Heck of a run here the last 2 days but mostly today. We had 350 to do around 5:30 and it was still running good. Sap should be fine to boil tomorrow and that looks like it for us with the forecast.
Heck of a run here the last 2 days but mostly today. We had 350 to do around 5:30 and it was still running good. Sap should be fine to boil tomorrow and that looks like it for us with the forecast.
305 taps on 2 Shurflo's, 31 taps on 3/16" and 229 taps on gravity. 565 in all
Mountain Maple S3 controller for 145 of the vacuum taps
2x6 Darveau Mystique Oil Fired Evaporator w/ Smoky Lake Simplicity Auto Draw
Wesfab 7” filter press
Yup, seeing as we're posting in the backyard enthusiasts thread... sometimes I want to go back to small scale. If I stuck with the best trees around here, I have no doubt I could average 3.5-4% with 50 taps or more, all pretty easy access. Unfortunately, most of them aren't within reach of my tubing, and for simplicity I've resisted tapping them and having to collect and haul sap. Awful helpful when it all flows directly to the saphouse.Originally Posted by twitch
Steven Abbott
Over 900 taps on vacuum
30" x 10' D&G Woodsaver evaporator with Steamaway
Half acre market garden
2 farmers in training
I hear ya there I could have ran a bunch buckets but didn't really just a time thing. I wish I had at this but to late. I dumped 300 gallons of sap during the long warm spell. That hurt a bit but it was gross
2 1/2 x 10 with steam away leader drop flue inferno arch.
550 in gravity
I got a nice Easter present with 25-30 gallons of syrup from maybe 30-40 taps. Some produced little, some had filled the 5-gallon bucket. We'll see what kind of super-dark I get out of this. Very cloudy. Time to boil it, clean up and document everything I learned from my first "real" season. Good luck closing down, everyone. It's been great getting to learn from you all!
2023 - 40-ish taps (25-30 “effective” ones), tapped mostly in New Year’s Eve. 5 gallons of syrup.
2022 - 70 taps - 12 gallons of syrup
2021 - 72 taps ~ 8 gallons of syrup
2020 - 8 taps on droplines into buckets, stove top boil, < 1 gallon syrup
A neighborhood consortium of red maple trees, a renegade group of neighborhood kids emptying 5 gallon buckets, a homemade RO, a 3 pan cinderblock evaporator near the street, and 1 very patient wife
520 gallons last 2 days. Best run and looks like last run of the year. A very tasty dark grade so far. Will be all cooked today.
305 taps on 2 Shurflo's, 31 taps on 3/16" and 229 taps on gravity. 565 in all
Mountain Maple S3 controller for 145 of the vacuum taps
2x6 Darveau Mystique Oil Fired Evaporator w/ Smoky Lake Simplicity Auto Draw
Wesfab 7” filter press
Yikes, I should correct that was 25-30 gallons of sap, not syrup! Ha! wish I got that much out of 40 taps...
2023 - 40-ish taps (25-30 “effective” ones), tapped mostly in New Year’s Eve. 5 gallons of syrup.
2022 - 70 taps - 12 gallons of syrup
2021 - 72 taps ~ 8 gallons of syrup
2020 - 8 taps on droplines into buckets, stove top boil, < 1 gallon syrup
A neighborhood consortium of red maple trees, a renegade group of neighborhood kids emptying 5 gallon buckets, a homemade RO, a 3 pan cinderblock evaporator near the street, and 1 very patient wife
Post your season summary of you get a chance! The dark stuff still tastes great, just looks like used motor oil.
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
You know the expression "red at night, sailors delight" . My wife came up with a new one - "drought in the summer, sap seasons a bummer". My guess is the dryness of last year, combined with a warmer than normal spring caused the low production of sap this season. I know the groundwater table is low this spring as my two sump pumps have been uncharacteristically quiet. I'm guessing low groundwater for the trees as well.
I guess bummer might be a little harsh but it was a struggle. In the end I got 13.5 gallons off 581 gallons of sap for a ssc average of 2.31%.
I had big plans for two lasts boils of some pretty good sap from the last runs. I stored the sap under my barn as I could not get to it for a bit. It appears that I waited too long, as the sap was turning. In fact I started boiling it and there was a slight "cheese" scent or rather a yeast scent. As I thought about it I realized that bacteria eat sugar, so I tested the ssc and it had gone from 2 to 1.2 just sitting in the buckets. I wasn't about to spend a day boiling 1.2% sap so we put 90 gallons on the raspberries, asparagus, and such. Lesson learned - get to it right off at this time of the year.
So everything is washed and put away till next season. For next season I will be using more 1.5/2 gallon frosting buckets in place of milk jugs as they overflow less often. I also will be getting rid of my one pan warming stove in favor of a new 3 pan arch matching my other arch. With this arrangement I should be able to do 10+ gph either cutting down on boiling time or allowing more gallons done in a day. An improvement either way. Two big arches will eat the wood, but I've got plenty especially pine.
Time to forge ahead with spring and summer plans. I hope everyone in Maple Land has a fruitful off season and enjoys their syrup!
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
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