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Dusty MI 
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Location: Charlotte, Mi
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 Topic: Maple syrup
Posted: 03 Mar 2019 at 8:19pm |
How well did the sap run this year?
Dusty
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917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express"
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mdm1
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Location: Onalaska, WI
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 5:47am |
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Let's see- -19 deg and 4 ft snow -+ where I tap so I have no idea how it will run this year. This is just my second year doing it and I don't think I will start for a couple of weeks. I only tap a few trees. There are some guys on here that really do alot. Sugarmaker is one.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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Tbone95
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 7:40am |
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Yeah, a bit early yet I think.
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Sugarmaker
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 8:05am |
NWPA update: We tapped a month ago. Have only had 4 runs and made about 10 gallons each time. Warm up coming this weekend and looks like 2 weeks of good syrup weather. Made some maple candy yesterday:
Good luck with your sugaring season in Michigan and Wisconsin!
Regards, Chris
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D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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mdm1
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 9:00am |
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Has anyone ever tapped boxelder? I have some in my yard and neighborhood. I know it takes about 80-1 so I don't know if it would be worth it. I wouldn't do much. My maples are 2 hr north of me.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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TramwayGuy
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Joined: 19 Jan 2010
Location: Northern NY
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 9:04am |
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Up in Malone, NY, they have made 150 gallons of syrup already, during a brief warm spell. I think they have about 3000 trees tapped.
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Tbone95
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 11:03am |
 mdm1 wrote:
Has anyone ever tapped boxelder? I have some in my yard and neighborhood. I know it takes about 80-1 so I don't know if it would be worth it. I wouldn't do much. My maples are 2 hr north of me. |
You mean them damn weeds might be good for something after all??? 
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mdm1
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 11:33am |
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Boxelders are actually a member of the maple family. Kinda an outcast. I would not feel bad if I didn't have any either.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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tadams(OH)
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 1:27pm |
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Their make Maple Syrup here in Ohio
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Brampton 02 gt
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Posted: 04 Mar 2019 at 7:28pm |
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We haven’t even got a run yet here in Ontario Canada yet.
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tadams(OH)
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Posted: 05 Mar 2019 at 2:59pm |
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Doubt if it's running this week here in Ohio it was 4 this morning only getting up to 18 today but by the weekend it will probably be running supposed to get to 50 Sunday
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DiyDave
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Posted: 05 Mar 2019 at 6:04pm |
Boxelder is highly priced among woodworkers, if it has the red pigment, in the center, bowl turners go nuts fer it. If the link don't work, search boxelder bowl picture... 
Edited by DiyDave - 05 Mar 2019 at 6:06pm
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Tbone95
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 7:03am |
DiyDave wrote:
Boxelder is highly priced among woodworkers, if it has the red pigment, in the center, bowl turners go nuts fer it. If the link don't work, search boxelder bowl picture...
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Well send 'em my way. They can have every damn one of 'em for free. And I won't be out anything, cuz a year after they cut them down, 17 will be taking their place. Can make enough bowls to stock the US Navy for world war 3. How about the dang bugs that go with it? Can they be ground up and sold for pig food or something?
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mdm1
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 7:57am |
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One thing I have learned about woodworking and trees is - You never know what a tree will give you until you open it up.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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john(MI)
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 9:25am |
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Wife says they tap birch in Russia. I guess any tree would work but maple probably has them all beat for taste. I wondered about grape vines. I cut one one spring and it ran like a garden hose for several minutes. I wonder if it would make grape flavored syrup?!?!
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ac hunter
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 11:43am |
Sugarmaker, That candy looks like some good stuff. You must be seriously into maple syrup. Back in the late 1950's my parents took us on a trip to Maine and Vermont and we toured a commercial maple business. They made a lot of maple candy and one of the back room doors was open and there were several pallets of white sugar stored. The tour guide hurried up and closed the door. Must have not been all maple syrup in the candy.
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mdm1
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 11:52am |
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Chris my goal for this year is only 5gal. How many trees are you tapping. Do you use a bit designed for maple tree tapping? If you do would you mind telling me what brand you use? I wish you were closer it would be fun to stop and see your operation. Thanks Mike
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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wide
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Joined: 29 Dec 2018
Location: north iowa
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 7:01pm |
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My cousin does some syruping in southern Iowa.
When I asked if I could put a pot of sap on my woodburner and make syrup while I'm heating my house he said it would make the walls sticky.
Sometimes he's just full of it.
Was he this time or can I boil it up in the house?
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mdm1
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 7:17pm |
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He as telling you the truth from what I have heard. Last thing I would do.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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Dusty MI
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 8:36pm |
Boiling sap in the house can also cause the wall paper fall off the walls.
