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Thread: Introduce yourselves....

  1. #1161
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Location
    Amity, PA
    Posts
    34

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    Good morning all: This is my first year trying to produce maple syrup. I don't have much of a set up, but neither did the Native Americans. I do have hundreds of sugar maple trees that I never knew existed, I just thought they were red maples because that's what the land owner said. I did practice tapping on one tree two days ago and got 1 gallon of sap for that day. It got cold this week so we will see what happens. It is going to to be in the 20's most of the upcoming week but will warm up to 36 or so in the afternoons. That is a 50% chance of happening due to the science of weather forecasting! Any good advice is welcome. I am going to run 10+ taps this year to see what happens.
    Good luck to all this year.

  2. #1162
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    12

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    Thanks for the knowledge drop maple flats, and the welcome Pdiamond! I didn't realize many tappers used leased land, i just assumed everyone was just naturally swimming in maples. was hoping to get away with a 4008 to avoid the releaser and keep costs down after reading about others in a similar boat. definitely been adding each year, but won't be adding the pump this season so i have time to plan that out and continue researching. i'm not sure i'll go with a sap ladder at first, until i see how it performs without it, but i appreciate the advice and suggestions. i usually learn things the hard way.

  3. #1163
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Stirling ontario
    Posts
    217

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    Quote Originally Posted by maple flats View Post
    Welcome AL, I'm also retired twice, once at 51, again at 71. After retiring at 51 I got bored, then drove school bus for about 20 years. Finally my wife said"you don't need to work that much" and I finally retired for good. Now I just do maple, farm 4.5 acres blueberries and run a sawmill just for my own use only. What else do you do with your time Al?
    just noticed you have a sawmill.I had 2 over the years, but none now.I loved sawing...peeling those 18 foot boards off was so rewarding.Mine were both portable but i set them up at my home. and sourced logs or sawed when customers dropped logs off. Very enjoyable!

  4. #1164
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

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    SRM welcome to the addiction. Sounds like you have the makins of a syrup producer. Now we would like to know how you are planning to boil that precious liquid.
    2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
    2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
    2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
    2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
    made 17 gal. syrup
    2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
    2021 - Didn't work out
    2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start

  5. #1165
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,544

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    Quote Originally Posted by ir3333 View Post
    just noticed you have a sawmill.I had 2 over the years, but none now.I loved sawing...peeling those 18 foot boards off was so rewarding.Mine were both portable but i set them up at my home. and sourced logs or sawed when customers dropped logs off. Very enjoyable!
    Yes I have a sawmill. I used to do a fair amount of custom sawing at the customers location. As I got older I stopped traveling with my mill. I still do a little for customers, but mostly for my own use and for my brother. I'm hoping to build a shop addition, 32' x 14 or 16' on the side of my 28' shop. It was planned for 2020 but when covid shut things down, I didn't have my 11 yr old grandson come to off bare the lumber. I can do up to 20', but rarely do much over 16'. The difference in length is for a walk way between the two. I have plenty of hemlock to drop and make into lumber, I'll only need to buy PT posts, roofing steel and some hardware and windows. If Covid persists this summer, I'll do it next year. My grandson will then be 13 and he's a real good worker (already stronger than I am), he sees what needs to be done and asks if he can do it. Not many kids like that now days.
    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.

  6. #1166
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Location
    Amity, PA
    Posts
    34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pdiamond View Post
    SRM welcome to the addiction. Sounds like you have the makins of a syrup producer. Now we would like to know how you are planning to boil that precious liquid.
    Well, that is a good question. I have three options: The first is an old wood/coal burning stove made for homes. Like an Ashley. I can open the top and the stove is flat as can be, so I just sit a stainless steel tray on it and away I go. It worked for a large stainless steel canning pot in the trial run, so I bet the longer pan would work better. I will also have room for a warming pot to get set up. The second is home made all steel firewood stove that has an upper level that we always keep water kettles on in camp, that would be used for warming. It also has a large lower level that I can set a SS tray on. Extremely heavy...I can only move it with a dolly. The third is the turkey pot and propane tank for heat. The weather here has changed due to that snow coming from West so I don't think any boiling will be done this weekend or until about Wednesday, but with the weather forecasts it is always a 50/50 chance what they say will happen. I'm excited and only got one gallon of sap so far when I was trying out how to tap a tree. I'm hoping it will be a successful year.

