Syrup
Contributors to this thread:Massachusetts
From: Jebediah
17-Feb-20
Figured now was a good time to check in here at Syrupsite and see how it’s going. Anybody making syrup? We’re doing boil #3 today, nice day for it.
From: mboud103
17-Feb-20
you read my mind Jeb, only 2nd 100 gallon boil for me so far, weather is tricky as usual, only running 1.25- 1.50 %. upgrading RO to 400gpd on 3/16 shurflo, 60 taps zone 11. happy boiling....
From: mattthehairy
17-Feb-20
Nice rig you've got setup! We do a pretty primitive cinder block arch and deep hotel pans from a restaurant supply place. We usually have things going but have been lazy this year. Last year we got maybe a gallon of syrup, perfect for our own use and a few gifts here and there. Mostly our weekends have been jammed up so without boiling time I haven't even tapped. Might try to get one or two runs before the season is all gone but hard to say.
From: xi
17-Feb-20
Syrup, i had -6° Saturday morning and 9° yesterday. Might break freezing today, even the commercial guys haven't tapped yet !
From: mboudreau
17-Feb-20
Xi where are you? Im assuming Western part of the state, but what a difference 100 miles makes on the winter/spring change... send some of that seasonal weather east would you please?
From: Jebediah
17-Feb-20
Went through NY last week, passed 4 places that were boiling, I was surprised. Talked to a guy who has 100K taps in Vermont, he said their crew starts tapping in December, not because there’s sap to be had, of course, but because it takes a long time to get 100,000 trees done. Pretty amazing. I would like to have a tour of an operation like that.
From: xi
17-Feb-20
Jeb, if he's only tapping 1 tap per tree then he's definitely not efficient. Was he running buckets or pumps and tubing. When he boils is it a evaporator or a condensator
From: Jebediah
17-Feb-20
I think they said they had ten guys, so I guess each guy taps 10,000. That would keep me busy for quite awhile, but I’m pretty slow.
From: sams
19-Feb-20
I'm still trying to decide if I will make syrup this year, or take a year off. I've still got enough syrup in the basement to get through the year. I really need to take a season off from something and get some projects, including my sugar shack finished.
From: Snowshoe
19-Feb-20
Waiting till week end to tap looks like next week will be good
From: UrbanHunter
03-Mar-20
I got a late start tapping this year due to family travel commitments.... Tapped on Sunday (3/1/2020)... buckets were overflowing this morning.... I will be boiling tonight...
From: Jebediah
03-Mar-20
Looks like a nice setup!
From: UrbanHunter
07-Mar-20
I great day to boil....
From: Jebediah
07-Mar-20
Looking good! I think we are going to do our last boil of season tomorrow.
From: mboudreau
07-Mar-20
Yes, cant believe the season is about done in eastern MA, had a pretty good Feb run tho, upgraded manifold, added CoolBot to convert shed into storage cooler. The Spring Peepers are singing the blues so its time to wrap it up....
From: Jebediah
08-Mar-20
Buds are getting pretty big. We have had one or two awful batches in past years because of going too long. Not going to repeat that this year.
From: Jebediah
08-Mar-20
Here we go, wrapping it up.
From: Jebediah
08-Mar-20
Here we go, wrapping it up.
From: mboudreau
08-Mar-20
Jeb thats alot of square footage boiling, how many taps you got?
From: Jebediah
08-Mar-20
100, about 90 red, 10 sugar. That setup boils 20 gal/hr. Not pretty, but it does the job.
From: Snowshoe
08-Mar-20
Iv7 e done my second boil will be boiling mid week again belchertown here
From: UrbanHunter
09-Mar-20
Nice setup, Jeb! Do you break it down during the offseason? I might need a less permanent solution... My rusty oil tank in the back corner of the yard is a nice conversation piece... I try to hide it behind the two cords of wood...
From: Jebediah
09-Mar-20
Yes it gets taken down. Many of the cinder blocks wind up breaking when disassembling, have to replace some each year. I think they’re really not built for fire purposes.
From: UrbanHunter
09-Mar-20
Yeah... I put fire brick on the bottom of the oil tank but used cinderblocks (with sand behind) to make up the side walls).... It takes a beating every year.... But each year I say... "It's good enough".
From: Jebediah
09-Mar-20
I think you have the right idea. Sometimes “good enough” is, truly, good enough.
