sugaring

[Livewater Farm]

well it is getting close to that time again temps here all week in the high 30 low 40s nights around 25 to 29 not a very cold Jan here in southern Vt we have cleared alot of hemlock out of the bush and put up some gravity flow tubing we will still set about 400 buckets
had a new front pan built
pretty icey will probably have to put at least front shoes on the team
the problem is when to tap sap did run at times this past week
what you all thinking
Bill

[Donn Hewes]

Bill, It is a little sad to think of sap flowing in Jan.

[Carl Russell]

This year we have refurbished a 2 x 8 leader evaporator, and I have decided to install 300 taps on pipeline. I have been having more and more trouble with access during sugaring season for gathering with horses. When I first started gathering and selling sap around 2000, I could work on the woods trails all winter, and pack in and freeze some great trails. Every once in a while we would have a quick break-up, and would have to work in mud, but generally the trails would last for the whole sugaring season.

However, over the last 5-10 years it has become increasingly difficult to get the kind of conditions that allow me to gather with the horses…. too much mud, and ice. I have a significant hill to climb to get access to the bush anyway, so my longterm plan as always been to install dumping stations in the bush, so I don’t have to come all the way down, and back up, just to unload. I see the installment this spring as being a hybrid compromise.

It will allow us to operate for this year, and likely a few more, without needing to get animals into the woods. Eventually we will move back to mostly buckets as we expand to the 500-750 taps that I am aiming for (with the 3 x 10), and use this pipeline for dumping and some taps in areas where access is difficult for buckets.

I am almost done with modifications to the sugarhouse, and will start laying out pipe soon, and will probably just move right into tapping. I have a friend near here who tapped out mid January and was boiling on Friday. I personally will never be ready for January sap….

Carl

[Livewater Farm]

I have never felt that Jan sap made a good tasting syrup but what is the norm today

used to be syrup made around presidents day was early tapping out on town meeting week was the norm
averything now is for production of a newly created commodity maple syrup todays market wants dark syrup
used to be we prided ourselves on the lightest syrup we could make new grading system has eliminated a grade altogether and run the color into the remaining 3 grades
some dealerswill not even buy fancy syrup anymorethey want to trade light for dark

3/4 of our crop is till light syrup cant stand making that dark motor oil
TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING
Bill

[dominiquer60]

Sam is putting new drops in as we speak and hopes to tap the swamp bush this week, and the other bush during the next big boom after replacing those drops. We have over 1,000 taps in 2 bushes on vacuum (old dairy pumps that Leader will tell you don’t work, but yet they do :)) and a couple small gravity line set ups with Leader’s clear check valve. The check value works well and seems to extend the gravity and pail seasons for us, especially in a stretched out season as it appears to be this year.

Erika

[LongViewFarm]

We had a nice Visit from Ed and Jane Thayer Fri as we were boiling for the first time in our new sugar house. All wood was harvested with draft power, and the sheathing and roofing 1xs were harvested and milled at the 2016 annual gathering. It’s very satisfying to see this bit of farm infrastructure up and running after help from so many.
We are boiling on a Leader half-pint evaporator my father in law bought so he can pursue and pass on the sugaring hobby. It is far better than the flat pan I used to use on a two burner stove. We’ll expand next year with a second pan and 50-100 more taps on line. We have 50 taps in this year on buckets, and have gathered about 80 gallons so far.
How is the season going for the rest of you? How long will it last?

[Livewater Farm]

Jay we have boiled 3 times already making a light medium grade syrup sap should run next couple of days season should last till its over
Bill

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