I skipped 3 years, will be back into tapping and boiling next year. I recently ordered a new 2x6 complete with hood, head tank and draw off tank. Getting excited to get back into it.
In my time off I was selling down on barrels full of syrup from previous seasons. I sold my old 3x8 and I'll be cutting back from at one time 1320 taps and I'll only do 200-425 , someplace in that range, 425 looks to be the max I could tap if I tap every tree that's in a practical range from where my largest areas of maples are. At 77 I'm not going to walk farther out from my tubing areas to tap and carry buckets of sap in fact by the 2025 season I'll be 78. I'll be doing good to do the 200-425 taps. I'll also for the first time ever, be using oil to boil. My previous 4 evaporators have all been wood fired, I'm quitting wood fired and only heating my home with wood and then only when the temperatures are about 30F or below. In the mid to upper 30's I'd need to slow the fire and It's not good for the chimney.
Welcome back!
Yes, some maple traders have moved on, I think it may have been because several had problems logging in and they found other forums to follow. It's not likely there are fewer maple producers, since the market for syrup is greater than ever.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.