It's a wonderful idea and a potentially great way to bring a community together, but I'd listen to those who've already been through the experience. The people I learned to sugar from basically do what others do, get permission, do all the work, hang 100 pails on various properties scattered around their hamlet. They are in control of all the sap collection, processing etc and share the syrup at the end of the season. They've been doing this for some 30 yrs or more now so it's like a local tradition to go down on Sunday when they're boiling and have a good ol jaw-wag...but as usual most people are there just to socialize, only a core group actually and literally do the heavy lifting.
One year I tapped trees on a friend's property. They didn't so much as walk the bush (3 yard trees) and wouldn't rehang buckets that fell off etc. And I kept their sap separate from mine so had twice as much work to do. They didn't lift a finger. At the end of the season when I gave them their syrup, they were all 'Gee that was fun, let's do it again next year!!!' to which I smiled sweetly and replied, 'OK, I'll loan you some pails and spiles and get it set up for you. But you have to do all the work yourselves, collecting the sap and boiling it down.' That sure stopped them in their tracks!
Personally I would not recommend trusting non-sugarers to do something as simple as collect sap and keep it cold - there's no telling what you might end up with, and in a less-than-foodgrade container at that!!! :-)
Last edited by Galena; 03-20-2019 at 06:38 PM.
Been tapping since 2008.
2018 - 17 taps/7 trees...819l sap, approx 28l syrup
2019 - 18 taps/8 trees...585l sap, 28l syrup...21:1 ratio
2020 - 18 taps/8 trees...890.04l sap...gave away about 170l, 30l snafu'd....23l total for me from approx 690l
2021 - 18 taps/8 trees...395l sap, 12 l syrup
2022 - 18 taps/8 trees....7 sugars 1 red due to #2 having surgery so had the season off....582l sap, 18.5l syrup
2023 - 18 taps/8 trees...all sugars again. 807l sap, so far approx 14l syrup