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18 Mar ’12
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So while the leaves are still on the trees (for positive identification) I took some time today to walk through some of my woods and start flagging maples for tapping come spring. I am going to be setting up a main line system and plan on having between 50 and 75 trees tapped this next season. Once I really got to looking at the trees and taking inventory I was very pleased with my assessment. I am guessing that nearly half of the trees I flagged today are mature maples at least 24 in diameter. Half a dozen of them I needed my sons help wrap the flagging tape around the trunk. I have a lot of work to do to make everything just the way I have it planned in my head, but I am certain the outcome will be well worth the effort. I will update my progress here throughout the upcoming season.
I may even try to con Kvr to help me with some of the heavy labor.
15 Feb ’12
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why are you jinxing us and talking about winter in August? I swear if I see a snow flake in October, our friendship is over. Let me know when you want start working on it, then we can mosey on over to my land and do the same thing. I told Mr. G to leave a bunch of the maples.
11 Mar ’12
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Geeze. You are definitely jinxing us with this winter talk.
Be RADICAL Grow Food
21 Oct ’12
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I am from Washington and hate all this heat. PLEASE WINTER COME. I really hope you post pics rinkus.
21 Oct ’12
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How many gallons you think you will get from 50-75 trees?
18 Mar ’12
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I have been told the rule of thumb is one gallon of syrup per tree, give or take for tree size. My results last year did not yield those results, but I started late, tapped some trees that were really to small and made lots of mistakes. For the last three years I have been effectively working two full time jobs during the winter and into much of the spring, so time for maple syrup was scarce. I lost some to spoil and some ran out of full buckets. Sickeningly at the end of the season my evaporator sprung a leak just before my last boil. That resulted in me dumping out about fifty gallons sap.
This year I am retiring from my primary career and will only be working for myself, hopefully freeing up enough time to do it in a little more professional manor. I plan on marketing the syrup at my in-laws farm and selling some to a friend who is starting a micro distillery. He uses it in his special super secret maple whiskey.
Personally I dont mind winter, I am ready for anything old Jack Frost has to offer. Living in a place that has all four seasons keeps things interesting. A few weeks in mud season and a couple weeks in July are all I really have to complain about here in Maine.
15 Feb ’12
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have you figured out a different boiler set up?
Yes my new evaporator will be oil fired and I am hoping to reach an 85 percent efficient use of BTUs. The over all size is still in question and limited to my ever shrinking budget.
Individually the parts to the tubing set up are cheap. Over all, with required tools I will need for the big picture, I am looking at over $500 to set up tubing network alone.
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