February Journal 08, GO TIME

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Danno,

Very nice looking hood and nicer than mine. Sure you will enjoy it and it should work great. Keep us posted on how the new rig does!

[danno]

Danno- that is a sweet rig for sure,,,I am looking forward to hearing what kind of evap. rate you get with it,,,,bet it will suprise you,,,kdid you put a blower on it?

Blower - ofcourse! As well as a preheater.

[Pete33Vt]

Oh, trust me, I know all about the 11 prior months as it is a year around job for me too. I was using PMA(positive mental attitude) to show what kind of reward he got in ONE day for all the work he did.

For me boiling and making syrup is just a vaction from spending money in the
sugar bush. Spend it on boiling sodas, food etc.. etc.. LOL...

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ON 2008 SEASON!!!

[Russell Lampron]

TheROn actually spent 2 years planning and building and buying equipment etc. Hopefully the BIGSAP will run again soon so he can get somemore experience before the season really kicks in.

I agree with Pete about the boiling sodas. Vacation? Boiling is still alot of work but fun work.

Russ

[3% Solution]

Hi Russ,
From what can gather this a kind of business, hobby, past time, whatever it is to each of us that you need to go slow and expand as you go not one big jump.
PATheron did it right he PLANNED his moves and now he's waiting for "BIG SAP", because he earned it.
There is an operation over here (bush, land, sugarhouse, all the equipment) that is for sale.
They got discouraged real quick, they didn't make enough light or medium syrup, mostly dark and B. I think they used the equipment maybe 5 years, if that.
This place right from the get go was state of the art equipment.
I would say "To big, To Quick".
Maybe I'm wrong, just my opinion.
So, when are you going to tap or have you?

Dave

[lpakiz]

Reminds me of a book I read called Yankee Storekeeper. Set in Maine, Vermont, etc.
Guy says if ya want to go into chickens, get a hen and a dozen eggs and learn how to raise em . In a year you'll have 13 chickens. If you buy 13 chickens right off the bat, in a year you won't have ANY!!

[PATheron]

You guys are giving me some nice compliments and I really appreciate it. Im just doing what I love to do most. I think sometimes people will go hogwild like you say and spend a ton and put in this big setup not realizing how much work is involved and what a struggle it is to actually make syrup. I think you have to do it becouse you just love doing it like us or it wont work. If you figured your time up and what you make per hour its probly pitiful but we dont care becouse its not work to us becouse we enjoy doing it. I think it has to be like that or it wont work. I like everything about syruping and I kind of wish I could make a fulltime living at it but its a lot easier to drive to town and get a paycheck, insurance and everything. Maybe someday, everyone is allowed to dream. Theeron

[PATheron]

Guys- Im tapping small cull trees that I am going to cut out anyway so its going to mess up my averages probly but here is my current mumbers. 1220 real taps although theres 40 on a long .5" line that I had so I used it but it does seem to deliver vac. So 1220 real taps. 60 cull tree taps. So 1280. Saturday im going to tap some more good taps and try to run the cull tree taps to put me at a even 1400. Ill let you know how I make out and Ill keep you guys up to date on my taps so you guys dont think im doing better than I really am. What Im doing now is using up a bunch of used tubing I had. Thats why the .5" What the heck the object is to make syrup might as well put everything up I can. Theeeron

[Russell Lampron]

Hi Dave,

I had to expand slowly because of finances. I paid for everything as I bought it so that I wouldn't have to make X amount of dollars in sales to make loan payments. I am comfortable with what I am doing now but when I retire I plan to double or more what I am doing now.

TheROn took the big leap but not so big that it will bankrupt him. He planned it all out knowing that he wanted to make syrup and do it right. Back when I started there wasn't a Maple Trader and I had to deal with myths and miss truths about things like RO and vacuum.

I was the first small producer in my area to get an RO and I have spread the word to other producers about its benefits to a small producer like myself.

Russ

[3% Solution]

Hi all,
Bit cold here this morning, 0, big goose egg!
That'll tight the trees back up!!!
Yeah I started slow and easy too.
After I retired in "99" my grandson asked if we could make some syrup, of course I said "Yes"
Had some SS pans made, barrel arch.
Started in a plastic sugarhouse (frame work was PVC pipe with a tarp pullled over), now look at us we're in a 8' X 16' building. WOW
We kinda look at it as a hobby that supports it's self.
As you guys know, if you figure all your time, the labor board will step in, cause it's no doubt WAAAAAY below the minimum wage!!!
Seriously, it's a GOOD hobby.
As Marge Putnam (from Putman Brothers Maple) told me one day, "I's in your blood and it's been there since you were 17, when you would come down to help Morris".
Morris taught me alot about making syrup!
Stay safe out there, that ice is slippery!!!!

Dave