Maple syrup 2024

[Ryan Browne]

Weird weather year in Wisconsin. My supply dealer in Elmwood (Woods maple syrup supply) start tapping in December every year because they run like 23k taps and it takes a long time to get them all in. This year they made syrup right around Christmas. Now with this weather they're collecting and cooking again. If you're using vacuum tubing and replacing taps every year with new ones, you can tap early and have a long season. Buckets or bags dry up because the tree detects bacteria in the tap hole and compartmentalizes the wound.

I was reluctant to start this early because I didn't want to get going and then have 3 weeks of everything being frozen, but the weather this week and a discussion with my right hand man changed my mind. So, we changed the oil in the vacuum pump, installed the releaser, and today I'm putting new taps on my lines. Should be drilling this afternoon and fixing leaks tomorrow. Hopefully we'll make some syrup this week while the temps are way above average.

No huge changes this year, but I have been buying some bulk tanks. This one was pretty ugly when I bought it, and still needs a good scrub, but it'll be storage for permeate water so it doesn't need to be super pretty. Stainless and cheaper than a plastic tank, so I couldn't say no. It's 1200gallons.

Also, scrolling marketplace last night I found a working 600 gallon tank with a compressor. A new trend in the industry is setting up working bulk tanks to cool concentrate after it comes out of the RO. Since we basically cook outside, and depend on the work schedule of a few people, this should give us a lot more flexibility. So, I'm gonna hitch up the trailer and head down to get another new tank. That makes 8 new tank purchases this year. Gonna need to sell a few...

 

[legdelimber]

Who here works towards a darker syrup? I realize weather and the trees etc, have much influence in matters.
You guys got any rough idea of price range yet?
I'd like to get a little off of someone who's set up for Visa card payments.
Somehow I always seem to miss the syrup threads when it's time for them.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Who here works towards a darker syrup? I realize weather and the trees etc, have much influence in matters.
You guys got any rough idea of price range yet?
I'd like to get a little off of someone who's set up for Visa card payments.
Somehow I always seem to miss the syrup threads when it's time for them.

I do try to make darker syrup as that's what my customers seem to prefer. Retail prices vary quite a bit. I'm at $11/pint, $20/qt. We do a little bit of shipping, but I'm painfully slow at it. And, I can deal with a Visa payment, so shoot me a PM if you want.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Another day another bulk tank. Here's the one I found this morning. Hopefully I can get it hooked up in time to use it this year. Should be a pretty sweet improvement. Being able to cool concentrate means I can process about 3200 gallons of sap through the RO and store it for a week or more and cook when it's convenient. No, that's not my phone number on that trailer.

 

[chipper1]

View attachment 406735

Another day another bulk tank. Here's the one I found this morning. Hopefully I can get it hooked up in time to use it this year. Should be a pretty sweet improvement. Being able to cool concentrate means I can process about 3200 gallons of sap through the RO and store it for a week or more and cook when it's convenient. No, that's not my phone number on that trailer.

How many gallons are you processing.
That's a sweet trailer for a load of splits, or the tractor. I have a 5k with the six lug axle, works great for the L3800 behind the excursion.
I saw a guy in northern Ohio yesterday had all his buckets out on a 10 acre lot. A guy we gelp was talking about setting up bags this weekend, not sure when he wanted to get them out though. Temps supposed to be 44 here today, at our place we still have a bit of snow on the ground in the woods.
Looks like it's warming up for the next few days here.

 

[Ryan Browne]

How many gallons are you processing.
That's a sweet trailer for a load of splits, or the tractor. I have a 5k with the six lug axle, works great for the L3800 behind the excursion.
I saw a guy in northern Ohio yesterday had all his buckets out on a 10 acre lot. A guy we gelp was talking about setting up bags this weekend, not sure when he wanted to get them out though. Temps supposed to be 44 here today, at our place we still have a bit of snow on the ground in the woods.
Looks like it's warming up for the next few days here.
View attachment 406752

Last couple of years we processed roughly 25,000 gallons of sap into 600ish gallons of syrup. But, I don't keep all of that. I cook for a few guys in the neighborhood who bring me their sap and take 50% of the syrup back. It's a win win for all of us because they don't need to invest in processing equipment and I can make better use of the equipment I have. Plus, it's a great group of folks and we all get to hang out and cook syrup together. They might help me with some firewood too, when I need a hand.

My good friend had this trailer built for his business years ago. It's been sitting behind his shed unused for the last ten years. I've been bugging him to give it to me the whole time and finally he relented last fall. I told him he can use it whenever he wants and he can count on it having his tires, working lights, and greased hubs (which is better than of it kept sitting). I wish he'd have bought a little dump trailer instead of having this made, but I won't complain. It's got an 8 lug axle with brakes. Seems pretty stout. I hitched it behind my MX4700 and pulled it down to one of my sap-guy's woods the other day. Loaded it to the gills with oak, hickory, and sugar maple rounds using the grapple, hitched up and pulled it home. $hit was heavy.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Oh, almost forgot, me and Cory were tapping yesterday afternoon, just walking tree to tree, drilling holes, setting taps, chatting, and of a sudden, not 10' away from me a squirrel drops from the sky and lands with a big thud on the ground. Scared the bejeezus out of me.

 

[nbbt]

Say hi to your side kick Cory for us. Hope to make it out with the taller guy some weekday. He does a lot of Polar plunge stuff Fridays and Saturday's.