Dusty
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917 H, '48 G, '65 D-10 series III "Allis Express"
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LouSWPA
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Posted: 06 Mar 2019 at 10:20pm |
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Back, way back, when I was a youngin, my brother and I got the idea to make maple syrup. Of course neither of us had any idea what we was doing, so we enlisted dad, who only knew slightly more than we did.....but, he knew enough to get the project off the ground. we made taps from, I think elderberry stems, hard shell and hollow or very soft core that we cut and hollowed out, bored holes with a bit and brace, hung large tin cans and waited.
I do not remember haw much sap we harvested, but less than 10 gallons, and boiled it down on moms kitchen stove......yes, I'm here to tell you that it made a mess of the whole house, but, particularly the kitchen walls and ceiling! My dear sweet Irish mother was NOT amused, to say the least. And, after hours of boiling sap on the kitchen stove, I think we netted about a pint or two of syrup. not much for all the electricity we used and man/boy hours invested!
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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tadams(OH)
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Posted: 07 Mar 2019 at 1:18pm |
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Lou did you have to wash down them walls and ceiling
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LouSWPA
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Posted: 07 Mar 2019 at 7:21pm |
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no Tad, we were young enough mom was afraid we would do more harm than good. she drew the short straw. but that did put an end to our maple syrup careers! LOL
It wasn't just the walls and ceiling, that 'fog' went everywhere
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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mdm1
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Location: Onalaska, WI
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Posted: 12 Mar 2019 at 4:42pm |
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My wife and I went and tapped our trees today. We are just micro tappers. Do only 20 trees. Snow over our knees walking in. Snowshoes in the cabin. Tapped with snowshoes. Lost two small sheds from weight of snow. Had some tools and equipment in the sheds, no tractors. I give you big time syrupers alot of credit. The boxelders started to drip just a little.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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Sugarmaker
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Posted: 12 Mar 2019 at 8:45pm |
ac hunter wrote:
Sugarmaker, That candy looks like some good stuff. You must be seriously into maple syrup. Back in the late 1950's my parents took us on a trip to Maine and Vermont and we toured a commercial maple business. They made a lot of maple candy and one of the back room doors was open and there were several pallets of white sugar stored. The tour guide hurried up and closed the door. Must have not been all maple syrup in the candy. |
Candy has been crystal coated and moved to the next step (Top Secret)!:) That company might have been making other confections? We use white sugar and maple sugar to make Maple cotton candy. Regards, Chris
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D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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Sugarmaker
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Posted: 12 Mar 2019 at 9:05pm |
mdm1 wrote:
Chris my goal for this year is only 5gal. How many trees are you tapping. Do you use a bit designed for maple tree tapping? If you do would you mind telling me what brand you use? I wish you were closer it would be fun to stop and see your operation. Thanks Mike |
mdm1, We have 600 plus taps all roadside trees. Our normal production is about 150 gallons per season. Last year we were at 100 gallons. Just never know till its over!:) The bit is just a std bit form local hardware. They do make all kinds of special tapping bits I just dont think it makes a lot of difference as long as its sharp and you drill straight about 1.5 to 2 inches deep. Slight down hill slop to drain the tap hole then make sure most of the big chips are out of the hole too. If your making 5 gallons that can be just as much time as I spend on our syrup. You always welcome to stop in and talk maple syrup or tractors too! Here is what I boil on. Antique King evaporator a 3 x 10. Jazzed up to do about 120 gallons of sap per hour.
Some syrup coming off the rig last night. I made 5 gallons of syrup in 3 hours. Regards, Chris
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D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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JohnCO
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Posted: 12 Mar 2019 at 10:59pm |
Chris has quite the rig! Back when I was a little kid, around 1954, my dad decided he wanted to make some syrup from some of our trees in near the house. The neighbors had a sugar house but he wanted to do some on his own. He started out boiling it on a wood fire outside but then for some reason, decided to use the electric stove in the kitchen. We had a fan to move the steam out of the house, so moisture wasn't a problem. However he boiled it all day and night for maybe a quart of syrup. He wasn't happy when the electric bill came, I think he figured it worked out to about $100 per gallon.
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"If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer"
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mdm1
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Posted: 13 Mar 2019 at 5:54am |
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Chris if I ever get out there I would love to come and see you. That is quite impressive. I'm afraid I would see your operation and want to expand mine. For me it will remain a hobby. As far as cost. I treat it like my tractors, don't really keep track of the cost because from a purely economic view it would be too costly. But I enjoy doing both!
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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mdm1
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Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 3:28pm |
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Well I tried some boxelder sap. Really high sap to syrup ratio which I knew going in. Boiled it down to not quite syrup and it tasted oh maybe not so great. Hard to explain the taste. Had maybe a woody taste. Had my neighbor taste some and he didn't think it was bad so I told him I would finish it for him. Sill alot of snow at the sugarbush. Sap just starting to flow.
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Everything is impossible until someone does it! WD45-trip loader 1947 c w/woods belly mower, 1939 B, #3 sickle mower 1944 B, 2 1948 G's. Misc other equipment that my wife calls JUNK!
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