It's dying here, 80 gal. pickup today where last week was 180. A few trees had empty buckets [except for dead moths]
It's dying here, 80 gal. pickup today where last week was 180. A few trees had empty buckets [except for dead moths]
Had a decent run of sap back half of yesterday followed up by a night run. Still running today in the rain a bit. All sap is still fairly clear.
Another boil tomorrow.
If you think it's easy to make good money in maple syrup .... then your obviously good at stealing somebody's Maple Syrup.
Favorite Tree: Sugar Maple
Most Hated Animal: Sap Sucker
Most Loved Animal: Devon Rex Cat
Favorite Kingpin: Bruce Bascom
40 Sugar Maple Taps ... 23 in CT and 17 in NY .... 29 on gravity tubing and 11 on 5G buckets ... 2019 Totals 508 gallons of sap, 7 boils, 11.4 gallons of syrup.
1 Girlfriend that gives away all my syrup to her friends.
I collected another bit yesterday through the night and into today.
I’m expecting decent runs through Monday and that should be it from what I’m seeing.
Soon it will be time to boil, bottle and then tear down all the gear.
I’ve been sitting on a pan full of sweet and sap that’s a few days old. Fortunately my tanks were frozen up until yesterday so the sap should still be good. That said, I’m sure it’s cloudier than I’d like... oh well. It’s that time of the year.
2024 - 160 taps, Shurflo 4048. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 Raised Flue. 5x400 RO.
2023 - 121 taps. Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 20 gallons.
2022 - 103 taps. Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 23 gallons.
2021 - 77 taps on Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 22 gallons.
2020 - 70ish taps on Shurflo 4008. Mason 2x4 XL. DIY R.O. ~24 gallons.
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Trout Brook Valley
Weston, CT
I'll collect what I can Saturday night and boil all day Sunday. I get what I get. With luck another 5 gallons or so Sunday which will bring my total up to 30 gallons. All things considered not too bad.
On the positive side a dairy refrigeration guy finally came to the house to look at my milk tank. Thought it was an easy retrofit to a smaller compressor unit and no big deal.
1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
I collected 95 gallons yesterday. That puts me at 930 gallons for the year. Expecting 200 to 250 this weekend. That will put me at where I wanted to be for the year, around 1100 to 1200 gallons of sap on 110 taps.
2024 55 3/16 gravity, 19 5/16 gravity, 40 buckets and bags, RO Bucket rb15 kit, 5ft Phaneuf drop flue evaporator, Mason AUF arch.
2023 35 3/16 gravity, 30 5/16 gravity 53 buckets and bags, RO Bucket rb15 kit, 5ft Phaneuf drop flue evaporator.
Mason AUF arch
2022 35 3/16 gravity, 28 5/16 gravity, 50 buckets and bags, New RO Bucket rb15 kit.
2021 11 on 5/16 gravity, 30 on 3/16 gravity, 69 on buckets and bags. All sugar maples. Mostly large old trees.
Just went out and collected my last 55gal drum off the tubing for the season, which was overflowing since yesterday evening.... Lines are all frozen today anyways. Sap is cloudy and starting to not taste so good. Puts me about 1200 gallons of sap on 75ish taps. Not terrible though it was a very spotty season. Seemed like all or nothing on any given day.
I’ll boil off the last bit tomorrow and start bottling the take Sunday. I suppose I’ll have some sweet to finish off over the propane as well. Considering I tapped Super Bowl Sunday and it’s still ‘running’ I’d say that ain’t too bad though usually I call it quits much earlier than this because I’ve reached my quota of fun and syrup this year seemed to drag on.
Starting to clean up and sanitize the collection gear this afternoon, take the taps out sometime in the coming days. Regroup next week and refill the wood pile for next year. Hope you all had a decent year!
1990-2013 - 35+, 7/16, on milk jugs+3gal galv buckets, 55gal drum firebox, 125 year old 10 gallon porcelain pot, outdoor boiling fun.
2014 - 40+ Built a 10x12 sugar shack, new 2x3 Mason.
2015-2023 - 75+ 5/16 Buckets, 3/16 tube, DIY RoBucket, on the mason in the shack, me, the dogs, sometimes the ole'lady, and defiantly a few beers.
Sap ran good today! Practically nothing the few days prior. I will be boiling tomorrow, and maybe Sunday if I don't finish it all. I had maybe 60 gal in my ss tank that has been frozen for the past few days, plus todays' and tomorrow sap.
I would like to say that I will be able to get through it all tomorrow, but chances are not, unless I go really late. I can't start til early afternoon. My rig is simply not giving me the heat and boil it did last year. I have/had a pile of wood that was not the best that I needed to use up, so I am blaming it on that, but it is mostly gone, so hopefully tomorrow's boil will be better.
2017 - 20ish taps on buckets, boiling outside in two baking pans
2018 - 70+ taps, 14-buckets, 50+ on tubing, homemade arch from oil tank in my barn, 17 gal syrup
2019 - same set up, 20 gal syrup
2020 - less taps, short season, but RO kit was fantastic! 6 gal syrup and a maple cat!
2021/22/23 - expanded into the neighbors yards! 50 taps on buckets and 40 taps on tubing
All done. Finished 5 gallons yesterday and another 5 gallons today for a total on the year of 35 gallons. Not too bad all things considered.
Left 4" of thick sap/thin syrup in the pans and will come back to it in two or three months.
Will pull down lines this week and finish washing totes and tanks.
Sad to see the season end.
1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
That's a wrap!
Finished my last boil yesterday, with a pan of sweet to ferment.
I'm unsure of my total syrup yield, but I m expecting to be near 15 gallons. Sap yield was well below that of last year. Oh well... It was fun.
Time to clean totes, pull taps, sanitize lines, and stow the gear until next year.
Thanks for the support, good humor, and help along the way.
I hope you all have a great off-season.
Be well.
Bryan
2024 - 160 taps, Shurflo 4048. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 Raised Flue. 5x400 RO.
2023 - 121 taps. Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 20 gallons.
2022 - 103 taps. Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 23 gallons.
2021 - 77 taps on Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 22 gallons.
2020 - 70ish taps on Shurflo 4008. Mason 2x4 XL. DIY R.O. ~24 gallons.
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Trout Brook Valley
Weston, CT
My plan was to collect my last batch on Saturday, boil on Sunday and take everything down today. I actually had my best sap run of the season between Saturday night and this morning. Most buckets were overflowing, and the sap is crystal clear to boot!
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