Maple Syrup Season

[landtracdeerhunter]

Nice boiling day today.   Sap has been dripping everyday except Wednesday.

Edited March 10, 2018 by landtracdeerhunter

[Doewhacker]

Had a good run lately, almost done today, would have been done faster without wind. I’m moving my stove out of the open tomorrow. 

 

 

[greg54]

Nice day out today so I stopped at my sisters and we took a ride up the road to Gaeta Farms, where they were participating in Maple Fest Weekend. They have nice little sugar shack set up and had different maple products for sale. I bought a bottle of syrup and for dinner I am making pancakes!

[Doewhacker]

2 minutes ago, greg54 said:

Nice day out today so I stopped at my sisters and we took a ride up the road to Gaeta Farms, where they were participating in Maple Fest Weekend. They have nice little sugar shack set up and had different maple products for sale. I bought a bottle of syrup and for dinner I am making pancakes!

Nice. Sap is running great, just got done cooking for today after a longer 11 hr cook down yesterday. Today was only @8 hrs. 

Beautiful day to be out side by the fire. 

 

[greg54]

5 minutes ago, Doewhacker said:

Nice. Sap is running great, just got done cooking for today after a longer 11 hr cook down yesterday. Today was only @8 hrs. 

Beautiful day to be out side by the fire. 

 

That looks so awesome! And it was a beautiful day for sure!

[landtracdeerhunter]

Last boil of the season here today. Trees are going on six weeks tapped and have run their coarse. Been a really sweet season.

[greg54]

How do things look for the 2019 season?

[landtracdeerhunter]

5 minutes ago, greg54 said:

How do things look for the 2019 season?

Can't wait to smell that maple steam again. Hope for a great season like last year.

[Dinsdale]

Worked on tubing and adding a few trees on one tank last weekend and getting ready.

Wood is stacked.....

Think I'm going to relocate evaporator in barn to more convenient spot.

[Bionic]

On 1/31/2018 at 7:18 PM, Dinsdale said:

Selling a steam table pan set up for someone looking for a hobby size. 

Good to sit on block or cut the side of a 275 oil tank for cheap arch.

$75 in N. Dutchess

25"x 43"; 1/4" steel welded custom frame and 3 commercial grade pans. Will fit any standard full sized pan. 2@6",1@4" to finish in are included....

Thats how my dad does it 

[Dinsdale]

43 minutes ago, Bionic said:

Thats how my dad does it 

Super cheap and easy way for a hobbyist.

I put a proper welded stainless pan on my evaporator arch like what I designed it for; but made out well with this set up for a few years til new pan was paid for in syrup sales.

[Bionic]

Just now, Dinsdale said:

Super cheap and easy way for a hobbyist.

I put a proper welded stainless pan on my evaporator arch like what I designed it for; but made out well with this set up for a few years til new pan was paid for in syrup sales.

Very cool.  He does it just to do it, to try and feel as how his dad did.  Thanks for sharing.

[landtracdeerhunter]

    Has anyone done any research on a natural vacuum system? Using 5/16" taps that reduce down to 3/16" tubing. I am at a point where I need more taps and tubing. Wondered if it worth trying.

Edited January 25, 2019 by landtracdeerhunter

[Dinsdale]

2 hours ago, landtracdeerhunter said:

    Has anyone done any research on a natural vacuum system? Using 5/16" taps that reduce down to 3/16" tubing. I am at a point where I need more taps and tubing. Wondered if it worth trying.

I have a section of 20 trees on a steep down hill that produces a natural vacuum on all 5/16 tubing. I have tried to replicate it and have no idea why its just that section. Thats more taps than usual for 5/16 and the lines runs to a smaller tank with no mainline but about 30 feet of shallow pitch at the bottom on the whole run.

I've taken video of it and you can see the sap running and is amazing.

Fiddled with a almost identical area and cannot reproduce the same result.

 

[landtracdeerhunter]

13 hours ago, Dinsdale said:

I have a section of 20 trees on a steep down hill that produces a natural vacuum on all 5/16 tubing. I have tried to replicate it and have no idea why its just that section. Thats more taps than usual for 5/16 and the lines runs to a smaller tank with no mainline but about 30 feet of shallow pitch at the bottom on the whole run.

I've taken video of it and you can see the sap running and is amazing.

Fiddled with a almost identical area and cannot reproduce the same result.

 

To create a natural vacuum is nothing short of amazing to me. Are you getting more sap, or does it just look like you are because of the smaller tubing?

