Novice in Northern West Virginia

[Tomahawk]

So I'm guessing I picked a pretty lousy year to try this out(lol). The weather has been as uncooperative as you could get, and when you only have 5 taps, that can mean disaster. I was originally hoping for a half gallon to a gallon of finished product for my family, but I don't think I'll even get that much.

I'm not too torn up about it. As I said before, we don't have a lot of good-sized maples, but in 2-5 years I'll have close to 50 that will be just the right size. Unfortunately my big silver maple has NEVER given up any sap, and I've completely stopped checking it.

The weather has been either in the 50s with no freezes at night, or in the 20s. The couple of days we got the perfect weather were my best sap runs, with over a gallon from my 5 trees. The next week we're in for a warm-up, but it's not supposed to freeze at night. Considering our season should end around the first day of spring, I'd say I'm just about done.

I'm not giving up, though. I knew NOTHING before trying this year, and I've learned a lot. Next year I need to tap some bigger trees and try to find a few more down in our woods. 5 taps on smaller trees just isn't enough.

I'm going to keep reading about what everyone else is doing, and if anything good happens I'll post, but I think my season is coming to an abrupt end sooner rather than later.

Hey Jax -- I'm a hobbiest too. You came to the right place for advice. The users here are pros and willing to help and advise above and beyond the call of duty. The maple sugaring community sure is a friendly bunch!

Anyway, ID'ing maples shouldn't be too hard. You can tell from the bark. Google "maple" in images and look at the pics, they'll seem familiar. Once you see them in real life, you can't miss. I'm a novice but to me, nothing else looks like a maple. It's the red/silver/sugar part I have a hard time with but they all make syrup!


I get discouraged at times, this is my sixth season. You'll probably find the tough part is the boiling/evaporation. It's tough for a hobbiest that doesn't want to/can't spend money. Right now, I'm using a turkey fryer hooked to to my NG supply. It's bad, 1 gallon an hour. I just modified the fryer bringing the burner 4 inches closer to the pot. If it doesn't get substantially better, I'm out.

Also, for small time guys like us, you have to have fun because the effort and money (gas) you spend isn't worth the syrup you'll make.

So, have fun and good luck! Hope I can help you out some.

[Jax]

Thanks, Tomahawk. I have really found this site very helpful and now visit it almost every day.

I'm really not discouraged. I came into this maple sugaring thing this year with the attitude that this year is an experimental year. This year is about gaining some knowledge and experience for when I go a little bigger next year.

As to identifying trees, I think what was confusing me was all the pictures online, and all the descriptions, specifically call maple tree bark "gray". So I looked for gray bark, but every tree had a strong hint of brown and didn't look anything like the maples online. Then one day I realized that there seems to be a pale green moss growing on all the trees, and that one of the trees I tapped with a southern exposure had the gray look on its south side that one would expect. So I'd bet I can now look right at a tree and tell if its a maple, but I won't be 100% until summer.

I think I want to keep fairly small, even if the 50 or so smaller maples grow in the next 5 years. I've talked to a couple of people that actually regret getting so big that they now feel they MUST do it just to support their hobby. I definitely don't want that.

Anyway, this is a great hobby that gets me out once or twice a day from being parked in front of the computer looking for a job. It's been a real lifesaver for a "victim of the economy" as I like to call myself. It's really kept my spirits up, and trying to do it for as cheap as possible is a fun challenge.

[Tomahawk]

I hear ya Jax! It's a lot of fun to talk to these guys and look at the photo albums. I bet like me, you too will become pretty envious of their operations before too long.

I have dreams of someday buying a farm and becoming a "real" maple syrup maker -- but that's probably what they'll always be, dreams. Heh!

I don't know anything about WV but if WestVirginiaMapler (Brandon) is anywhere near you, you should ask if you can check out his operation. He's a very friendly guy and has helped me a LOT as well as other users on this site. That's why I come into the WV board, to see his posted progress updates and live vicariously through him, heh!

I have good success collecting sap, I even cut my total from 10 to 6 taps this year because I always end up with too much sap.

Like I said, the tough part for me is boiling. I have horror stories of trying to do it on the stove indoors -- steaming out my house, peeling wallpaper, making swimming pools out of window sills..etc. Stuff nightmares are made of.

But the pain goes away after a while and one morning you pour that pure maple syrup over a hot stack of french toast and taste something that there is no equal for, it all seems worth it, lol.

