Same here. I've never sold a drop. I do it because I enjoy the tradition. I enjoy the memories we make with friends and family in the sugar house. It's a great harbinger of spring and gives me something to do in March when there's not much else going on. Breaking even is not something I consider. It's a hobby. It brings me enjoyment. Therein lies the value.Originally Posted by berkshires
16x24 Timber Frame Sugar House
Mason 2x4 Evaporator
90 trees on buckets
I've never made syrup but I'm in it to make a million dollars. I figure if I tap 150 trees and buy all new equipment and work really hard at it in about 250 years I'll have made my money back.
We use a lot of syrup and yes it's easier to just go to the store and buy it but we are teaching our kids where food comes from, farming, animals, etc.
This is another step in the hobby farming quiver.
I like all the answers why. I also enjoy sharing the experience with my family, especially my grand kids and visiting kids.
Sap is flowing again today and may flow a few more times this week.
I especially love the sap is flowing while I am out ice fishing. Now for a flag to pop with a Lake Trout at the other end.
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.
I doubt you've worked hard a day in your life if you have nothing better to do than troll.
16x24 Timber Frame Sugar House
Mason 2x4 Evaporator
90 trees on buckets
Well, so far the temperature has not dropped below freezing and sap continues to slowly run. I think wobbletop got more in his bag from one tree than I did from 50 taps, but I am up to 4 gallons. Temps will be above freezing all night and are expected to rise to 3° (37° F) tomorrow. I am not sure if there was enough built up pressure in the trees to keep running tomorrow as well.
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.
If the temperatures had dropped below freezing last night, today could have been a special day. I ended up with 9 gallons. This Sunday is looking special if the forecast holds and some sap may flow on Saturday and Monday. It is also looking great a week from now on Thursday and Friday, but I will believe it when I see it.
I may do my next boil Monday or Tuesday.
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.
As Hobbies go cheaper than a new snowmobile, cheaper than a Camaro and safer than a motorcycle. I sell a little maybe enough to pay for the bottles and maybe the taps every year. For me its nice to do something on a small scale I did as a kid and its nice to know even in S. NH I can still go into the woods and feel like I'm 15 again and back in VT.
Love reading your posts Gary.
19x48 mini pro oil fired, Nano R/O, CDL Vacuum Press,Mountain Maple Vacuum setup
6x12 sugar house off back of shed
2024-103 Taps Mostly Sugars, Dozen Reds
"The days are long, but the years are short"
Hey ProBoot....sorry for my earlier comment calling you a troll. When you said you never made syrup but were "in it to make a million dollars" and were going to work 250 years to break even that just made no sense. As a new member with 9 posts it all sounded very trollish. I just saw and read your thread and I now see that indeed you're not a troll but that you were just trying to be funny.
Good luck in your new project. Hope you have a good first year.
16x24 Timber Frame Sugar House
Mason 2x4 Evaporator
90 trees on buckets
Today’s high temps were just supposed to be around the freezing mark, but with all of the sun it rose above freezing and some sap flowed. I visited my friend across the lake, whose family has been making maple syrup for generations and his slope was facing the sun and the trees were basking in the sunlight. Shortly thereafter I walked to my lines and the slope faced away from the sun. No wonder his trees flow so much better than mine. (Picture is of my slope) The snow depth is mostly knee deep.
I may get some sap every day this week, especially at the end of the week. Mid month the polar vortex is supposed to move in and that will be the end of the sap flow for a few weeks.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0adh...-xLhcZL4UwBqbQ
Last edited by Swingpure; 02-03-2024 at 04:33 PM.
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.
A question about cone filters.
The previous two years I had my DYI vacuum filter. When the top prefilter got clogged, I simply lifted it off and the syrup above it slid down to the next filter.
With the cone filter, when the top prefilter gets plugged, you can’t simply lift it off the other, because it has syrup in it.
What do you do?
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.
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