I got my taps in on Sunday. Not much on Monday but sap looks to have run deep into the night last night. Today is the day to wash everything out and likely prep for first boil tomorrow. I’d say at least a gallon per tap yesterday on bags based on what I can see from my house.
2014 - 15 taps
2015 - 20 taps
2016 - 25 taps
2017 - 60 taps - added sugar shack and first evaporator
2018 - 70 taps on Bags
2019 - 90 taps - new 2x4 corsair with hybrid pro pan from Smokey Lake
Nice!
Been a good run yesterday into today here too. Going to boil tonight as I should have over 200 gallons to get through.
Hoping I can leave some sap in the tank tomorrow and get it to freeze solid Friday night to keep sap colder next week when it warms up again.
42.82N
2015 - Small operation. 25 buckets. One excited 5 year old and one 35 year old that feels 5 again.
2016 - One year older. New Homemade 2x4 Arch, Smoky Lake Pan and looking at 52 maples, 17 box elders and 2 walnut trees.
2017 - Shurflo 4008 hooked to 42 stingy silver maples and a few Norways. A couple buckets on sugars and Norways. 10 box elders.
2018 - ...a few more taps.
2019 - ...more taps on 3/16 gravity. This spiral is heading downward in a hurry.
2020 - 4x400 RO - RB20 (uh-oh!)
Boiling now. Amazing run finishing up. Way over 2 gallons per tap and at 2.1% sugar avg across all my trees....mostly silvers.
42.82N
2015 - Small operation. 25 buckets. One excited 5 year old and one 35 year old that feels 5 again.
2016 - One year older. New Homemade 2x4 Arch, Smoky Lake Pan and looking at 52 maples, 17 box elders and 2 walnut trees.
2017 - Shurflo 4008 hooked to 42 stingy silver maples and a few Norways. A couple buckets on sugars and Norways. 10 box elders.
2018 - ...a few more taps.
2019 - ...more taps on 3/16 gravity. This spiral is heading downward in a hurry.
2020 - 4x400 RO - RB20 (uh-oh!)
I started my first boil of the season at 4:30 this morning. Had a good run. Should catch up by end of day today. Ground was hard this morning early but I don’t know if it was cold enough to trigger the trees. I guess we will know in a couple hours. Gotta go add wood! Happy sapping everyone!
Originally Posted by littleTapper
2014 - 15 taps
2015 - 20 taps
2016 - 25 taps
2017 - 60 taps - added sugar shack and first evaporator
2018 - 70 taps on Bags
2019 - 90 taps - new 2x4 corsair with hybrid pro pan from Smokey Lake
We boiled Thursday and Friday and made almost 20 gals of syrup. That was a nice run.
150 on 3/16 gravity 2018 and 120 sap sacks
14 x 20 sugar shack
2014 New custom 2x6 arch "The Firestorm" w/ preheater, AUF & AOF
Smokey Lake pans and water jacket bottler
2024 new 2x8 set of drop flue pans and hood from Smoky Lake. Lengthen our arch.
Just a hobby but seems like more work every
year
3 generations working together
Wife that guards our syrup
43.74° N
2 day freeze break and looks like we are back at it today! 60 gallons bottled up and labeled and its still February... Looks like it going to be a fruitful week too.
2x6 Smokey Lake raised flue w/AUF
16x30 Sugar Shack
7" SL SS filter press
Smokey Lake water jacketed finish pan & bottler
350 RO
517 taps and I seem to keep finding more!
Nice reports!
Hope we can all easily ride out the impending heat wave(s). Hoping March gets more normal, but the way things are going....just going to do what I can (which will be lots of cleaning)
42.82N
2015 - Small operation. 25 buckets. One excited 5 year old and one 35 year old that feels 5 again.
2016 - One year older. New Homemade 2x4 Arch, Smoky Lake Pan and looking at 52 maples, 17 box elders and 2 walnut trees.
2017 - Shurflo 4008 hooked to 42 stingy silver maples and a few Norways. A couple buckets on sugars and Norways. 10 box elders.
2018 - ...a few more taps.
2019 - ...more taps on 3/16 gravity. This spiral is heading downward in a hurry.
2020 - 4x400 RO - RB20 (uh-oh!)
Yes. Nothing we can do about weather. I’m not ready for season to be over if that’s what it chooses to do…. I was hoping for more yesterday only got about a 1/2-3/4 gallon per tree average. Will see if it got cold enough to run a bit today. Planning on collecting tonight and I’ll boil everything that I have tomorrow. Should just about be ready for a full clean out after that boil. That will allow me to do a good cleaning and see what happens over the next 10 days.
Welcome to farming everyone!
Nice reports!
Hope we can all easily ride out the impending heat wave(s). Hoping March gets more normal, but the way things are going....just going to do what I can (which will be lots of cleaning)
2014 - 15 taps
2015 - 20 taps
2016 - 25 taps
2017 - 60 taps - added sugar shack and first evaporator
2018 - 70 taps on Bags
2019 - 90 taps - new 2x4 corsair with hybrid pro pan from Smokey Lake
Realized some of my first bottling is crystalizing in the bottles. If I had to guess, the refractometer is out of whack a bit. Was delaying getting a hydrometer, but not anymore. Ordered up one from Smoky Lake.
Also incorporated the cone filter optimizer this year after deciding not to plunge into a filter press (yet). Works great. Moves syrup through much faster and it's coming out nice and clear.
42.82N
2015 - Small operation. 25 buckets. One excited 5 year old and one 35 year old that feels 5 again.
2016 - One year older. New Homemade 2x4 Arch, Smoky Lake Pan and looking at 52 maples, 17 box elders and 2 walnut trees.
2017 - Shurflo 4008 hooked to 42 stingy silver maples and a few Norways. A couple buckets on sugars and Norways. 10 box elders.
2018 - ...a few more taps.
2019 - ...more taps on 3/16 gravity. This spiral is heading downward in a hurry.
2020 - 4x400 RO - RB20 (uh-oh!)
I use Smokey lakes flat filter and I love it. Filter press would probably be an upgrade but the flat filter works well for our size.
2014 - 15 taps
2015 - 20 taps
2016 - 25 taps
2017 - 60 taps - added sugar shack and first evaporator
2018 - 70 taps on Bags
2019 - 90 taps - new 2x4 corsair with hybrid pro pan from Smokey Lake
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