2014 family tradition. Making Maple Syrup

We started tapping our 60A sugarbush yesterday. Been doing it for five generations. We are well on our way to hanging 2000 plus buckets, this season In our haydays back in the seventys, we hung 3500 buckets.
Got off to a slow start yesterday, and only hung 350 buckets. We have 4 generations of our family working in the woods together. The youngest is a sophmore in highschool.
The schools close here in central NY for presidents week, so we have some great help during this week to get the bush tapped.
We got in the grove today with more help, and hung 850 buckets, with two crews working each side of the woods roads. It takes 4 people for each crew. One to drill the holes, one to drive the spiles, one to carry and hang the buckets, and one to put the covers on the buckets, plus one person to drive the tractor with the trailer carring all the buckets, covers, spiles, etc.
We have two 2cycle gas tappers, we can use when help is abundent.
Until 2 weeks ago we had a very cold winter with little snow. The last two weeks the snow became knee high in the woods. "it figures", however the snow will extend the season. It could have been short and sweet, pun not intended. Only time will tell how the season will turn out.
For those of you who wonder why we don't use tubing, it don't work on a dead flat 60A square of gronud with 6" of soil over limestone bedrock. BTDT years back.
Loren, the Acg.

How much sap is an average out of a tree? How long do they generally run sap?

I have enjoyed your pictures in the past,and reading about your setup. By chance have you taken any videos.

Lookin good Loren, thanks for the story and pics.

It all depends on Mother Nature, She is in comand. We are hopeing to make around 600gal of syrup this year. Time will tell.
Loren, the Acg.

Sister-in-law and her husband do it too. Not quite as big an operation, Maybe 400 buckets, but still a lot of work. Have helped out from time to time. Lots of fun too, did I say lots of work?

Love it at Christmas when she distributes a jug of syrup to every family in the family! What a treat!

very interesting,thanks for posting,really enjoyed that

Loren ACG,

Great photos, great family tradition!

Great pics as always Loren. Hope I can get there to get a tour this year. Really would like to see than in action.

Tubing will work on flat ground, with lots of vacuum pumps and sap ladders. the question is if it would be worth the cost.

We have some friends moved down around Fenton, MI from the upper peninsula of Michigan that also tap the maples, although not to the extent you do. They really enjoy the work. I went with them last spring to a large supplier of the industry and saw some really big boiling stainless steel vats. Really neat stuff.

thanx for the tour , loren , you folx cook down some wonderful tastin syrup,.../ sure would love to visit sometime ,, not gonna happen for a few yrs ..

How often will your crews check those buckets? daily? How old do you think those trees are?
Would they flow sap for 10 days in a normal season?

Glad you guys are the ones tramping thru 2 feet of snow. That's not easy work, whether you're cutting wood or carrying sap. Does keep you in shape.

Thank You for the pictures. Would you please take a close up of the bucket hanging on the tree and the tap in the tree. I find the concept interesting.


JWalker

The duration and timing of the season is all dependant on Mother Nature. Two weeks ago there was little to no snow in the woods, which usually results in a short season, this year it now looks like the snow and all the cold weather we had this winter, the season will last to the end of March. When the trees start to bud the sap makes bitter, dark syrup, and by then it is time to get on the crop ground and prep for planting.
Loren, the Acg.

I was working in our bush last night, I think we will tap over the weekend. We should have around 250 on tubing and vacuum. This warm spell has helped to settle the snow so its a little easier going in the woods. I still need to put the syrup pan on the evaporator, but it looks like no runs during the next week. Hope you have a good season. Jeff

Funny on the snow!! Loggers up here in wi and upper mi are working in the woods in double and triple that much snow.. Thats no knee its ankle high

Do you plug the holes when you pull the spiles out?

Once upon a time, many years ago, I was given a 1/2 gal of real maple syrup. It was soooooo good!

Back in the late 70's/ early 80's the farm family I worked for made syrup every year. We only did about 500 taps and in the later years about 200 of those were on pipeline.
We had a different bush than what is pictured here....it sat at the top of a bluff and dropped off sharply to the river. Installing gravity pipeline was simple enough and looked after the toughest areas to gather.
We would be anxious to get to the bush to relieve the monotony of having done barn chores all winter....when syrup time came we worked the bush AND still did chores. LOTS of work but it was great to be out in the bush on a lot of the more spring like days.
Thanks for the pictures.

Nancy, the holes heal over by themselves in about a years time. We use a 7/16" drill and bore in the tree about 2.5" for the spile.
Loren