Introduce yourselves....

[Kim]

We'll go first...Al brought it to our attention that there is no place to gather to introduce ourselves or talk about life beyond maple...*gasp* dare I say there is life beyond maple???? Anyway, we are Kim & Chris, part owners of The Maple Guys, Chris's hobby gone out of control. We're located in Lyndeborough, which is 15 miles southwest of Manchester, NH. We're going on 10 years of marriage this spring and we have two amazing kids, ages 3 and 18 months, who daddy is groomy to be fine little sugarers.

As for the maple operation, we boil on an Algier 3x10 wood-fired evap w/blower, have 650 taps - with aspirations to reach 1500 taps someday. We sell our syrup, candy, cream, lollipops and equipment over the internet, and our maple products at three local stores. We've starting selling our equipment wholesale and creating a dealer network. Visitors to our sugarhouse are treated with "maple dogs" - Salens hot dogs from Buffalo (no others will do) cooked in maple sap (not in our flue pan...lol).

I have to give Chris credit for the name "The Sugar Inn" because, as he always has maple-on-the-brain, he has said for a long time if he opens a tavern, that is what he would name it. Along with the name for our next dog, "Mapledog".....the list goes on! This post is pinned at the top - so who's next?
Kim

[mapleman3]

Great new topic Kim and Chris, Well lets see, My wife Charlene and I have been at our present "mini farm" for just around 6 years, we have 3 kids the boys ar 6 and 10 and my daughter is just about 13(God Help Me)going into the teenage years yikes.. but she is a huge help when it comes to maple, she loves to gather.
Our syrup operation started from 1 big tree in the back and escaleted to around 300, will it stop at that ... I doubt it
I myself get into many hobbies and functions, besides Maple I love woodworking, we kayak when time is available and someone to go with down a good river. I coach my older sons soccer, I'm assistant cub master for his scout pack, and am now on the board of directors for Ma. Maple producers assoc. ... yes my plate is full!!
But as many of you who know me, it doesn't slow me down at all, I have a wonderful family and great support, and they share in many interests with me, My wife is great!! I couldn't ask of a better friend and wife of 15+ years!

[Al]

Boy now I'm in hot water! Another subject but Maple!!!!! I'm retired Navy and a Domestic Engineer. (Stay at home Dad) Have a beatuful wife Sue an two boys Warren 8 and Samuel 3.
We have 23 acres in Fairfield Vt and enjoy anything outdoors. We tap 120 and have a Thrifyt 2x5.5 evaporator. We're tapped out and not getting any bigger. May improve the process a little thou!!
Take care and have a great day!

[bobsklarz]

Well, I'm a lot better with a chainsaw than I am with a computer, but here goes. My name is Bob Sklarz from Medina, Ohio. Retired from Brunswick Schools as Elementary Counselor. Have wife and helpmate, Sue; and TEN grandkids.
Am new to sugaring and this site. this is great! Boiled for the first time in 08 and made 26 Qts. on a Half pint set up. Had 30 taps. Have a possible 200, so looking to upsize. Was contemplating a 2x6 Leader Patriot, then got brochure from place in Wisconsin about a 2x6 Kodiak thats supposed to boil off 60gph. Now, I'm all confused. Will bring that up on another thread.
Built a 12x16 Sugar Shack w/ 4x8 wood shed attached. Collect w/ a Yamaha Rhino.
Really enjoy reading all the stuff you guys (gals) post on this site. Hope to talk w/ many of you in future. Thanks for making this available. bob

[Russell Lampron]

Welcome to the site Bob. I would like to know more about the Kodiak evaporator. I have never heard of that brand before.

[bobsklarz]

Thanks for the reply Russ. The Kodiak is out of GBM products; e-mail there is;
gbmllc@yahoo.com. In your neighborhood of NH, the dealer is The Maple Guys,LLC Chris & Kim Pfeil, Lyndeborough 603 487 3292. They sent me a catalog of all different evaporators, all sizes. I never heard of em before either. I'm gonna ask my dealer of Leader stuff in Ohio about them as he's also listed as a dealer for these. He's an Amish guy though, no phone, so I'll let ya know what he says when I see him. Thanks bob

[JohnsSugarShack]

Hello all, my name is John Bennett been married 23 years to my wonderful wife Tami. Raised a son who is 22 and on his own and a daughter who is 20 and graduating from college this spring. Both kids think I'm crazy and say I can have my sugaring to myself, but they love to eat it. My father did some sugaring when I was a young teenager collected sap with the old steel milk cans and a snowmobile. Then boiled it on a 55 gal barrel stove. Ten years ago I started making syrup on coleman camp stoves then a propane cooker and then had a leader half pint for 3 years which my wife and I enjoyed very much. Spent many hours sitting in the shack watching the steam and stoking the fire. Haven't made syrup for 2 years now, have 6 gallons left in storage and can't wait any longer need to get another evaporator. Plans are to enlarge the shack this year and get a new evaporator installed for next spring. Looking at 2x6's not sure whether to go drop or raised flue. Well enough rambling for one night. Just want to say thank you for a great forum the information is priceless to say nothing about the humor.
John

[silveradomaple]

Hello everyone. New to the site but not to making syrup. I live in Ryegate, Vt. Started out with my dad in the early 1990's with around 200 taps on a Dominion Grimm 18" by 63". We made around 25 to 30 gal / yr. Now that my dad has passed away, I don't have the time to do 200 taps. Still manage to make a couple gallons for myself every year though. I'm currently looking to purchase a small unit to do 50 to 75 taps. Thinking seriously of getting a Mason 2 x 4. Definately have learned alot from reading the posts here.

[Mike]

Me and my wife Anne will be married 27 years this june! I have 3 girls. 16-19-22....I know what you mean by teen years Jim...LOL...When I first started out I had a 2x6 wood fired! My wife said it was kind of big for a hobby!! She was right, now we have a 3x10 oil fired with a preheater Algier. Tap around 600 with 450 on vacuum. Will get up to 1000 or so by the time we both retire from IBM within 2.5 years. ..I sell most of my syrup locally and at work. I do sell a lot in my brothers store in Franklin.. Where they make the maple cream pies Jim cant get enough of.. My sugar house is always open to visitors and the grill is ready to cook.....Happy sugaring to you all.....Mike

[cvmaple]

I want to say a big thanks for all the advice I gleaned from this forum to get up and running last year. I have made syrup with a cousin for about 25 years and learned a lot from that experience. Two years ago my older sister asked why we didn't make syrup on our farm??? Without a good answer the wheels were set in motion and we bought a D&G 18"x48'' evaporator, finishing pan and hydrometer. My aforementioned cousin provided some buckets, lids and filters. Now where are we going to do this? A quick look around revealed a 13'x15' former woodshed for an outdoor wood furnace that had changed locations. We scrounged up all our building materials (did I mention this was getting expensive?!!) and my brother-in-law supervised our building project. When winter finally arrived, I set to prepping the evaporator with archboard and firebrick. Nobody thought we would be ready but we made 33 litres on 52 taps in a less-than-perfect spring. So for this year we would like to do 80 taps and have as much fun as we did last year. Thanks again to Mapletrader and to my family for all the support. cvmaple