The Official 2010 Maple Syrup Thread.

ca2devri · #21 01/15/10, 09:15 AM

This has probably been covered many times before, but it might be nice to have it in this thread. Can someone with experience outline the rough costs for small-scale syrup operation? What equipment should someone consider starting out with?

We just bought a farm with 10 acres of bush and a gully (prime beech-maple forest). I'd love to try getting enough syrup for us and who knows, maybe even some to sell. I've heard the economics of it are depressing, but that would make it fit well with farming, right?

Little House · #22 01/16/10, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stirfamily

Thanks for the advice. I know they tap here about the end of Feb. DH said the same thing as you. So I'll put away my drill and taps for now. Darn!
karen in NE Indiana

I'm farther south than you (SW Ohio), but in looking at long term forcasts and average temps I think that I am going to go ahead and tap at least one tree and see if the sap is running. Our average highs are above freezing from here on out, so we will see...

(This is only my second year tapping our trees, so I'm no expert or anything.)

MELOC · #23 01/16/10, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca2devri

This has probably been covered many times before, but it might be nice to have it in this thread. Can someone with experience outline the rough costs for small-scale syrup operation? What equipment should someone consider starting out with?

We just bought a farm with 10 acres of bush and a gully (prime beech-maple forest). I'd love to try getting enough syrup for us and who knows, maybe even some to sell. I've heard the economics of it are depressing, but that would make it fit well with farming, right?

there are too many variables to outline costs. folks would need to know how many taps you plan to set, if you intend to run tubing, if the tubing is gravity only or assisted by vacuum pumps, how dense or sparse are the trees and the distance to the collection sight. you would need to have some idea how much you would produce to decide how to finish the syrup, how you would package it...the list goes on and on.

littlebitfarm · #24 01/16/10, 08:08 PM

Does anyone have a favorite supplier. One that isn't unhappy with small orders?

Kathie

MELOC · #25 01/16/10, 10:06 PM

my first order with www.bascommaple.com was rather small, but they seemed to appreciate my business.

greg273 · #26 01/17/10, 10:39 AM

Been wanting to do this for years,and I may actually have time this year. But where to start? Not sure what is the proper spile to use, or how much I should be paying for them.... seems like $1.00 to $2.50 is the average.
Most of the maples around here are Box Elders, which I understand will yield worthwhile amounts of sap.
Well Im gonna order some spiles and see what happens... the best way to learn is by doing!

seedspreader · #27 01/17/10, 11:04 AM

I'll make a trip this week to my local supplier and do a little article on a simple set up based on his prices.

michiganfarmer · #28 01/19/10, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca2devri

This has probably been covered many times before, but it might be nice to have it in this thread. Can someone with experience outline the rough costs for small-scale syrup operation? What equipment should someone consider starting out with?

We just bought a farm with 10 acres of bush and a gully (prime beech-maple forest). I'd love to try getting enough syrup for us and who knows, maybe even some to sell. I've heard the economics of it are depressing, but that would make it fit well with farming, right?

My thoguht is if you want to make 5-10 gqalons you need a 3x3 pan that is 8 inches deep. that will cost about $300. the rest of the stuff you can pick up used here and there. cement blocks to set your pan on, jugs or buckets to collect sap, plastic barrels to store sap, used spiles from ebay, or a neighbor who taps trees.

KentJ · #29 01/21/10, 11:51 AM

Hey everybody. What are your thoughts on tapping a little early and getting that first run. It seems like every year we miss that very first run, which is suppose to be the best sap. Have any of you tired this, and does it make difference. Our (family) thought is to tap a week or two before that first good thaw and run.

