Anyone Planning on Sugaring this spring?

So Im going to tap a couple of dozen trees I have access to..... I would like a few gallons of Syrup.


Anyone do this yet or doing this?

Looks like these people were trying!!

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/video?id=8990910

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/21192844/suspected-meth-lab-turns-out-to-be-sweet-maple-syrup

My family used to do it every year. I still like the dark smokey stuff we'd end up with from our maples that aren't sugar maples better than any store bought out grade a clear syrup. it was just a pain how much sap we needed to pick up to get enough. We'll still do it occasionally, but our syrup consumption has declined and we still have leftovers. Well maker more when we need it.

I'm hoping to do some, but it isn't looking good. Just too much to do on my house project.
I usually put out around 100 taps, this year I was aiming to do double that......but I also planned on having my house buttoned up, too.
I boiled off somewhere around 1000 to 1200 gallons of sap last year (22 gallons or so of syrup in the end), should've had a lot more cause that was only over the course of 3 and a half miserable weeks. Lost almost half of that syrup because the sap spoiled on the last week......turned out really sour.
I still have around 20 gallons of syrup put up in the basement, so I have plenty to get by another year or 5....but I love to make the stuff, lots of great memories for the kids too.

I'll see what the weather brings this coming weekend. I may do a handful of taps (40-50) if I can pull it off with the wife (don't you dare tell her either), I'm itching to get that evaporator out and ready to go........

previous years' operations here at our place....

Wishlist is getting ready too very soon ! He has a really nice new boiler.

Pete

I am looking at this week as well, Temps Look to be beginning to climb steadily,

Sadly no, won't be making any. Not enough maples at this place.
I miss everything about it every year at this time. Back on the farm my dad, grampa & I (later) used to do anywhere from 30-100 taps. Old school style: Holes drilled with a brace & bit, iron spiles, open pails collected on foot, boiling down on a big, hungry field-stone & mortar arch with a rusty steel pan. The sugar shack was made from the salvaged timbers of an old pig barn.
The modern equipment in the outfit was a '60's era Pioneer chainsaw (w manual oiler), a '60s era Ski-Doo to get to & from the sugar bush, plastic pails and a flashlight for night boils. Otherwise it coulda been the 19'th century out there .
Nothing better for shaking the winter blahs than a sunny day spent splitting wood, feeding the fire, collecting sap & sampling the syrup.