove in the classroom. They even make hand made labels. Making syrup is a great way to teach kids EVERY subject..evaporation, condensation, liquid conversions, tree identification, boiling points of water, using tools, chopping wood, primitive fire starting skills, discovering tracks while collecting sap, we keep track of gallons collected (200 so far), pints of syrup made/gallons made and most importantly children see where their tasty treats come from and spend HOURS outside. I have been trying to keep track of our Sap-N-School History-check out the photos..http://bugsmudbooksandsticks.com/sap-in-school/

    http://www.penbaypilot.com/article/r...e-sunday/98984

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Pulaski County, IN
    Posts
    18

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    That kind of schooling is very productive. I have 3 boys and my oldest is 7. They can't help with everything but just being around and watching how stuff works is a great education. They explain stuff to me that I never even realized they were learning.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    rockport maine
    Posts
    71

    Default

    I agree, many people are large producers. I am a Kindergarten Teacher and I have been making syrup as a part of our school program for the last 7 years. The goal is to have the children do as much of the work as possible, this means simple. We have 41 taps and collect in 5 gallon buckets, we use an old steel wheeled WW2 Ammo cart to haul the 5 gallon buckets (as a class they are able to pull it with little help). We bring it back to our sandbox. Now we have sort of an evaporator set up--make shift that is. We started using open fire pits and cast iron cauldrons, I have made it safe enough now so that the children can do nearly all of the work. I finish on the stove in the classroom. They even make hand made labels. Making syrup is a great way to teach kids EVERY subject..evaporation, condensation, liquid conversions, tree identification, boiling points of water, using tools, chopping wood, primitive fire starting skills, discovering tracks while collecting sap, we keep track of gallons collected (200 so far), pints of syrup made/gallons made and most importantly children see where their tasty treats come from and spend HOURS outside. I have been trying to keep track of our Sap-N-School History-check out the photos..http://bugsmudbooksandsticks.com/sap-in-school/

    http://www.penbaypilot.com/article/r...e-sunday/98984

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Farmington Maine area 44.6* N
    Posts
    62

    Default

    Hello fellow sugarers and neighbors.
    Another backyarder here, going on 25 years off and on.
    Not far from the OP , sugarin in New Sharon, Maine.
    1ST post on Maple Trader
    New setup last year, 3' x 4' concrete slab with concrete block Arch, stovepipe and damper. New SS pan 2'0 x 2'0 x 6" deep w/ drain valve(15 gal.) plus 5 gal SS Preheater pan , Works good, efficient doesn't use much wood. Some blocks crack
    but the price is right.
    Can boil 7-8 gals hr. on average.
    Only one gal. syrup so far this year, had 1 gal. by March 1 last year . Every year is different. It is agriculture so you get what you get.
    Great spring time hobby , always enjoy getting out after some brutal Maine winters, birds chirping, snow melting, bright sun etc...
    And best of all is the best maple syrup on the planet ! Cheers !
    Last edited by woodsy; 03-27-2018 at 04:59 AM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Peru, Maine
    Posts
    1,044

    Default

    Welcome woodsy, lots of good knowledge on here. Best of luck. Looks like next week will be a gusher!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Farmington Maine area 44.6* N
    Posts
    62

    Default

    Thanks mainebackwoodsyrup , I hope, been slow going so far but what we have got so far is good amber and wicked sweet ..
    Oh, 20 taps over 6 acres, mostly sugar maples. use antique snowmobile to collect the sap from 1 gal jugs.
    Last edited by woodsy; 03-21-2018 at 06:36 PM.

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