Maple syrup

[John N Mi]

Just curious, how many on here will be making some syrup this year? This kinda about tractors as I use an old Minnie Mo to collect the sap. 1951 BF The tank was a sprayer tank that I rebuilt useing cedar.
John
<a href="http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e60/stanbarger/?action=view&current=Adripofsap.jpg" target="_blank">

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[John N Mi]

this one should be the tractor and tank
John
<a href="http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e60/stanbarger/?action=view&current=IM000962.jpg" target="_blank">

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[El Toro]

Sure would taste good on pancakes. Hal

 

[ChrisB]

Little early to be starting is it not?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sure would taste good on pancakes. Hallie

 

[El Toro]

I see the bushwacker is back. Get lost.

 

[sjh]

chris
As long as the conditions are right the sap will run. Above freezing day/below freezing night will make it run. If you are quick enough you can get sap in January when it warms up for a few days.

 

[Hotflashjr]

We are going to start tapping this week. The weather looks to be a bit on the cold side, but you don't want to miss out if the weatherman is wrong and you get a couple of nice days in a row. We just tap enough to make a few gallons for our own use.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Stop hurting my feelings. Hallie

 

[ChrisB]

Never knew that. I tap as well, but i got a few weeks before I start thinking about it. I do not make that much, but would rather tap when it is running good as to keep the bugs and trash out.

 

[greygoat]

Cool Tractor!...Isn't that an AVERY, after MM
purchased Avery and called them a MM ?

 

[Hotflashjr]

We live in Western Mass and often at the end of February you get a week of 40 degree days with temps in the 20's at night. We have found that this is when our sap runs the best. We missed the first two days of that weather a few years ago and the sap never ran good after putting them in when it was already running well. For some reason our sap gets cloudy quickly. A friend that taps a few towns north of us doesn't have the same problem.

 

[John N Mi]

The tractor is a 1951 MM BF. We won't be tapping for a little while yet. The pictures are from 2005 season. When I got a jar of syrup from the pantry this morning I found sugar crystals in it. Big ones like egg size.
John

 

[Anonymous-0]

You know I like you doc el stupido, or is it Ms know it all ? im confused there but O'well
Anyway I like you you remind me of Myself When "I WAS YOUNG & STUPID & KNEW IT ALL"
dont worry you will see lots of me in the to comeing times just for my friends like You

 

[ChrisB]

Hotflashjr,

I near you but at 1350 feet and wait until 1st March normally. I might try earlier this year. I only need about 90 to 100 gallons of sap a year to fill my needs.

 

[John N Mi]

The cloudyness may be alga which will grow if you keep the sap too long or too warm. We like to get the sap into the pan and boiling soon after collecting. To kill the alga spores on your syrup equipment use ver hot water with a little bleach.
John

 

[Anonymous-0]

I don't know why you are so hostile. Can't we all just get along?

I like you. Do you like me?

 

[Anonymous-0]

yes i like you, like i said you remind me of myself when i was Young & dumb & knew it all...
O' wait U still know it all yet
Just call me "Dr El Stupido" for short instead of Dr el toro

 

[Anonymous-0]

"yes i like you, like i said you remind me of myself when i was Young & dumb & knew it all"

Why do you feel the need to hurt my feelings like that? Can't we get along?

 

[JDemaris]

I've got 30 acres of sugar bush. But, if I tapped now - I'd be retapping before the season was over. Every year, at least here in New York, the weather is worse for sugaring as times goes on.
20 years ago, we'd tap in late march and collect to the end of April or early May. Now - often the sap starts running good in early February which really screws things up.

Years back, many people used formaldehyde pills in each tap hole to keep them flowing all season - but no more - at least not legally in the U.S. When I was sugaring in northen Vermont in the early 70s, everybody I knew was using the poison-pills. I've heared complaints that some of the Canadians in Québec are still doing it - true or not, I don't know.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You know the part that really makes me mad ? Your ms know it all additude thinking you know it all & getting in on Topics that you know nothing about & stickn your foot in your mouth when you should just keep your mouth shut, & then makes me have to act Like U & I know better but since U bit the wrong hand
Its ok Ms. Dr. Know it all Ooops Ms Dr El Stupido

 

[Hotflashjr]

I am closer to Connecticut then to Vermont/NH so I think that might be why we start a bit sooner. We could never seem to get past the first week or two of March before our sap gets cloudy. It just warms up too much and the temps at night don't get low enough. We tried to use some of it last year, and it just doesn't come out quite right.