That's the "drug" that makes you come back and do it all over again.

My goal is usally 1 gallon of syrup, I think I hit it once in 6 years. This year, if I get a quart, I'll be happy. I've already made about 16 ounces but my candy thermometer is apparently broken because I made syrup that is thicker than honey and has a crunch to it. Hahahaha!

It's cold here again, when it warms up a little I'm gonna take one more stab at boiling. I have 25-30 gallon of (frozen) sap on hand.

I'm optimistic that my turkey fryer modification will make things much better. (I'm a glutton for punishment)

Good luck and welcome again.

[KenWP]

That is one problem I have also. The pictures on line and in books just do not match my trees all that much. I have to look at the branch's and the buds and of course it helps when you mark trees in the summer. The only trees here abouts that have buds and the birch's,poplars and the maples and since the first two are pretty easy to tell it helps out a bit when I am looking for new trees. The big silvers in my yard have the same lichens on the bark as the sugar maples out in the bush have but my other trees have buds like reds. I am blessed with 4 kinds of maples around here plus a couple of striped maples that are about 2 inches thick. The funny thing here is there are very few little trees only tall older ones.

[Jax]

So it's 70 degrees, most of my trees have stopped flowing, and it's not going to get down to freezing until Thursday night. I'm wondering if I should be thinking about pulling my taps?

I've read other places that say when the trees bud, you're done. But what exactly does that mean? Cause trees around here are just starting to bud, but they're not very far along. And the maples aren't budding very much yet.

Thanks for the help.

[Tomahawk]

So it's 70 degrees, most of my trees have stopped flowing, and it's not going to get down to freezing until Thursday night. I'm wondering if I should be thinking about pulling my taps?

I've read other places that say when the trees bud, you're done. But what exactly does that mean? Cause trees around here are just starting to bud, but they're not very far along. And the maples aren't budding very much yet.

Thanks for the help.

When they bud, you'll know it. Even me, as a total novice, can easily recognize the buds. And if you're not sure, within a day or two you will, 'cause they grow fast!

The more experienced guys here have told me the trees will still give sap after they bud but the syrup it makes will taste different. "It tasted buddie" I remember one saying.

My trees slow down to almost a complete stop upon the buds showing -- and the flies/moths/ants increase drastically -- so I always pull the taps at the first sign of buds. Anyway like I said, I never use all of the sap I collect, by the time the buds show, I'm done.

I have a good observation that I think will help you next year: I've noticed the trees with the largest CROWN, run the best / give the most sap. I always assumed it was the largest trunk diameter but it's not.

Good luck Jax.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jax,

Hang in there and see what happens. I am in the same boat as you with the high temps but it doesn't hurt anything to leave the taps in. Hopefully we can get another run or two.

[Jax]

Thanks guys.

I'm going to wait at least 1 more week. Starting Wednesday the weather guys are predicting PERFECT sap weather for the first time since I tapped. Almost 4 days straight of 20s-30s at night and 402-50s in the day. I've been freezing my sap and am anxious to boil it. My freezer is getting pretty packed.

But, hey, what's one more week?

[Jax]

NOW I'm giving up!

Looks like the season is winding up here. The past 3-4 days the sap quality has really declined. It's cloudy, has a slight yellowish tint, and has an odor I hadn't noticed earlier this season. I decided to throw out what I got the last couple of days just in case.

I've been freezing all the sap I've gotten since the middle of February for one big boil. Unfortunately, I don't have much, but I'll be happy if the "experiment" of making syrup works out this year. It will just spur me to increase production next year.

I've found quite a few new and bigger trees since the season started. They're a bit of a walk, but it's been really nice to get outside this time of year. I'm going to mark them and tap them next year.

I may do my final boil on Saturday. If I do I'll let everybody know how it goes. Thanks for the help. everybody!

[Jax]

I pulled my taps today, and low and behold, there are a few small trees beginning to bud. I think I'm right on time for finishing the season. My trees all but quit running last week and the sap I got was pretty lousy.

All in all, I'm happy with how things went. I'm finishing up my final boil, and I only wish I had tapped more tree. I also plan on setting up a better boiling rig next year. My boil took MUCH longer than it should. It was my fault, though, because I did not use the fire heat more efficiently.

For my first time EVER I'm very pleased. I hope to try again next year armed with a wealth of information that I have acquired from this board and from experience.