Author Topic: While we're waiting for ice  (Read 3590 times)

Offline bigr

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While we're waiting for ice
« on: Jan 31, 2017, 05:06 AM »
You tree tappers have any guesses when I should tap my trees. IWALTON you out there.

Offline trophytaker1

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #1 on: Jan 31, 2017, 05:21 AM »
I'm gonna get my taps and jugs around today and get ready.

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #2 on: Jan 31, 2017, 06:01 AM »
We tapped this past Saturday. Looks hopeful for a run today.

Offline bigr

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #3 on: Jan 31, 2017, 06:05 AM »
sprkplug if you would, please let us know how your doing in the next few days. Nearly missed it last year. Didn't get enough to do a gallon.

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #4 on: Jan 31, 2017, 07:05 AM »
Will do.

Offline SuzyQTpie

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #5 on: Jan 31, 2017, 06:20 PM »
My neighbor has had theirs in for a week already.

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #6 on: Jan 31, 2017, 08:37 PM »
About 40 gallons in 24 hrs, from 73 taps this evening. Looks like some will run tonight also.

Offline bigr

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #7 on: Feb 01, 2017, 04:59 AM »
Thanks, I'll get mine out on Friday.

Offline bigr

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #8 on: Feb 06, 2017, 05:21 AM »
Tapped a few yesterday morning. Sap starting running as soon as I pulled drill out. I've never seen it flow so well. Not a drip but a steady drizzle into bag. This is the earliest I've tapped trees. I think spring is very near.

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #9 on: Feb 06, 2017, 05:58 AM »
Boiled down 80 gallons on Saturday, hoping for a good run this week.

Offline bigr

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #10 on: Feb 06, 2017, 06:30 AM »
I'll start boiling down Friday morning. How much do you get out of 70gals? We get about 1 gallon for every 35gals of sap. Hoping to do about 70 gals this year. We've done as much as 500 gals but it's a lot of work and time spent over a fire and we end up giving most of it away so I'm cutting back this year.

Offline trophytaker1

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #11 on: Feb 06, 2017, 09:52 AM »
Put my taps out Sunday morning.

Offline fisher97

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #12 on: Feb 06, 2017, 12:52 PM »
How many gallons can you get off one tree? I have thought about doing this off my big maple in my back yard. Probably 24inches around. I think about ordering a couple taps every year for it.

Offline bigr

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #13 on: Feb 06, 2017, 01:38 PM »
Two taps in a tree that size. Should yield 10 plus gallons over a short time period. Days like today could easily get you a couple gallons. Remember getting the sap is the easy part. Nothing hard to any of it just time consuming. Only plan on doing a small batch and decide if it's worth it to do more. I use an old turkey fryer pot placed a stand over a camp fire. Takes about 6 to 8 eight hrs to boil down 10 gallons. End up with around a quart of syrup. 3 or 4 breakfasts for the family. If I can't find early fish this year I might do another ten gallons. 

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #14 on: Feb 06, 2017, 07:52 PM »
It depends on the sugar content of the sap, which varies. We're hoping for 20 gallons of syrup, so I'm assuming around 800-900 gallons of sap to boil.

here's a shot through the refractometer, showing the sugar content of Saturday's sap... over 3%, which is awesome!


Offline fisher97

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #15 on: Feb 06, 2017, 09:29 PM »
If I ordered taps tonight and got them by the end of the week would I still have enough time left in the season to get enough to get syrup?

Offline bigr

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #16 on: Feb 07, 2017, 05:08 AM »
Plenty of time. Sprkplug I've always heard the early sap contains the higher content of surgar. 20 gals, that's a bunch. You sell a lot of yours? What do you normally get for a quart?

Offline fisher97

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #17 on: Feb 07, 2017, 06:11 PM »
What type of tap does everyone recommend? I found some plastic ones on eBay for a couple bucks but I don't understand how the sap just flows through. & if I put two taps in a tree it won't kill it will it?

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #18 on: Feb 07, 2017, 08:11 PM »
We give some to family, and sell some also. We get $10 for a 12 oz bottle, and sell out every year. Matter of fact, there is a waiting list for the next year's syrup, but we have a very limited amount so people know to get on the list early.

The style of tap you purchase will depend upon how you intend to collect the syrup.....some plastic taps are used with tubing or plastic collection bags, while metal taps are often used with buckets, like you see hanging on trees.

Below freezing temps cause the tree to pull groundwater up through the roots, (sap) into the crown. Warmer daytime temps thaw the crown, and gravity pulls the sap back down. When you drill the hole, that downward flowing sap leaks out. A tap, (actually called a spile), directs the "leak" into a collection system. (bag, bucket, tubing). I wouldn't place two spiles in a tree that's less than 24" diameter.

Offline ftwwalleye

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #19 on: Feb 08, 2017, 09:42 AM »
You should age some in some spent bourbon barrels. The vanilla oak and bourbon make for some awesome syrup
Beer is proof that god loves us-ben franklin

Offline trjordan09886

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #20 on: Feb 08, 2017, 09:46 AM »
aging in barrels makes great beer! i'm sure it will do the trick for syrup too!

Offline ice fishNH

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #21 on: Feb 08, 2017, 09:54 AM »
Just be careful you don't spill it all over the highway like this!!!

http://time.com/4663224/vermont-syrup-spill/
fishNH @ MFF  huntNH @ MHF

Offline fisher97

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #22 on: Feb 10, 2017, 04:01 PM »
Did a little searching in the woods. Do these look like maples to anyone?
 
Tree 1:




Tree 2:




Tree 3:





screen capture windows 7

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #23 on: Feb 11, 2017, 07:59 AM »
Hard to tell, but pic 1 looks like a maple, possibly pic 3 also, not sure on 2, kinda has an oak look to the bark.

Offline fisher97

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #24 on: Feb 11, 2017, 12:17 PM »
Hard to tell, but pic 1 looks like a maple, possibly pic 3 also, not sure on 2, kinda has an oak look to the bark.

Thanks. I think I'm just going to give it a shot. I don't know anyone who could ID them 100% for me so I'm giong to go tap tree 1 & 3 right now. Is there anything I could do to help you better ID them?

Offline sprkplug

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Re: While we're waiting for ice
« Reply #25 on: Feb 11, 2017, 04:05 PM »
Outside of higher quality photos, I don't know of anything this time of year, and long distance to boot. Drill em', and see if they're trying to run. Boiled 150 gallons of sap so far this weekend, at least another 50 tomorrow.

 



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