The Official 2025 Maple Syrup Thread

Hi ! So the upcoming maple season will be here before you know it . So it's time to tidy up all the outside stuff before junky weather drives me in to my inside jobs.
Cleaning up trails and woods from all the storm damage.
Also cutting and splitting firewood. Always takes the longest...since I split about wrist size. I'll call them toothpicks!

Also made my off the ground wood rack. I copied this off my dad . Let's us get logs out of the woods on nice days. And process on any day !

 

As of this week I'm down to my last jar from this past season. Seeing this thread makes me antsy I'm digging your railroad tie log rack too

 

Better make that jar last !
Thanks on the railroad ties rack. Helps keep everything off the ground and organized !

 

Got the firewood all done !
Now gotta clean up a little. Then onto the next thing !

 

Trying to improve things every year. This year....im changing the tank tower opening from facing east...to facing North. How it should be ! Never had any sap go bad with the sun hitting it...but it always bothered me. This could come in handy in different years if I can't boil everyday. Just need to finish some trim !
You can see the sun and shadows in the pic. Much improved !
I've found that when you are making things from scratch..doing something you have never done...that you are lucky if you get 75% of the thinking done right the first time. The rest ..you don't know...till you know lol !



Also..my wife surprised me and had a proper sign made to hang above the door !

 

Beautiful stacks and shed. Love that maple leaf in the floor and sign!

 

Great post!
I've always been amazed at how much work goes into processing maple syrup.

 

Great pics, thanks for sharing! Looks great!

 

Just a little update. Got the trim work done around the opening. Everything is gonna fit just fine. Ran an electrical outlet with an on off switch for the outlet..to turn the pump on and off while standing right there. Tubing is basically all done...cut to length and getting the camlock fittings all installed. Firewood is all tarped...ladder hung up . Even tested out the heater the other morning. Love when a plan comes together. Hope it works as good in practice..as it has in my mind lol.

 

Got all 200 sap sacks loaded into there holders this week. I like being ready when that tap date sneaks up on us !

 

Good deal, man. I’m getting itchy for the season myself. A couple weeks ago I took the kids to our local sugar shack to buy some maple candy and more syrup… February can’t come soon enough

 

I thought a Sap Sacker was some kind of woodpecker.

 

Lo

Sap Sacker ! Lol...ive been called worse !

 

Awesome ! It's right around the corner !

 

Sap is running hard here.

 

Great set up HoneyFuzz

I helped a buddy of mine boil sap once, a few observations.

The height of your flue pipe is good, he said the higher the better since it increases the draft so much over a shorter one.
Didn't see your evap pans. His was a continuous flow that fed into another continuous flow.

He said going to a pipeline doubled the amount of sap collected, adding vacuum to it doubled it again. The last pic is a collection tank that is pumped up to the evaporator.

Here are a few pics from a few years back.

 

Been working in the woods cutting off old spouts and putting new ones on . Got about 1500 done so far . It would go much faster but dang the squirrel chews were bad this year in one of my woods . Hoping to be ready for a “ traditional “ tapping time around the 20th of February.

 

Getting close to tapping time here. If they would quit changing the extended forcast..that would be helpful ! We are close .
Got the totes unfrozen from the ground...pressure washed..inspected and ready to go.
Used the snowmobile to yank them around. ( Just wannted to see if it would..and it did!)What a great year for riding !

 

Getting everything set up..shined up..cleaned up..cobwebs removed..tested. Tapping this weekend! Let the games begin!

 

Looks great. Hope you have a great season