Post by stickbowhntr on Jan 1, 2014 19:20:34 GMT -5
Anybody here do it? When do you start collecting it? What supplies are a basic minimum to try for first time?I live in Central western pa.
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tsr07
Outstanding Member Swamptalker of the month 1/2013
My Terri and collect it every year. It is hard work and labour intensive and the basics for some one starting out is minimal. I have some web site for you to look at if you like. We get about 40 to 60 liters every spring from 6 trees we tap. We start early and like to finish before the trees start to show any kind of budding. You mercy is in the hands of good ol mother nature. They say when the going get good TAP!!! Depending on the trees you have and how big they are you can get quite a bit of sap from a tree. To make the job easy here are a few basics. This is most important tool. Carry spare batteries!!! Insert spiels. Make sure they are set very snug not overly tight. Add buckets make sure you have lids!!!! very important Boil the sap from the beginning to just where the sap needs to be finished. NEVER BOIL INSIDE THE HOUSE!!!! Finish sap off and filter and bottle and enjoy!!!! This picture above is the trees you want sugar Maple the bigger the tree the better sap The tree(s)in the picture above are Maple trees but not the best avoid this type at all cost if possible. They are actually an invasive species and the sap is low grade. The tree with three buckets on got us 40 liters of sap and we have about 25 buckets out on trees. Cost wise you can go to local farm stores like TSC or other stores like that. $5 for the buckets roughly $2 for the spiles. $3 for a lid. These are rough prices. I use the stainless 30liter turkey fryer to boil the sap down with. To store the sap that is collected we use 2 liter pop bottles and we use a 30 liter plastic tote lined with plastic bags and kept out side in a cool place. The filters you should use for the initial filter. They are food grade filters. To filter the final sap we use a few layers of sterilised flannel sheets. Hope this helps some any other questions just ask.
stickbowhntr
Swamptalker Extrordinaire Swamptalker of the month - July 2011 and Jan 2012
The measure of a man is not in the success he has had but is in the goals he is working towards.
Post by stickbowhntr on Jan 4, 2014 11:07:53 GMT -5
Thanks for your reply I have been a way a bit from here . I hate this new format, sure miss the active links. You say you have a link to more ? Yea I'm interested thanks and that was great info already.
The Size of your Success can be Measured by the Strength of your Desire !!!
There is a difference between INTEREST and COMMITMENT. When you are INTERESTED in something you do it only when it is CONVIENIENT. When you are COMMITED to something you ACCEPT NO EXCUSES and PRODUCE ONLY RESULTS.
I will meet you on your Turf...But it will be on My TERMS!!!
Post by trappingtime0 on Feb 26, 2014 19:24:05 GMT -5
ok Me and my dad do around 400-500 taps a year we just tapped 150 saturday and are going to do another 150ish this weekend. We start about this time of year when the days are warms and nights are cold. You need spiles buckets covers and you can use a simple pot to boil it down. We have a big ol evaporater and all this fancy equipment but the dark grade syrup comes later in the year and has a lot of flavor light syrup is early on in the season. You will get about a gallon of syrup for every 40 gallons of sap (Not 100% on those numbers but I think thats what it is). sugar maples is the tree of choice obvioulsy and you can hang 1-4 buckets on a tree it depends how big it is. Also when you tap one year and come back the next dont drill the next hole close to the old one spread out the holes each year and if you have to drill near and old hole go to the oldest one there is. I can give you tons more information if you need it just let me know I can also take some pictures if you would like.
Post by trappingtime0 on Feb 26, 2014 19:28:59 GMT -5
forgot to mention that if you see that the sap in the bucket is yellowish throw it out. there is no point in boiling it down though you can it just yields very very low amout of syrup because it is where water got in. Don't worry about if there are bugs in the sap use filters before and after boiling. we use I belive a total of 7 filters of all kinds of fineness and tsr07 said the bigger the tree the better the sap. not necessarily the sap can be very good in small young trees you don't get as much from a smaller tree because it wont produce as much but it will still be good big trees just give you more.
Anybody here do it? When do you start collecting it? What supplies are a basic minimum to try for first time?I live in Central western pa.
I started out with 10 taps and 10 5 gal buckets to get the most sap you can look for trees with low hanging branches lower the branch the better the tree
Post by northshore on Mar 26, 2014 10:03:06 GMT -5
Hello everyone first post on the site here. I tap between 30-80 trees a year depending on how busy I am. Buy a good candy thermometer, it will save you time and quality will be better.
