January Journal

[TapME]

Hope everyone is ok from the truck getting smashed up Revi....Them cherokees are a great ride and easy on the gas if it's a 4 cylinder. 4x4 is not a bad thing here in Maine.

[Yellzee]

You can imagine the swearing here as I just found out I'm gone 2 weeks in feb and 2 weeks in march for work (ok, one week is down south for pleasure)... add in the week in Jan I already knew about and it looks like my season isn't going to amount to much..... still needed to finish shack addition and run a new mainline... not sure it's worth the investment if I'm going to miss at least 2 good weeks of the season.

First year I finally had enough wood ready ahead of time.....

Father in law would be happy to boil... but there is no way he's going to cross the swamp and do the collecting.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

We're working on trails. They are really nice now. The season could be within a month and a half if it warms up like it did last year. We'll see... It has been a pretty nice winter so far. Not much snow here, and not much cold yet either. We have some on the ground, but there are lots of bare patches too. I think Wednesday's storm may take care of that.

That's amazing and a lot like last winter. I am probably 1,000 miles south of you and all it has done is snow here for 6 weeks and snowed the majority of the days in 6 weeks. Last year we got close to 150" of snow in 2.5 months and it was not the fluffy lake effect snow like they get north of us, it was the real nice stuff that you wouldn't blow with a blower.

[PATheron]

Brandon- How much longer till you guys down there start tapping? I think were on schedule here at Pierce and Sons. Ive been working steady in the woods and lucky for me I have a great Dad thats done a lot to help me in the sugarhouse. He closed it all in and it really turned out nice. Were going to be out of the weather after all. Still a list but its getting to be easier stuff. Got our first batch of oil and should be firing up the evaperator in a week or two. Should be done in the woods in next two weeks hopefully to where Im ready to just put out releasers and tanks and things. Going to end up with a new 400 tap bush on an sp 22 but lucky for me the neighbor is going to let me run it off his electric. Booy bush is still going to have a gas pump so that will be the only taps on gas, about 400 there too. Just about have my neighbors 1250 done and then only thing down there is hook up the ring pump and releaser. So I think things are going to be done on time and done pretty well but have had to work pretty steady to get there. Im really looking foreward to boiling this year for the first time. I think Im going to make some pretty great syrup. Now I dont have to recirculate very much at all and not at all if I dont want too. I think what Ill do is if Im around during the day Ill put both RO's on recirc and I should be able to get rid of a thousand gallons of water an hour. I think Ill do that a couple hours and just bring the sugar up just a scosh and then when Im ready to start boiling Im going to just send both RO's to the head tank, set the concentrate to match the rig and go. Im not going to even fill the headtank or nothing. Should be nice clear stuff for sap and it will be in the barrell almost instantaneaously. Id say if I get rid of a couple thousand gallons of water out of six Ill probly be able to do a 55 gallon drum of syrup an hour. Have to be on my toes with the filter press, no goofin around. Cant wait for season. With all the new stuff everyone is doing its going to be a fun one. Theron

[ejmaple]

nice to finally get some snow out here, got about 2' of powder. just got in from plowing my sap roads and clearing off my tanks. still got to run some more lats on a new bush down the street, looking at 100+ taps there. can't wait to tap

[maple flats]

I just got in from plowing my sugarhouse out, about 12", all light stuff. Would be good to have a plow truck, I've been using my old excavator that only goes 1.1 mph, a slow push when the sugarhouse is about 400 off the road and the parking extends another 120' past there. Someday I'll get a plow truck again.

[Thiems sugarshack]

18 hours of plowing roads yesterday and all people stopped me for was to tell me the roads arnt wide enough well thats what happens when you get 20 inches of snow.This weekend going to start and hopefully finish the arch

[waysidemaple]

Got the head tank set today. The smoke stack is in along with the roof jack and rain collar. Pans are on the arch. All thats left to do is plumb in the head tank and I'll be ready to boil. Moved the rest on the sap buckets up today as well as the other collection tanks. I think...and I may regret saying this...I'll be ready by go time this year.

[farmall h]

Ooooh, bought the sugarhouse a be-lated Christmas present. A new Double Bernard mechanical releaser. No more dubbi'n around trying to make a home made releaser! Need to buzz up to Swanton to pick it up and look around....maybe something else up there that I may need.

[gator330]

I know I have not been on much in some time and making syrup this year is going to be a real bust sence I have not a thing ready at all! No wood, evaporator or any thing close to working. But can someone tell me were the used equipment section went? I was hopeing that something close by would fall in my lap by looking in here today and was amazed that I can't find it????