 

[chipper1]

Last couple of years we processed roughly 25,000 gallons of sap into 600ish gallons of syrup. But, I don't keep all of that. I cook for a few guys in the neighborhood who bring me their sap and take 50% of the syrup back. It's a win win for all of us because they don't need to invest in processing equipment and I can make better use of the equipment I have. Plus, it's a great group of folks and we all get to hang out and cook syrup together. They might help me with some firewood too, when I need a hand.

My good friend had this trailer built for his business years ago. It's been sitting behind his shed unused for the last ten years. I've been bugging him to give it to me the whole time and finally he relented last fall. I told him he can use it whenever he wants and he can count on it having his tires, working lights, and greased hubs (which is better than of it kept sitting). I wish he'd have bought a little dump trailer instead of having this made, but I won't complain. It's got an 8 lug axle with brakes. Seems pretty stout. I hitched it behind my MX4700 and pulled it down to one of my sap-guy's woods the other day. Loaded it to the gills with oak, hickory, and sugar maple rounds using the grapple, hitched up and pulled it home. $hit was heavy. View attachment 406767

That's a good bit.
We have a good time helping and get a bunch of free syrup, and that works great for us too. All the folks out there are good people to hang with. I do some tree work for him now and then as he has a pacemaker and doesn't want to drop larger trees for his bandsaw mill these days. He still likes to run his electric saws though .
That trailer looks a bit smaller now, but I'd still put either of my tractors in it and roll. Yours might be a bit large for it size wise, probably wouldn't bother it weight wise. Looks like a good load, those larger rounds ain't no joke, I avoid moving them by hand as much as possible. Actually, I avoid working with them as much as possible lol.
Is that your siding winch on the back.

 

[legdelimber]

Ryan Browne ​

I think I got a pm off to you. Would like to buy 4 qts if that's available when the trees provide.
Not sure that all of the buttons show up for me on here, so holler at me here, please, if it looks like I'm not seeing the signal.

 

[Hoser]

My buddy was tapping last weekend, it might run this weekend. I love syrup season, run saws and collect all day then sit and bs with a couple pops into the night. 60 gallons a year with a wood fired evaporator

 

[nbbt]

@Ryan Browne , with this non-traditional springtime, are the trees cooperating?

 

[Ryan Browne]

@Ryan Browne , with this non-traditional springtime, are the trees cooperating?

Hey Ken, things are cooperating as much as I would have hoped for. Sap ran good yesterday though I had some plumbing issues and scheduling conflicts, so I didn't get to spend as much time in the woods as I wanted to. We've got a number of tanks full of sap at the moment. I'm gonna eat some lunch, flush the RO and hope that we can make some syrup this afternoon. Fingers crossed we don't encounter any major issues.

 

[nbbt]

What's up for tomorrow?

Hey Ken, things are cooperating as much as I would have hoped for. Sap ran good yesterday though I had some plumbing issues and scheduling conflicts, so I didn't get to spend as much time in the woods as I wanted to. We've got a number of tanks full of sap at the moment. I'm gonna eat some lunch, flush the RO and hope that we can make some syrup this afternoon. Fingers crossed we don't encounter any major issues.

Got the message for the next planned cook day.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Things are shaping up for it to be a nice day in the sugarbush. Brought in some sap between yesterday afternoon and now, so we've got something to cook.

Tackled some plumbing puzzles this morning so hopefully I can get all the sap where it needs to be. The bulk tanks I use have either tri-clamp, dairy threads (of 2 different sizes), or Surge's proprietary fittings. And then I've got a collection of adapters, some to tri-clamp and some to NPT. So, things get a little interesting...

It's running real good out there and it's a beautiful sunny day. Bunch of the usual suspects coming out to raise hell. Should be a good time. I just need to remember that I've got volleyball at 6:30 tonight, so I'll have to leave the beer drinking to my partners in crime.

 

[nbbt]

Things are shaping up for it to be a nice day in the sugarbush. Brought in some sap between yesterday afternoon and now, so we've got something to cook.

Tackled some plumbing puzzles this morning so hopefully I can get all the sap where it needs to be. The bulk tanks I use have either tri-clamp, dairy threads (of 2 different sizes), or Surge's proprietary fittings. And then I've got a collection of adapters, some to tri-clamp and some to NPT. So, things get a little interesting...

It's running real good out there and it's a beautiful sunny day. Bunch of the usual suspects coming out to raise hell. Should be a good time. I just need to remember that I've got volleyball at 6:30 tonight, so I'll have to leave the beer drinking to my partners in crime.

Thanks for having us out once again. It was nice to see a bunch of the usual suspects your "business" partner, and a couple of folks I hadn't met previously.
Oh, and the syrup is really good this early season, and not just IMO.

 

[Ryan Browne]

The strange weather continues. 65 degrees and beautiful though a bit gusty yesterday. Sap ran great. Today started out beautiful. Had a fair amount of sap on hand so I started the RO at 10 and we cooked this afternoon. At 1:15 when we fired up it was lovely out there and about 46 degrees. When we finished at 6 it was about 25 degrees, windy and snowing. Down to 17 now. It was hard to imagine it when we were out this morning, but the forecast was right. Anyway, we plowed through all the sap, made about 75 gallons of syrup and got ourselves back inside as soon as we could!

 

[LAWN BOY]

The weather definitely is weird here in Wisconsin. My dad put up 9 buckets in Vilas County. I have a friend near Madison that put up 50.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Ground was frozen this morning, so after I skidded out some more ash logs I hauled up the syrup we made on Tuesday.

 

[ErnieG]

My dad and I managed to make a few pints today ...
Ernie