Well that was an interesting sap season. Agriculture will always keep you guessing.
Late start, one 24 hr period this week was yielding 4-5 gpt . Some of my Red Maples starting running at the same time my early
Sugar Maples were shutting down so didn't get much sap from them.
Backyard Sugarin' since 1991
Concrete block wood burner
24 taps on gallon jugs
2' x 2' x 6" SS pan
5 gal. SS steamer pan for preheating
89 Arctic Cat Panther sap hauler
Making a few gallons syrup most years.
Maple Baked Beans
Maple Oat Sourdough Bread
Maple Wine
I’m done. 100 gallons of sap Thursday, 100 more Friday, 50 or so overnight. Concentrated and boiled today. Have 20 gallons of 90% syrup to finish tomorrow. 17.5 already bottled. A good season overall. Also a total mystery as this was the first year tapping this property. Turns this place very good potential. Had to set up everything from a blank page this year. Looking forward to next year when I can walk out and just flip the switch (well, sort of)...
2010 - barrel stove & a steam table pan. 10 - 12 trees
2011 - same deal as the year before. My son is now hooked along with me.
2012 - Took over the garden shed and set up a Mason 2x3. Hoping to tap 30 - 50 trees. Ended up with 100 taps out.
Finished the season with 16 gallons made
2013- - Purchased a Smokey Lake 2 x 3 Hybrid pan. WOW, what a difference!!
Same here north of Bangor. Sap ran like mad for 2 days. Tired of lifting those buckets. And now I am pulling the taps since there is no freeze in sight.
Page Meadow Maple
Lowell, Maine
Leader Half Pint evaporator
80 taps: 53 buckets, 27 drop lines
Yup, looks like most are calling it quits around Kingfield, Carrabassett Valley also. Getting to warm, buds are out. Come on home Black Fly's!!!! Ready for some heat now after the cold windy winter we had in this neck of the woods!!! I will be back in service next spring!!! Retired, so i can make time for myself. Yea Right!!!! Have a great summer everyone!!!
We also threw in the towel today as well. Boiled off what was in the pans to finish things out. Ended up with 28.5 gallons of nice syrup. Probably the best we have ever made, and about 7 gallons of cooking grade. Like everyone else, this season was a interesting one. We thought we were in for 70 or so gallons of syrup going off past years growth rates. But we made half that. Big plans for next year, time to get cleaned up. The grass will be growing before to long.
West Sumner Sugar House
West Sumner, ME
500 +/- Taps - 2 x 8 CDL Venturi - 3 Shurflo Solar Systems - MES Dolly 300
https://www.facebook.com/WestSumnerSugarHouse
We are staying plugged in for a possible mid week freeze and one more run but will be checking sap before boiling and while we boil. Thinking we will be OK. Sap was OK yesterday just low sugar. Flue pan is going boiled off by Friday and we’ll be done.
Same here, waiting it out. I pushed all the sweet out of my pans and letting it soak in permeate just in case it doesn't run. Not too bad overall though, made 60 gallons as of yesterday. Was shooting for 85+ but the season was fairly short.Originally Posted by mainebackswoodssyrup
Road's End Farm - Starting small with no end in sight!
Will finish up today. The sap is barely trickling under vacuum, isn't very sweet, and the syrup is filtering really hard. My yard trees (which aren't tapped) have visibly swelling buds now. They're ahead of the woods trees, but still I'm getting paranoid about buddy syrup now. Total looks to be just shy of 1/2 gallon syrup per tap - worse than any of the last three years but almost equal to '16 and '17, which I considered well above average at the time. Funny how 4 straight good years makes you start rethinking what average should look like.
Steven Abbott
Over 900 taps on vacuum
30" x 10' D&G Woodsaver evaporator with Steamaway
Half acre market garden
2 farmers in training
We'll end up just about average for us. Over 30 gallons is above average for us and we'll be just shy of it. We may actually crest over that mark if we get another run with good sap. New evaporator has certainly helped to boil things quicker. We would have never got through 550 gallons in 2 days on the old batch pan. Sugar content seemed to be up as well which helped. Good year overall especially considering the late start. We found 180 new taps for next year and got permission to add the tubing yesterday.
Grand total for the year is 31 gallons of dark robust. Couldn't have done it without the RO bucket RB-15 kit and the Shurflo pumps.
Very pleased with how it all went. Next year will be a whole lot easier to start up.
2010 - barrel stove & a steam table pan. 10 - 12 trees
2011 - same deal as the year before. My son is now hooked along with me.
2012 - Took over the garden shed and set up a Mason 2x3. Hoping to tap 30 - 50 trees. Ended up with 100 taps out.
Finished the season with 16 gallons made
2013- - Purchased a Smokey Lake 2 x 3 Hybrid pan. WOW, what a difference!!
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