 

[ChrisB]

Hotflashjr,

Ah that could explain it. Up by the NH VT border here. Have about a foot of snow on the ground here (for reference). If you are in the CT valley that would explain the 2 week difference.

Although the past couple of days made me think about taping, I might hold of and check another website where they time it to the minute it seems.

 

[ChrisB]

JDemaris,
Tell me about it. Last year I was up to 53:1 here. Years back it would be 42:1 on average it seemed. Although there are a couple of reds in there.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I tap some red maples also, but only a few - maybe 5-10% and all the rest are hard maples.

Year 2002, I averaged a sugar content in the sap at 2.6 %.
Year 2003 it was 2.6% again.
From then, it's been down every year, on average.
Last year it was 1.9% which means a lot of extra water to cart around, and boil out - and/or remove with osmosis.

 

[ChrisB]

JDE,
Funny those are just about the same numbers I am at. We are due a good year. Hopefully this one.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I run 400 taps in N.W.Wisconsin. I have a Allis Chalmers WD, '51 vintage. Same as me.

 

[caterpillar guy]

The tractor looks good.
We make syrup as we run out for our own use been years now 10 or more. We just tap about 100 trees and do the gathering by hand with 5gallon pails on a 10 acre woods. used to get about 40-100 gallon of syrup eaach year. would start around mid Feb and end when the bud would start to swell on the tree or when the syrup started to darken. I'm in Shiawassee cty MI.

 

[Anonymous-0]

If we can go beyond the playground spars,Do you maple syrup people know why the sugar content is declining? warming enviroment??

 

[DLJ in NC]

Ok, This is for anyone who taps their own sryup and bottles it. I would love to have a bottle. The only thing we can get in NC is the syrup that comes through the modern processor. I would love to have some, how should I say, Authentic syrup. Has to be very good. If anyone has a bottle they are willing to part with, feel free to email me at [email protected]

DLJ

 

[ChrisB]

(quoted from post at 10:09:42 02/20/08) Ok, This is for anyone who taps their own sryup and bottles it. I would love to have a bottle. The only thing we can get in NC is the syrup that comes through the modern processor. I would love to have some, how should I say, Authentic syrup. Has to be very good. If anyone has a bottle they are willing to part with, feel free to email me at [email protected]

DLJ

Why not just make it yourself. Even more authentic then. If you can boil water then you can make syrup.

Then again it might be past season for you down there. Maybe someone else would know your season better.

 

[Anonymous-0]

The sugar content goes down as more sap flows up which happens as the weather warms. We have been having extended warm spells the last several years during the normal time sap is collected. This causes more water to be absorbed at the roots and probably messes up the remainder of that year's sap. The nights have to fall below freezing to get the best sap.

 

[DLJ in NC]

Chris,

We don't have the Maple trees needed in the coastal plain area of NC needed for the syrup. Don't think we have enough in Western NC for making syrup either. Never heard of anyone in these parts making it.
DLJ

 

[Anonymous-0]

higgins..thanks for that.

 

[ChrisB]

(quoted from post at 18:20:30 02/20/08) Chris,

We don't have the Maple trees needed in the coastal plain area of NC needed for the syrup. Don't think we have enough in Western NC for making syrup either. Never heard of anyone in these parts making it.
DLJ

Sorry I incorrectly assumed you were in the Western part of NC. Pretty sure they are out there, just not in the numbers. For home use even one good tree or a couple of small ones can produce enough.

 

[peteL]

I read a article in FARM SHOW about the use of other trees to make syrup . I think one of the trees mentioned was Beech. I guess there is a market for it out there.