OT Maple Taps

[Snopro]

Just gathered 35 gallons, will have 150 plus to do Saturday and sunday!!

[woodchip]

Sno Pro what did you do change your shack house to a Sap house?

[Snopro]

Sno Pro what did you do change your shack house to a Sap house?

Nah, got evaporator on porch of my hunting camp. Not to bad of a set up.

[Snopro]

Looks like 200 gallon boil this weekend, should be a long 2 days!

[mr.clean]

I've enjoyed reading the posts in this thread the past few years. I have a question for Snopro or anyone else who collects sap to make maple syrup. Is this year an early start to the sap collection season? I live in south eastern NY. the sap season usually starts in march around here I realize the unusually warm weather many parts of the North East U.S. could cause the sap to run.
Steve

[Keychain]

I've only been doing this for 5 years or so but I wouldn't say it's super early.  I just hung 10 buckets today but have started 2 weeks earlier in past years, 2 weeks later in others.  Mother Nature doesn't always look at the calendar.

[mr.clean]

Keychain thank you for your reply I assume air temperature is only one factor in what causes tree sap to start moving in the tree.
Steve

[Snopro]

My cousin was boiling in January! Yes we have a early run. Its like ice fishing, take advantage of it while its here! We made well over a gallon of syrup yesterday. Will get a couple more today.

[Slammah]

I have a couple of trees tapped with my classes. We finished with just over a pint of nice stuff the other day. Looks like a good week coming up.

[zwiggles]

The batch we boiled this past week was golden. Just enjoyed some with strawberries, and cinnamon rolls. Next week looks like they will be running full bore again.

[Keychain]

Many times when I'm slogging out through 2 feet of snow collecting sap I ask myself whether this is worth it.  I take pics and videos like this to remind me that it IS!

http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/ggilbert1968/media/F6182DC6-8420-4CD2-9F8C-98FDACC762CD_zps0krznxjy.mp4.html

[Keychain]

This is 100% truth.  You can't make this stuff up.  I rarely miss an opportunity to laugh at myself.  Fortunately (?) I seem to provide plenty of opportunities.  I've been doing this maple syrup thing for 5-6 years now and just learned today that I've been doing it wrong!  Well, I guess if it still works it's not "wrong" but not as designed.  The thing in this picture is what I call a tap.  Technically it's not a tap, but a spile.  First mistake.  Second mistake?  Imagine the maple tree is on the right hand side of the photo.  Once I drill the hole in the tree, I pound the "tap" in that way, hang a bucket and wait for it to drip sap.  I always thought it was odd to pound that semi flexible piece into the tree at a weird angle, but figured that was what created a seal so the sap wouldn't leak out around the edge.




If you flip it around this way, you have a more solid piece to drive into the tree and a nice flat surface on which to pound it in!  Dad asked me today why one of my spiles was in backwards.  Turns out they all were and still are... Until next year...

[zwiggles]

I like it Keychain. That also made me laugh. Funny that they still worked.

[Snopro]

Put in another dozen or more taps this weekend. Hope to get a few good runs this week. Then its get ready for next year. I got hundreds of trees here to tap. Need to get them brushed out and roads made to them. Will have a few small pipe lines to help things out. Its all a learning curve.

[Osage]

A good friend of mine has a nice maple syrup business here in Wv,he started small like many do,with a few taps and buckets on trees.Over the last few years,he added all the bells and whistles for a small family business,he can produce 60 gal of finished syrup an hour once the sap enters his building.
   He also runs tubing to a centralized tank,I believe this season he and his family tapped 7500 trees.Our season has ended here in Wv, temps really wrecked high production,no wonder the stuff is so expensive!

[tcfish]

  My 1st year trying it only got about 14 taps in ,Did some boiling today but really not sure on the finishing ! ??
 tastes great but seems a little to thin to me > still fun and yes it is a lot of work

[gamefisher]

  My 1st year trying it only got about 14 taps in ,Did some boiling today but really not sure on the finishing ! ??
 tastes great but seems a little to thin to me > still fun and yes it is a lot of work

If this is just for personal use TC, you can come pretty close to correct density by just watching how it comes off the end of a spatula, it shouldn't drip, rather come off in sheets if that makes sense.  If you have a cheap candy thermometer try to bottle at 180-190 degrees.  Even if you are a little thin, as long as you get it refrigerated it will be fine.  Finally if you are really concerned, just add it to your next batch of "near syrup" and refinish.  Season could be over before it starts in central Maine atleast.

[tcfish]

If this is just for personal use TC, you can come pretty close to correct density by just watching how it comes off the end of a spatula, it shouldn't drip, rather come off in sheets if that makes sense.  If you have a cheap candy thermometer try to bottle at 180-190 degrees.  Even if you are a little thin, as long as you get it refrigerated it will be fine.  Finally if you are really concerned, just add it to your next batch of "near syrup" and refinish.  Season could be over before it starts in central Maine atleast.

     Yeah personal use ,Thanks for the info i will go a little longer with it !It really didn't run good yesterday either seems to be over here in southern maine

[gamefisher]

     Yeah personal use ,Thanks for the info i will go a little longer with it !It really didn't run good yesterday either seems to be over here in southern maine

The spatula trick will get you real close without investing in a hydrometer and cup, especially just for your own use.

[Keychain]

Cheap candy thermometer seems to work fine for me.  Once it's boiling at 219F, I call it done.  But then... if you scroll up, you'll see that I surely do NOT have all the answers... 

[gamefisher]

Cheap candy thermometer seems to work fine for me.  Once it's boiling at 219F, I call it done.  But then... if you scroll up, you'll see that I surely do NOT have all the answers... 

After reading your tap adventures, I think I need to stop picking on JDK about being french and turn my attention to you.   You crack me up with some of your exploits.

[Keychain]

After reading your tap adventures, I think I need to stop picking on JDK about being french and turn my attention to you.   You crack me up with some of your exploits.

Not French, but did grow up in Central ME, so there was certainly a time in the past when some of my "exploits" may have caused someone to assume I was of a certain ethnic background...

[JDK]

After reading your tap adventures, I think I need to stop picking on JDK about being french and turn my attention to you.   You crack me up with some of your exploits.

Hey now, I married into French and sadly it is wearing off on me.

[GasBlaster]

Its  running  !!!!!!!!!

[gamefisher]

A lot of I.S. History in these 36 pages!

[woodchip]

Maple syrup is used on Lake trout smoker fillets  the last hour of smoking,  Some of the togue fishermen brush on Maple syurp  It does make them mighty TASTEY!!!!

[Seamonkey84]

Nooo!!! its too soon to be seeing this pop up

[Keychain]

Nooo!!! its too soon to be seeing this pop up

I just thought the same.  Heading to Moosehead for 3-4 days next week.  Won't be able to put any out until after that...

[GasBlaster]

How is it running ?

[fmm1991]

First timer here! I put out 15 taps Sunday afternoon and collected 15 gallons of sap Monday. I think that is good.