Posted: 3/9/2015 8:58:15 PM EDT
| I have made maple syrup in the past with friends and it was a fun time. Last year I tapped a few trees and a friend that was visiting from NY brought his hobby evaporator and we made about three quarts of syrup. This year I have upped my tapping supplies and plan on tapping about 30-40 trees. I have a guy building me a barrel stove evaporator that should be finished this week. Anyone else here tap trees and make syrup? Would love to see some pictures of some set-ups! |
| My fathers family had a sugar bush and sap house, neither there any longer. Last used perhaps 50 years ago. Horses drew the sledge. It was fun to sugar off. Old timers preferred the clearer runs, townsfolk the darker runs. Sugar sand (filtered out particles) might be given by kids to other kids as a trick, passing it off as candy. |
we used sugar to when I was a kid. we had a barrel stove too, and mostly used free scrap wood from a nearby furniture factory. we had the old school taps and metal buckets. it was a lot of work but also a lot of fun. we used to give syrup to neighbors, friends and family. the only reason I don't do it now is that I don't have a single maple on my property 
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Quoted:
we used sugar to when I was a kid. we had a barrel stove too, and mostly used free scrap wood from a nearby furniture factory. we had the old school taps and metal buckets. it was a lot of work but also a lot of fun. we used to give syrup to neighbors, friends and family. the only reason I don't do it now is that I don't have a single maple on my property Come on up, I have over a 100 maple trees and if I were able to get through all of the snow with my 4 wheeler, there is 500 acres of vacant land next door with hundreds of maple trees. I have enough supplies to tap about 200 trees but a small evaporator will not keep up with that much sap. I am already looking to get a bigger one next year. |
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this'll be my 3rd year sugaring. i used propane and it worked well. a friend made up a barrel boiler for me this year, we'll see how that works. i tapped 8 trees this year. last year from the same amount of taps, i ended up with almost 2 gallons of syrup. Please post pics of your evaporator. Due to time constraints this year, I had to have one made for me but am looking at a Mason XL evaporator for next year. |
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We have a small operation... 20 trees... last year that gave us about 4 gallons... would could expand but as this is a weekend place I would not have time...
This is our third year... first we just processed on the wood stove... last year I build an cinderblock arch and this year we put it in a sugar shack... we will start boiling this weekend... 
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I got into the woods today and tapped 25 more trees. As soon as I was done, I got a call telling me that my evaporator was ready
I have to burn it out a few times and it will get a coat of high temp paint and a stack. Should be ready to start making syrup Tuesday or Wednesday! 
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