I have a small group of trees that I can create a steeper drop on my lines by placing the start taps higher up the trunk;  then joining them all together. It would be 9 or 10  taps joined together with 3/16" line going into a holding tank. I also would like to hold that vacuum till the next run, thus reducing the bacteria build up in hopes to get a longer season. Have the end in the holding tank start dry, then when flow is done, end of the line would be covered with sap, holding some of the vacuum.

[Dinsdale]

2 hours ago, landtracdeerhunter said:

To create a natural vacuum is nothing short of amazing to me. Are you getting more sap, or does it just look like you are because of the smaller tubing?

 

There's no doubt to me that I'm getting more sap. I put together another group of similar sized trees just 30 yards away into a separate tank disconnecting from mainline for a direct comparison. And was hoping to duplicate that natural vacuum but just doesn't work for some reason. 

Like to add vacuum pump on my whole set up; but I'm not a regular producer right now, some years tapping more trees then others and can't justify price of even home made set up. My work schedule is just to questionable to invest more into my gear for what amounts to a glorified hobby. 

[greg54]

New York State Maple weekend dates are Mar 23-24 and Mar 30-31. Looking forward to some delicious maple syrup and maple flavored donuts!

[landtracdeerhunter]

Difference a year makes. Last season, I had gallons of maple syrup by now. This year, only a couple quarts. Maple Season will be on hold to the middle of March. You hit it one in four years.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Eagerly awaiting the start of the 2020 Maple Season. The maple bug grows each year from within. The sweet smell of maple steam is nearing.  Getting ready for another great ride, LOL.

[mowin]

Gosh I miss maple season.

Had a Small Brothers 2x6 evaporator.  Tapped 150 trees.  My last yr surgering I did 62 gallons of syrup. My nephew helped me and those memories are precious. That was in 1996.  In early Feb '97, Mark died in a farming accident.  We were tapped and ready to go.  

In my grief, I sold everything. Couldn't imagine maple season without Mark.  I regret that decision to this day.  Grief causes one to do things one wouldn't normally do.

In hindsight, I would have been honoring Mark. 

I followed the thread last yr, and look forward to this season's thread.  

Good luck everyone.  Boil away...

Edited January 5, 2020 by mowin

[crappyice]

Gosh I miss maple season.
Had a Small Brothers 2x6 evaporator.  Tapped 150 trees.  My last yr surgering I did 62 gallons of syrup. My nephew helped me and those memories are precious. That was in 1996.  In early Feb '97, Mark died in a farming accident.  We were tapped and ready to go.  
In my grief, I sold everything. Couldn't imagine maple season without Mark.  I regret that decision to this day.  Grief causes one to do things one wouldn't normally do.
In hindsight, I would have been honoring Mark. 
I followed the thread last yr, and look forward to this season's thread.  
Good luck everyone.  Boil away...

Wow...rough story to read but it sounds like a nice tribute to him and your memories to get back into it.


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[mowin]

1 hour ago, crappyice said:

Wow...rough story to read but it sounds like a nice tribute to him and your memories to get back into it.


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This thread is my therapy. 

I can smell the wood fired Arch, the maple sap boiling down, and can see Mark smiling as he samples the finished product.  Memories I will cherish forever. 

Ironically, a guy bought a place a down the road from my brother's house. He built a sugar house on the property.  I visit his sugar house every year and remember the fantastic times mark and I had together.  

[landtracdeerhunter]

On 1/5/2020 at 9:15 PM, mowin said:

This thread is my therapy. 

I can smell the wood fired Arch, the maple sap boiling down, and can see Mark smiling as he samples the finished product.  Memories I will cherish forever. 

Ironically, a guy bought a place a down the road from my brother's house. He built a sugar house on the property.  I visit his sugar house every year and remember the fantastic times mark and I had together.  

As you know, all you need is a few trees; a few bucks; and a dream. Start back up on a small scale. I stopped back in 79, only to start back up in 12. I wouldn't think of another thing I could be doing, but sugaring. 

[mowin]

31 minutes ago, landtracdeerhunter said:

As you know, all you need is a few trees; a few bucks; and a dream. Start back up on a small scale. I stopped back in 79, only to start back up in 12. I wouldn't think of another thing I could be doing, but sugaring. 

I thought about it, but we'll be leaving NY in a few yrs. And I know what will happen.  I'll start small, then go nuts and buy more and better stuff.  Lol. 

[greg54]

NY State Maple Weekend dates for 2020 are Mar 21-22 and Mar 28-29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Time to enjoy some fresh maple syrup and other maple products!