  7. #1167
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

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    The more fire you have on the bottom of the pan the faster and harder your boil will be. Keep this in mind a wood stove is made for heating and/or cooking food. now an evaporator is made to boil syrup.
    2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
    2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
    2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
    2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
    made 17 gal. syrup
    2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
    2021 - Didn't work out
    2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start

  8. #1168
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    6

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    Howdy! This will be my first year sugaring. I have been reading a lot, but the more I learn the more I know how much I don’t know.

    This is my set up:
    • 12 trees close to the house. My best guess is that they are a blend of Red, Norway, Sugar, and Silver Maples. I have pictures of the bark, branches, and buds here if anybody wants to make a guess:
    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/aup5plkow...-OfR4Wrfa?dl=0
    • Several of the maples near the house have a diameter over 20 inches and I have six or eight more elsewhere on the property, so I figure I will have about 20-25 taps, 15-20 on buckets and 5-10 on gravity. I am hoping my taps will produce 50-100 gallons of sap per week which I will boil on the weekends.
    • Sap will be stored in food-safe 5 gallon buckets inside an outdoor icebox cooled by ten 5-gallon buckets filled with ice
    • Sap buckets are on 5/16th stainless steel taps, tubing is on a plastic Leader 5/16th Clear Check Valve Spout.
    • Stainless steel taps are drilled with a 5/16th Brad Point “Professional Maple Tree Tapping Drill Bit". Plastic taps are drilled with a twist-point 19/64th Canadian Tapping Bit
    • I have a 3-compartment Seedling Evaporator from Vermont Evaporator 17”x23” which will sit on an outdoor stone grill with no protection from the outside temps or wind. I have just over a half cord of pine, but I can get more on short notice.
    • I have a 4 inch HVAC fan blowing into a section of stovepipe with holes drilled into it for AUF.
    • Mounted above the evaporator I have a 10 gallon brewing pot as a preheater which will slowly trickle sap into the evaporator.
    • I will extract the boiled sap at 215F and set aside for a final boil on a banjo burner until 219F. I will test with a Brix to ensure 67%-69%.
    • I will filter when it comes from the bucket, when comes off the evaporator, and when it comes from the brewing pot.

    My first big question: Any comments on my set up? What am I forgetting?

    Second question: Does anybody have experience using a Brad-point bit as opposed to the more common twist bit?

    Third question: I am located in West Townsend, Massachusetts. If there is anybody real close to me who can tell me when the sap starts running, I would be very grateful.

  9. #1169
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Hudson Valley, NY
    Posts
    40

    Default

    Just wanted to say hello. I've actually been reading here for a couple of years and have gotten most of my information and instructions from this group. This will be my 3rd year making syrup. I'm just a small at home maker. The past two years I made between 1 and 1 1/2 gallons. It's just for our own use and I share several bottles with some family and friends.

    The last two years I used a propane burner, but this year I'm going to attempt wood on a unique barrel stove combination evaporator/grill I made last month. I live in NY in the Hudson Valley and it's been really cold and snowy. There's currently still a foot and a half of snow on the ground. I plan to tap next week and see how it goes, but looking at the long range forecast, it may actually be the first week in March before I collect and boil. Last year I did my boiling right around this time, but it was much warmer.

    Since I make a small amount, I usually collect all my sap over just one good week and boil it all at once, but for me that's plenty to get my 4-6 quarts of finished syrup. I tap Sugar maples, a couple of Norway maples and one huge old Silver maple. The one Silver maple is like 3 foot in diameter and pumps sap like crazy. On a good day with two taps on that tree I've gotten 7 gallons of sap from that one tree. Surprisingly good sugar content too!

    Anyway, thanks for all the great info here that got me started over the past few!

    Ray

  10. #1170
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

    Default

    Welcome and good luck this year. Sounds like you are using buckets, I don't know how cold its been there but here its been cold and may take several warm sunny days before the trees begin to wake up.
    2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
    2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
    2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
    2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
    made 17 gal. syrup
    2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
    2021 - Didn't work out
    2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start

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