Who taps maples for sap on here?

[alldaysit]

Well,

I was curious if anybody on here taps maples for sap on here? It's somewhat habitat related. I started last year with 9 taps and bags. I had fun but man it was a lot of work and I couldn't keep up with the bags.

This year I'll be investing in lines and a collection point. I'll be bumping it to 80 taps after talking with my property tax assessor. I live on a small river with a few acres and our property taxes are a little crazy. By tapping trees and "attempting to profit" I can get taxed on agricultural shoreline instead of residential shoreline. Trying to make it a more "passive" type activity at the same time. Can't wait.


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[Greta&Gus]

My family taps several hundred trees. I will take some pictures this year and show the process. We have a 100 gallon syrup boiler in our sugar shack. Great way to use healthy sugar in food that doesn't have all of the processing or chemicals.

 

[Big Snow Man]

Tool'n does tapping. If he's around he could chime in.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I've been "sugarin" for about 14 years or so. Started on an outdoor evaporator making a gallon or two each year. Got to a point where I was tapping more and more trees so I built a small timber frame sugar house and moved the operation inside on a small 2x4 Mason evaporator. We've got about 60 trees all on buckets and make about 6 to 8 gallons of sap a year that we use as a family and give away as gifts to our friends and family. It's just a hobby for us. When it becomes too much like work I do something else.

 

[tooln]

Nice sugar shack. I also tap but I do not cook it down. My property was being tapped by the brother of the gal I bought the place from. Last year I decided that we would do it ourselves. We hung 100, 5 gallon pails. This year the plan is to do 250. I sell the sap to a guy who taps and cooks his own a few miles down the road.

 

[KDdid]

Love this! I've done this twice, very small scale, about 12 taps. I'm wanting to do this a lot more in a few years when I retire. Has anyone here ever frozen sap to concentrate it before cooking? My BIL installs Reverse Osmosis systems, I've also thought about making a redneck version of a RO evaporator.

 

[H20fwler]

Very cool thread!
My Dad tried it in college, he always talked about it said it was a lot of work.

 

[tooln]

It is a lot of work. There's no way I would have time to cook it down myself at least not while working a full time job. Maybe when I retire I'll start cooking.

 

[Bluecollaroutdoors]

We do it on a small scale with about 20 taps and cooking 50/100 gallons of sap every year. Its more about the family tradition on cooking day enjoying that first walk in the woods while drinking beer and keeping the fire going than anything.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

There's nothing like the smell of boiling sap !!! Real maple syrup can't be beat. We get ours from a family in northern Pa. that's done it for years and years.

 

[Native Hunter]

I've been "sugarin" for about 14 years or so. Started on an outdoor evaporator making a gallon or two each year. Got to a point where I was tapping more and more trees so I built a small timber frame sugar house and moved the operation inside on a small 2x4 Mason evaporator. We've got about 60 trees all on buckets and make about 6 to 8 gallons of sap a year that we use as a family and give away as gifts to our friends and family. It's just a hobby for us. When it becomes too much like work I do something else.

Wow Natty - that looks first class!!

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Wow Natty - that looks first class!!

Thanks Native. I took my time and did it right. I have a loft in the shack that serves as my deer hunting HQ! I keep my clothes aired out in there and is where I change before and after a hunt. They all smell like white pine! The shack also sits on a root cellar...besides vegetables and apples, also great for hanging an early season deer in a pinch.

 

[chucker66]

I started about 3 years ago just tapping the trees on my 6 acres around my house. There's a great place in Cadott just off 29, Roth Sugar Bush with everything you need. Stopped yesterday and got some more taps and filters. It's a lot of fun and work but my kids and I really enjoy it.

Chuck

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I tap the maples in my yard and usually end up with a gallon or two of finished syrup. It tastes awesome and it's a good reason to get out of the house. I should upgrade to a better system, but I currently boil the sap down in 3 big pots over a big fire.

 

[tooln]

I started about 3 years ago just tapping the trees on my 6 acres around my house. There's a great place in Cadott just off 29, Roth Sugar Bush with everything you need. Stopped yesterday and got some more taps and filters. It's a lot of fun and work but my kids and I really enjoy it.

Chuck

I've ordered all my taps from Roth, really nice online store, fair price's. Never been there but will have to one of these days.

 

[Natureboy]

I've been tapping for about 10 years, usually tap about 20 trees, just a hobby. I normally get only a couple of gallons of syrup most of which I give away as gifts to family and friends. That and pruning apple trees gives me something to do in March.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Yep, do sap too. I have 12 taps which cooks down to a gallon or two depending on how much ambition I have. The wife is hooked on the real stuff, so either I make it, or we're headed to the nearest sugar shack to support the local guys.

 

[Bluecollaroutdoors]

I am in WI and we are having a major warm up the next few days. Is anyone tapping anything for the weekend? I know its super early by typical calender dates but the rest of February its gonna be a scortcher. Some days its not even gonna get down to freezing overnight which is actually not good if I understand the process right.

 

[chucker66]

I tapped 5 trees in the yard tonight. Sap was running like crazy. I'm in Barron county

Chuck

 

[Bluecollaroutdoors]

Thanks chuck. I will tell me dad to get a couple going. Last year he missed the first warm up and never got much after that.