[Ed Thayer]

Well it has been a slow start but we have made 13 gallons of syrup in the last two days. I hope things continue and the weather does not warm too quickly. 🙂

Hope all is going well with the rest of you.

[Ed Thayer]

Tapped about 250 on tubing Friday, Tried to get them done before the snow. Now have to get the buckets up and the smokestack on and should be ready to go.

Anyone local have any plastic drums they would like to sell for sap storage?

I need a couple.

ED

[Ed Thayer]

Great pics. Were those ash wedges you were using Don?

[Ed Thayer]

Carl, How are you getting across the brook? I like the map.

[Ed Thayer]

I am with Jen, I hope they do not figure it out. I had a Haflinger that would test the fence and I ended up running solid aluminum wire and after a couple of hits he got the idea again.

[Ed Thayer]

Scott,

The arch is the structure that supports the evaporating pans and houses the firebox that creates the heat to evaporate the sap.

We call the whole assembly, the pans and arch, an evaporater.

Ed

[Ed Thayer]

@mitchmaine 24838 wrote:

hey ed, buckets or tubing? looks like warm weather this week. noaa says 40 degrees on thursday, maybe. i think i’ll sort out the sugarhouse. bought a new arch and need to brick it in and ste up the stack. boil a little water in the pans to clean everything up. sure seems early but thats exactly what i said last year today.

best wishes and good sugaring, mitch

Mitch,

I have been working on tubing the last few days. We have about 350 taps on tubing and another 100 or so on buckets. I would prefer all buckets but with my kids out of the house I have lost my free labor and am forced to use some tubing.

Hope to tap some this weekend and get started. Sugar house is all cleaned out and all I need to do is set the smoke stack. I take it down every year so the water doesn’t run down the pipe and rot the back of the arch out.

I hope we see a better year and make some nice syrup.

Here are some pics of my little operation last year.

https://picasaweb.google.com/107396364480794542661/Sugaring2010#

[Ed Thayer]

We spent some time today breaking trails to the trees on snow shoes and hoping we get some melting soon, Gonna be tapping this coming weekend. It is time.

[Ed Thayer]

George, The four finger rule was with the hand laid flat. I use the collar pad because I assumed it was more comfortable for the horse. The last two times I have worked him I did not use the pad and he seemed to be fine without it.

I do have the top strap in the lowest ratchet hook and tried to tighten the lower strap. It did not seem to make much difference. I thought about bending the hames as I to thought they needed more curl in them. The neck is very thick on this horse.

Thanks for the responses.

ED

[Ed Thayer]

Just recieved a delivery of #2 fuel oil at the house today. 200 gallond cost me $687.00 dollars. I almost fell out of my chair. I have been considering an outdoor wood boiler and buying wood from a local source.

[Ed Thayer]

My Beta lines were several years old when I got them, Although rarely used when I got them they were and still are in great shape. When the weather is really cold I find them to be stiff but no cracking is evident.

[Ed Thayer]

We will need snow shoes for sure this year to tap. They are forcasting another foot or so of snow and then cold air again by the end of the week. I was able to get over most of my lines before the heavy snow set in so I am ready when the weather breaks. I do not like collecting on snow shoes, I hope some melting takes place before the season really gets going.

Looking forward to a good year and hope the best for all of you.

Ed

[Ed Thayer]

Kristan,

We have used the compost bin for 2 years and are very happy with it. I use the tractor as little as possible and collect our manure with a wheelbarrow mostly. When I collect in the winter I am not concerned with picking up a little snow with the poop because it adds some moisture to the pile.

I turn the compost pile about once a week or so. In the winter the heat from the pile when turning is amazing. It produces a big cloud of steam. Keep in mind that we use no bedding or shavings as our horses are rarely shut in and prefer to spend their time outside. Therefore we apply our compost to the pasture from the previous winter after the first cutting of hay.

This last summer we added water several times because it was so dry. We have a hydrant next to the barn and the compost shed is within easy reach. We never added water in the winter.

Hope this helps.

Ed

[Ed Thayer]

That is a beauty. Good luck with it

[Ed Thayer]

Very nice work. You should be a full time fabricator.

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