Thank for the compliments. Yep a Jamacia Cottage. Real good quality workmanship to. On the tap count, I dropped the 12 reds right next to the shack and went further at my main site. Mostly sugars with a few reds mixed in. I have an extra helper this year and we think we might be able to boil every day when the sapageddon hits.
2024 - Starting with the 25 then more late Feb.
2023 - 25 taps on 11 trees to focus on the process. 9 Gallons and lots of sugar sand. 35 people over for breakfast in April
2022 - 8 x 14 sugarhouse and a steam bottler. 50 buckets! 9 Gallons syrup and 4 pounds of sugar
2021 - 20 x 30 divided pan on a Mason arch, 34 taps and 8 gallons for family and friends to judge. Dad hooked as well.
2020 - 2 taps, 1/2 pint on a turkey fryer, About 3/4 pint syrup in two weeks - Proof of concept!
Aaron,
My sugar house is 16 x 12 and I have a 2 x 4 raised flue evaporator in it, with a raised 50 gallon SS head tank.
Last edited by Pdiamond; 01-24-2022 at 08:18 PM.
2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
made 17 gal. syrup
2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
2021 - Didn't work out
2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start
Bummer about the trees right next to the shack being poor performers. I know how that goes. The slope right above my sugar shack has the highest density of sugar maples of anywhere on my property. Must be about twenty of them at least. Mature trees. But they are all crowded together, with very small crowns. The year I tapped a bunch of them, the best of them out put 1.3% sap, and some were more like 1%. Now I have to go a long ways from my sugar shack, but I only tap the less crowded sweeter trees.Originally Posted by Aaron Stack
Gabe
2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
2024: 17 taps, 5.3 gals
All on buckets
well you convinced ME to go with the Jamaica when I relocate to Maine. The only question is do I want 8X14 or 8X16 and we all know bigger is always better, right?
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
Another purchase this year was a sap hydrometer. I honestly had no idea what % it was last year but a general sap to syrup calculation says in the 1.6% range. Hoping to focus a lot more on the process this year.
2024 - Starting with the 25 then more late Feb.
2023 - 25 taps on 11 trees to focus on the process. 9 Gallons and lots of sugar sand. 35 people over for breakfast in April
2022 - 8 x 14 sugarhouse and a steam bottler. 50 buckets! 9 Gallons syrup and 4 pounds of sugar
2021 - 20 x 30 divided pan on a Mason arch, 34 taps and 8 gallons for family and friends to judge. Dad hooked as well.
2020 - 2 taps, 1/2 pint on a turkey fryer, About 3/4 pint syrup in two weeks - Proof of concept!
I am always about 3 or 4 weeks behind the rest of Massachusetts as far as tapping. Shooting for the first week of March on average.
16x24 Timber Frame Sugar House
Mason 2x4 Evaporator
90 trees on buckets
I’m in central MA and thinking of putting in half of my taps (15/30) this weekend. We have some interesting weather coming up and this is only my second year. Being that I tap solely reds I want to get as much out of them as I can before they bud out. Might have to sit through a few days of freeze but it shouldn’t hurt anything. Testing and learning…
Going to save the remaining taps for the next weekend…or the weekend after…
Last edited by Kamina; 02-03-2022 at 04:24 PM.
Yeah, Tues, Weds, Thurs of next week definitely looks promising. I'm going to hold off for now but I wish you luck!
GO
2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
2024: 17 taps, 5.3 gals
All on buckets
According to Accuweather, Monday forward looks perfect... if I was ready!
https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/we...3577?year=2022
2024 - Starting with the 25 then more late Feb.
2023 - 25 taps on 11 trees to focus on the process. 9 Gallons and lots of sugar sand. 35 people over for breakfast in April
2022 - 8 x 14 sugarhouse and a steam bottler. 50 buckets! 9 Gallons syrup and 4 pounds of sugar
2021 - 20 x 30 divided pan on a Mason arch, 34 taps and 8 gallons for family and friends to judge. Dad hooked as well.
2020 - 2 taps, 1/2 pint on a turkey fryer, About 3/4 pint syrup in two weeks - Proof of concept!
Thanks for that calendar...I looked up Haverhill and just want to tap NOW
Usually I wait until at least valentines.
Broke down and bought a CDL Vacuum filter, one of the small ones...in my homemade one the pots kept getting vacuume together and I would have to pump air in to separate them...which was....explosive in sound. I had this nightmare about getting hit with shrapnel at some point
All the drops are in the lines and the lines are tight. I just need to flush/wash/flush the RO. I bought a garden hose water filter so I could use city water as I have no access to well water. It will strain out the chlorine and metals (I hope) until I can generate some permeate. I may, in fact run the strained water thru the RO to make some permeate-in-waiting.
2024 - New Maine resident, 12X12 sugar shack under construction
2019 - New 12X12 boiling pavilion
2018 - New Mason 2X3 Hobby XL and homemade RO
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