MELOC · #30 01/21/10, 04:55 PM

your first run is going to be good no matter when it is...so long as the trees are not blooming. i guess the point is that the first sap drawn from a tree is going to be the sweetest and the sugar content drops as you draw sap from the tree.

i am a bit bummed right now. we have had "run" weather for several days now with more in sight. i was totally not ready at all. i was going to get wire for my tubing run and to build either a block or oil tank evap. if the weather holds like this for weeks...good. if it gets warmer, my silver maples will bloom along with some of the reds. i am seriously considering punting the ball again and tapping only about 20 trees and collecting in jugs. it is so difficult to do by yourself and to be employed at the same time. tubing and collection tanks, along with a good evap, make it so much more feasible when you do it alone.

seedspreader · #31 01/24/10, 01:59 PM

Plastic Taps are about .50 each
5/16" tubing (to go to 7/16" taps) about .10 a foot
Cast Aluminum about 2.50 each

At my local supplier. They have everything, bags, holders, cans, glasses, nice little evaporator from Leader for $999.00.

KentJ · #32 01/26/10, 07:26 AM

On the topic of taps, have any of you seen the new taps that were "invented" by a professor at a NE university. Had somebody ask me about them and I can't find anything. They are to be used in the commercial field and help to reduce bacteria in sap and to keep the flow going. If any of you have any information about these please post it.

thanks

stifflej · #33 01/26/10, 08:28 AM

If someone wanted to try this, on a very small scale, what equipment at minimum would be needed? A spout, a bucket, something to store it in, and something to boil it off in (outside), and canning jars. Is there anything else that I would need to give it a shot?

Thanks.

KentJ · #34 01/26/10, 05:53 PM

Don't forget the tree! Looks like you got all the essentials, but be careful, that's how we started. We are now up to 75 taps, collect between 300 and 400 gal of sap each year and jar/bottle around 10-15 gal of syrup. It takes up a majority of 4 weeks of our life and two good weekends to cook and bottle. But we wouldn't have it any other way. Good luck and have fun.

P.S. Watch out for the sneaky syrup stealing friends. You start doing this and you will have people coming out of the wood work to sample the goods.

michiganfarmer · #35 01/28/10, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KentJ

On the topic of taps, have any of you seen the new taps that were "invented" by a professor at a NE university. Had somebody ask me about them and I can't find anything. They are to be used in the commercial field and help to reduce bacteria in sap and to keep the flow going. If any of you have any information about these please post it.

thanks

they have one way check vavles in the newest ones and are made for tubing. there are also spiles with replaceable ends on them. each year you throw away the replaceable tip, and use new ones the nex year. the spile stays connected to the tubing

michiganfarmer · #36 01/28/10, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seedspreader

Plastic Taps are about .50 each
5/16" tubing (to go to 7/16" taps) about .10 a foot
Cast Aluminum about 2.50 each

At my local supplier. They have everything, bags, holders, cans, glasses, nice little evaporator from Leader for $999.00.

therre is a guyhere who has a used 3x8 for $4800.

michiganfarmer · #37 01/28/10, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stifflej

If someone wanted to try this, on a very small scale, what equipment at minimum would be needed? A spout, a bucket, something to store it in, and something to boil it off in (outside), and canning jars. Is there anything else that I would need to give it a shot?

Thanks.

sounds good to me. I reccomend a few buckets instead of just one. the sugar content is higher in the early part of the season. th emore sap you can get early, the less boiling you have to do per gallon of syrup, and the big trees along the road, or in your yard have as uch as 4% sugar. even at 3% it only takes about 28 gallons to make a gallon. the aerage sugar comming out of a woods is about 2% and at that it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup

MELOC · #38 01/28/10, 10:53 PM

bascom has the new spiles with the check valves. i saw some mention that they would work with a gravity system, but another portion of the catalog mentioned that they were for use with vacuum systems. something tells me you would need to have a good gravity system for them to work properly...but who knows?

hey max...what's your handle on mapletrader? i forget, lol.

seedspreader · #39 01/29/10, 10:16 PM

http://www.themodernhomestead.com/news.php

I've got a couple of articles up on Maple Syrup making. Feel free to stop by and check them out.

MN Gardener · #40 01/31/10, 07:59 PM

Where is a good place to get an evaporator pan for boiling down the syrup? We want one just like the one on your webpage, but have not been able to find out. The one we used previously had a spigot on the end so we could pour out the syrup at the end of boiling it. Unfortunately, it was a friend's and can't borrow it this year. DH has welding skills / equipment but we have no idea where to get the stainless steel to make the pan.