Wow!! Yes, I tap a handful of huge yard silvers as well. Amazing trees. Blink and the buckets overflow some days.Originally Posted by Sunny Knoll Farm
Wow!! Yes, I tap a handful of huge yard silvers as well. Amazing trees. Blink and the buckets overflow some days.
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!)
Yesterday was the best run of the year for me. And probably the last. Gonna cook it up later this week and call it a season. Low sap count overall, but high sugar saved the year. I think I’ll be right on from last year but I added 15 more trees.
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
Gatzow, yes, when I went to pump out the barrel at my 30 sugars on 3/16 yesterday, it was running in fastest I've seen all season; solid stream out of the three lines. Sap's still making great syrup but today will be the last collection and boil. I added 25 trees this year, but will probably make another 4+ gallons over last year. I'll call it a successful season for sure. Sap:Syrup has been 36:1 overall and that's nice! RO for next year or my wife will kill me
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'm still in the game. exceeded my finish filtered product from 213 gallons last year to 227 gallons as of tonight. We'll see what nature offers yet this week. This could be our most productive year so far.
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!
Bottled up my last bit of syrup for the season last night. Unreal amount of niter in it. Drained the evaporator pan after it had settled overnight and the next day so what I pulled off was pretty clear. While finishing that, the build-up of niter was unreal. I filtered off 2 gallons of syrup and probably had a pint of crap in the first prefilter.
Anyways, decent season for us and our little (and learning) operation. Had 99 maple taps this year. Some didn't do much, but we ended up with 28 gallons of syrup off a bit over 1000 gallons of sap (no precise #s due to forgetfulness to record properly). Most taps are still silvers and were done on 3/26, but our 32 sugars kept us going longer this year. 4 more gallons of syrup over last year (and that was with 1200 gallons of sap). Not going to complain, but it sure was crazy. Now to clean up and get moving on MTB race prep (not quite in shape yet!).
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!)
Just lit the last fire of the year. Had to go on a work trip for a few days this week. Sap in main storage looks fine but the sap in my 40 gallon tank looks to have gone bad. Doesn’t have a smell to it but it definitely got cloudy. I’m curious what your “rules” are. How do you know sap spoiled and you won’t use it? I have 40 or 50 gallons out in bags on the trees that I have to check and collect as well. Regardless, today is the end for me!!
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
"Rules"?
Cook it until it isn't syrup any more. Hers the challenge.... dont know sometimes until you cook it...
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!
Putting up tubing tomorrow and then tapping. Don't want to miss the good weather this coming week. Hope everyone does well this maple season.
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
Same to you and everyone else. It is our turn now and the forecast looks good for some strong runs this coming week. I had a couple dripping yesterday when tapping and it was only 24 out.
Smoky Lake 2x6 dropflu pans and hoods on homemade arch
Smoky Lake 6 gallon water jacked bottler
Concentric Exhaust
250 Deer Run RO
325 taps
Hey Guys! Good luck to ya.
I tapped on the 18th(kinda crazy) and it's been dripping good. I'm glad I did, because I am a personal producer for myself and I am a little worried I might not get enough to share this year.
Hopefully the forecast is wrong. Cuz I see 50-60 degree weather on tap for March 8-9th....Good sap could be short lived in 2020 (I tapped mar 7th last year)
For what it's worth, I washed my car in my driveway with my pressure washer on December 29th, it was like 45 out, so I thought why not....kinda worried that was not a good sign for syrup season
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote