66 How to Tap Your Maple Trees (the right way!) And helpful tips!

How do you make maple syrup? Well it all starts HERE! Tapping your trees isn't hard, but with a few helpful tips, Farm Girl shows you how to get that sap safely and effectively! Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE for LIVE VIDEOS as she cooks her sap into syrup!
Join Farm Girl on her many CRAZY adventures on their NEWLY BUILT family farm on 87 acres in Western Michigan. Born and raised a city-girl, she's finding out everyday what's she's made of as she struggles to make sense of the farming life!
With plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor and lots of mischief, you never know what you'll watch next!
While dairy farming runs thick though the veins of both her grandparents and her boyfriend Erik's grandparents, this is their FIRST real experience running a farm!
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[@This1LifeWeLive]

OK GUYS PLEASEEEEEEE!!!! While I understand that some videos are expected to receive "bad" comments (such as riding the horse naked video) keep in mind that everything else needs to stay CLEAN or KZbin will demonetize my videos. Some channels can get away with this as they also have Paid Patreon accounts set-up for the "special" videos. While I have been setting a Patreon account up, it will still stay a family-friendly learning environment for families to watch together. I love all my subs and want everyone getting along and working together on my goal of keeping my videos monetized (meaning KZbin pays a tiny bit for putting ads on it). So while I enjoy a good joke, if you wouldn't want my mom reading it and falling over, please don't post it!

[@taylorhill8001]

I deleted my comment! I wasn't aware there were rules for how a viewer commented on a video. Honestly the joke was very mellow and simply an innuendo that a child wouldn't even understand. If my comments are going to be a problem for the monetization of your videos then maybe I should unsubscribe, Im still on the fence about that because I do enjoy the videos! Though if rules are going to become a part of viewing and commenting on a video, Im out! Lets be real though like children don't know dirty jokes, I guarantee you a ten year old child is far more advanced these days than either you or I at that age. People have just become so oversensitive nowadays you cant say a simple minded joke without someone getting their undies in a bunch.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

KZbin has been shutting down channels with close to 5 million subs. Every channel owner should be on edge because we don't know who's next in their culling process. Even small channels have had a knife to their throat. KZbin has robots that troll everything from videos to comments :( And it wasn't just you, I know sometimes guys can get joking, and they tend to bounce off each other. But KZbin doesn't read anything as jokes unfortunately, and it only takes one non-sub to complain to KZbin about video content for them to push the delete button.

[@northwoodspatriot32]

Taylor hill, I couldn't agree more! Count me as unsubscribed! I didn't know this was a kiddie channel. I'm up to my eyeballs with this sexist, harassment, don't look at a woman, watch everything you say, walk on egg shells around women bullshit. A man is a man, and has been since the beginning of time. Obviously censorship is what youtube and their puppets want. I can live without it. Suzanne, I deleted my comment also.

[@taylorhill8001]

Northwoods Patriot I decided not to unsubscribe, its not her fault! I do enjoy her channel, and she does have a wonderful sense of humor. She is just trying not to lose what she has worked so hard to put together. For her sake I will watch my language and jokes and maybe send them to her email if she has one posted, because I am a fan of hers and don't want to give youtube the benefit of using policies to rid her of subscribers she has worked hard to cultivate. I do agree that the monitoring and censorship of youtube viewers and producers has become problematic towards free speech and free thought. She is definitely a very open minded person when it comes to lewd jokes and other open minded behaviors. I feel the policies she posted weren't necessarily directly in consideration to her feelings or the way she perceived the said jokes. I believe she can appreciate a dirty joke, because I have heard her make some pretty darn good remarks in her own right. That being said I will stick around for her benefit in supporting what she has put together instead of letting the policies her platform is pushing on her dictate what her viewers think she represents. Even if I do sometimes feel up to my eyeballs or walking on eggshells with the comments I make or the thoughts I perceive. Im not going to hold her character accountable for the actions youtube is taking against its producers. Because I do love her beautiful smile and quirky attitude, I do love the lifestyle she promotes, and who can beat a gorgeous country girl rocking her Carharts and putting in an honest days work on the ranch she has built with her might. So I hope for her sake you may change your mind and come back, but to not hold her accountable for the policies she didn't create and are being forced upon her, but to support her in the continuation of doing what she enjoys and what we enjoy viewing! That being said I am in complete agreeance with your opinion as to the sensitivity of society nowadays. Though I will remain subscribed and not hold her accountable for the action she has no control over. Its your decision though, give it some thought before bushing the button. Hope you have a great day and god bless!✝️🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@taylorhill8001]

WTFarm Girl Heres a comment posted to another fellow subscriber, so I do refer to you in third person: I decided not to unsubscribe, its not her fault! I do enjoy her channel, and she does have a wonderful sense of humor. She is just trying not to lose what she has worked so hard to put together. For her sake I will watch my language and jokes and maybe send them to her email if she has one posted, because I am a fan of hers and don't want to give youtube the benefit of using policies to rid her of subscribers she has worked hard to cultivate. I do agree that the monitoring and censorship of youtube viewers and producers has become problematic towards free speech and free thought. She is definitely a very open minded person when it comes to lewd jokes and other open minded behaviors. I feel the policies she posted weren't necessarily directly in consideration to her feelings or the way she perceived the said jokes. I believe she can appreciate a dirty joke, because I have heard her make some pretty darn good remarks in her own right. That being said I will stick around for her benefit in supporting what she has put together instead of letting the policies her platform is pushing on her dictate what her viewers think she represents. Even if I do sometimes feel up to my eyeballs or walking on eggshells with the comments I make or the thoughts I perceive. Im not going to hold her character accountable for the actions youtube is taking against its producers. Because I do love her beautiful smile and quirky attitude, I do love the lifestyle she promotes, and who can beat a gorgeous country girl rocking her Carharts and putting in an honest days work on the ranch she has built with her might. So I hope for her sake you may change your mind and come back, but to not hold her accountable for the policies she didn't create and are being forced upon her, but to support her in the continuation of doing what she enjoys and what we enjoy viewing! That being said I am in complete agreeance with your opinion as to the sensitivity of society nowadays. Though I will remain subscribed and not hold her accountable for the action she has no control over. Its your decision though, give it some thought before pushing the button. Hope you have a great day and god bless!✝️🇺🇸🇺🇸 As for your channel Suzy; I will be sticking around, sorry again if it effected you negatively in any way, I hope you wont hold it against my character. I will be here in the future to like and comment(appropriately)! Even if its difficult for me to hold back, maybe you have an email I could send lewd or inappropriate comments to that we may all find funny, but your platform finds tasteless and a threat to the minds of children and those alike. That being said Im not leaving and hope no one else decide to let the policies youtube creates confuse their morality with yours. Have a great day and see you appropriately below in the comments or on a private email. Thanks again🇺🇸🇺🇸😁

[@bobjensen7136]

I really want to thank you for your channel. Your informative , helpful and enjoyable. It's nice to see you with such a great family. Thanks again. Bob

[@jasonpoffenberger461]

Most informative tapping video yet. I have about 50 large maple trees, half red, half sugar. I've been wanting to tap but feel I need more time to research. Thank you for the time you spend putting out these videos.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

No problem! Just be sure to flag all your reds so you don't forget to pull the taps early!

[@nowakezoneforever6021]

I have to say, you are incredibly entertaining to listen to. Very genuine. As a relatively new owner of 75 wooded acres with many, many maples, tapping some of them sounds like fun. Excellent video and thanks for taking your time for us.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Not sure what state you are in, but here in MI many of us tap late February, sometimes mid-marh. I would suggest starting with 20. