+ Reply to Thread

Thread: Introduce yourselves....

  1. #1111
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    5

    Default

    Hello All! New to this world, first year boiling in my backyard here in N NH. Own 15 acres in God's country, with a few nice Maples on the property, so figured I'd tap 11 of them this year, using mostly food grade containers with lids/holes cut in, attached to my taps. Very high tech...LOL. Figured I'd give it a go to see which direction I want to take this in, as I'll be using a turkey fryer/propane to boil, since I already owned one, and stainless steel pots. Sap is running with temps in the 40's yesterday and 50's today, have collected maybe a couple gallons so far, stored in the fridge, with the goal of boiling maybe this weekend. I've watched a lot of youtube and stumbled upon this site as I've never been one who's interested in re-inventing the wheel. I have my fryer/pots set up for the shallower/fatter pot on the bottom over a campfire grate on the fryer with a smaller pot on top as a warmer for the rest as I boil. Fingers crossed, wish me luck. I am going to use the propane tank in warm water trick I gleaned from here, too.

    Always open to free advice, especially if it saves me money and time.

    Jon
    52 yr old retired OIF vet
    Whitefield, NH
    11 tap newbie
    1 awesome wife, 2 dogs, 2 cats

  2. #1112
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    1

    Default

    Hi All, 1st generation tree tapper here trying my hand at this whole maple thing on the family's 60 acres in Southern Ontario. I'll admit I've been lurking for a while but I'm excited to finally see the sap flowing - collected my first 20 gallons yesterday and expect to have about that much again for a decent boil on the weekend. Welded up a homemade 1x3' flat pan and built a makeshift block arch that I hope can keep up with the 20 or so taps I've got out at this point. Love the forum and hope to glean as much info off the wise old timers as I possibly can. Here's to a good season everybody!

  3. #1113
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    North Grenville
    Posts
    1,476

    Default

    Hi, I'm Galena and a repeat offender here :-) Located in Eastern Ontario, been tapping the trees on my 1/2 acre property with some pretty decent yields...see the bottom of this post for figures. Finally built my own sugar shack out of wood pallets and salvaged sheet metal. Fuelled by any leftover wood from deadfall and bucked-up pallets in a cast-iron woodstove. Still using 4in deep ss hotel pans to boil in, paper coffee filters for filtering - the small size of my batches means that the whole prefilter/Orlon/felt cone filters just eat my syrup. Every spring it's craziness and frustration but I wouldn't feel complete if I didn't do it!
    Been tapping since 2008.
    2018 - 17 taps/7 trees...819l sap, approx 28l syrup
    2019 - 18 taps/8 trees...585l sap, 28l syrup...21:1 ratio
    2020 - 18 taps/8 trees...890.04l sap...gave away about 170l, 30l snafu'd....23l total for me from approx 690l
    2021 - 18 taps/8 trees...395l sap, 12 l syrup
    2022 - 18 taps/8 trees....7 sugars 1 red due to #2 having surgery so had the season off....582l sap, 18.5l syrup
    2023 - 18 taps/8 trees...all sugars again. 807l sap, so far approx 14l syrup

  4. #1114
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    St Lawrence County NY
    Posts
    2

    Default

    I'm Ron and discovered that the 12 step process to this addiction is to go head over heals and just dive in farther! I live in St. Lawrence County, NY along the border of Canada. Last year I started with 20 trees, youtube for guidance and managed to make 6 gallons of syrup in my driveway. I was grabbed by this crazy addiction and built a 12x16 shack and invested in a Mason 2x4 XL. I have a handful of sugar maples and a swamp full of reds and silvers. For 2019 I am going to attempt 100 buckets with a full time job and see where it goes. Now I find myself checking accuweather, craigslist and this site at least 20 times a day.....I can't help myself

  5. #1115
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Sask, Canada
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Hey

    Wanted to get into the hobby for a while now, and finally made the leap in 2019 - 2 gallons from 10 sugars over 20 days. I gave most of the syrup away, and in the process learned that many people’s grandfathers used to tap hundreds of maples in this area. I’d very much like to expand to 200+ taps this coming year, and in the process try to revive this great lost art on the prairies for future generations to enjoy. I've been studying the site a lot in preparation for March - a lot to learn!

    Looking forward to chatting with the good people of MapleTrader!

  6. #1116
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    10

    Default

    I started with 100 taps on tubing in 2018 to sell sap. 2019 340 taps with 3/4 mainline and 12volt camper pumps. Also built a RO and a 1’x2’ pan and made 11.5 gal of syrup. Getting ready for 2020 season with a new addition of a 2x5 Lappierre. What an addiction!!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #1117
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    NB
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Good day. Syrup rookie here.. one season removed. Tapped 18 trees this spring, boiled it down in a lobster pot using a propane burner on my back deck and finished the syrup in the kitchen. My buddy on the mountain had a similar rookie season. We both enjoyed it so we decided to pool our resources and expand into my back 40. We've been working on a little 16' x 8' shelter and bought an old wood stove with a flat top that should serve the purpose. We even have a gent building us a nice continuous flow evaporator so we can lose the lobster pot. We expect to have around 100 taps this spring. Lately we've been putting the finishing touches on the shack, "grooming" the trail so we know where we're going in the spring and cutting firewood. Great therapy... makes me wonder why I waited til 57 to get started. Looking forward to our 2nd season. #sweeteningthepan

  8. #1118
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,544

    Default

    Welcome TimS, glad you are here. We all started small, if we didn't join a family business. It grows on you, you will keep wanting to add more taps, it is a disease with no known cure.
    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.

  9. #1119
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
    Posts
    5,099

    Default

    Like Dave has said.
    Welcome to the new folks and "repeat offenders too! This watching water boil thing has some magic powers.
    My read on this from when I was a kid was three things:
    First you could stay up late!
    Second, you could play with fire
    third, you got to sample as much syrup as you wanted!
    I was hooked 60 years ago!
    Good luck with your maple syrup adventures! Keep boiling!
    Regards,
    Chris
    Casbohm Maple and Honey
    625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
    3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
    12" SIRO Filter Press.
    2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
    One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
    Too many Cub Cadets
    Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
    1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck

    www.mapleandhoney.com

  10. #1120
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    315

    Default

    Correction, there is one known cure. "Jump in with both feet and open wallets!" Welcome aboard!
    Remember to keep on ticking while the sap is dripping.
    2016- 50 buckets. Made 4 gallons.
    2022- 3900? taps + Smartrek! Made 1300 gallons.

+ Reply to Thread
Page 112 of 119 FirstFirst ... 126292102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts