The Official 2010 Maple Syrup Thread.

Happy7Farm · #**121** 03/07/10, 11:09 AM

Next year my 20 year old son has big plans. He wants to have 100-200 taps out next year.(He will have to buy the sap from some folks to get that many.) And he wants to have a 2x6 or 3x6 cross flow evaporator pan fed by a suspended holding tank. He wants to gather the sap in a 400 gallon cistern on his Bronco. We have had great sucess selling our syrup here, people keep saying "I did'nt know you could make maple syrup down here!". We did'nt either till we got down here!

mamagoose · #**122** 03/07/10, 01:41 PM

We are working on our 2nd gallon now. We were hoping for 6, but temps are forecasted to get too warm quickly. Memo to self - need twice as many taps for next year!

Happy7Farm · #**123** 03/07/10, 05:13 PM

Made 1/2 gallon and a pint this afternoon. Had our last run of sap today and have about 60 gallons left to boil and our season will be over. But we are all glad to see spring right around the corner!

stirfamily · #**124** 03/07/10, 05:26 PM

I think our season will be over this week too. Forecast highs in the 50's with lows in the mid 30's to low 40's. So far made 9 pints and have another 12 gallons boiling now.
Karen in NE Indiana

IndianaWoodsman · #**125** 03/07/10, 07:44 PM

We cooked for the first time today. Because of the deep snow in the woods and no warm days, we didn't tap until day late this week. Normally we'd be half way through the season by now. Looking at the weather forcast, which comes from Indianapolis and runs about 10 degrees warmer than us, we're figuring to get sap most of this week, then we're to have a freeze up and maybe we'll get more runs the next week or so. But, who knows? It has just now started raining, but that's not all bad. Though it will make for more mud and worse gathering conditions, if the rain continues and is "warmish" sap will usually run. That's because of the effect of the barometric pressure on sap flow.

Sugarspinner/IndianaWoodsman (Mom and Son; we share a 'puter)

michiganfarmer · #**126** 03/08/10, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel Lemming

I will let my husband answer this when he gets home, I am not sure the size exactly.
But here is a picture of it.

it looks like abut a 2 1/2 x 8.

fantastic

Mistyf · #**127** 03/08/10, 10:02 AM

I think our season is over too. We seem to have gone from winter to spring, in about two weeks time. We have forecast for the 60's by the end of the week. I got a couple gallons of sap yesterday. I think today will be it.

michiganfarmer · #**128** 03/08/10, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmergirl

Max,
How long before you will have syrup for sale again? I'd like another gallon and a friend wants several gallons, too.

well. probably near the end of march

michiganfarmer · #**129** 03/08/10, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel Lemming

This is a link to one of my blog postings from last year.
http://frmerswife.blogspot.com/2009/02/hard-part.html

pretty cool pictures

stanb999 · #**130** 03/08/10, 12:18 PM

Finally, put the taps out today. Temps for the week should be perfect. lows in the low 20's to 40ish for the high.

The big issue is the snow is still well above the knee. With drifts to waist deep. I'm not looking forward to carrying full buckets..... Oh, well. Sap flows sweeter when the snow is deeper.

SueMc · #**131** 03/08/10, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel Lemming

No, we have a hard working family

We spend hours upon hours a day collecting sap. Last year we made 113 gallons of syrup. I doubt we will have so much this year because the weather might not cooperate.
It is a lot of hard work, but it is well worth it.
This is a link to one of my blog postings from last year.
http://frmerswife.blogspot.com/2009/02/hard-part.html

I was looking online for source of syrup fairly local to me in Central IL when I found this site:

http://www.vccd.org/syrup.html

They say they are the third largest producers in IL after two others mentioned. They obviously don't know about your family!
Sue

tallpines · #**132** 03/08/10, 02:21 PM

Temps here in our woods are finally warming up and hubby is out tapping.
Just barely starting to run in some trees.
Nothing yet from most of them.

misplaced · #**133** 03/08/10, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

pretty cool pictures

Thanks. I believe the season is over for us too.
We got about 700 gallons of sap.
So it wasn't to bad I guess.

I am having a maple syrup giveaway on my blog if anyone is interested.
http://frmerswife.blogspot.com/2010/...-giveaway.html

Or email me at lori_howerter2@yahoo.com to enter your name in the drawing.

misplaced · #**134** 03/08/10, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SueMc

I was looking online for source of syrup fairly local to me in Central IL when I found this site:

http://www.vccd.org/syrup.html

They say they are the third largest producers in IL after two others mentioned. They obviously don't know about your family!
Sue

heh, only we don't sell it, we eat it

Happy7Farm · #**135** 03/09/10, 06:15 PM

Our season ended today with our last boiling. Our final total of syrup was 13 1/2 gallons and 1/2 pint out of 530 gallons of sap. From our first run of sap to the last boiling our season lasted 5 weeks. Never did get really dark syrup this year, which we like it that way!
I broke the only Check-Valve tap I got when I was putting it in the tree with two days left, but I don't think you have to have a vacuum system with them. They have like a flap inside which lets the sap flow one way and the air can't get to the hole. I think I will still try them next year on our multi-tap trees sometime in the middle of December to see if I can get the early runs of sap here, and see how long the hole will stay running.

michiganfarmer · #**136** 03/10/10, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebel Lemming

Thanks. I believe the season is over for us too.
We got about 700 gallons of sap.
So it wasn't to bad I guess.

I am having a maple syrup giveaway on my blog if anyone is interested.
http://frmerswife.blogspot.com/2010/...-giveaway.html

Or email me at lori_howerter2@yahoo.com to enter your name in the drawing.

so you tap 1000 trees and only get 700 galons of sap?

michiganfarmer · #**137** 03/10/10, 07:43 AM

well, I completely missed our first run, lol. Its supose to not freeze till monday, but all next week is suppose to be good freeze/thaw temps. I hung 80 buckets last night. I hope to get about 500 taps on tubing this weekend. Mabey another 100 buckets too.

Forerunner · #**138** 03/10/10, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

so you tap 1000 trees and only get 700 galons of sap?

Roughly 1200 taps--not trees-- and about two good days of flow.....all soft maples.
Yup 7-900 gallons sap so far.
My experience is that a tap needs two or three days to get up to speed on a soft maple. The better trees can give two gallons each day on the best days...per tap. The lesser trees might give a pint or quart per day, per tap.

Sugar maples will spoil you.

michiganfarmer · #**139** 03/10/10, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forerunner

Roughly 1200 taps--not trees-- and about two good days of flow.....all soft maples.
Yup 7-900 gallons sap so far.
My experience is that a tap needs two or three days to get up to speed on a soft maple. The better trees can give two gallons each day on the best days...per tap. The lesser trees might give a pint or quart per day, per tap.

Sugar maples will spoil you.

Are you rebel lemming's husband? How much syrup do you guys make every year?

I dont know what kind of maples I have, but I get 2 gallons per day on the days that we have a good freeze/thaw

ronbre · #**140** 03/10/10, 12:22 PM

ok bringing this thread back up as i want to know if any of you are making your maple syrup and are getting any ready to sell, i need to buy some as we are out and i don't have enough maple trees to tap any here..so send me a pm when you have some to sell so i can get some..i put a thread out asking for some to buy on the forum..thanks..brenda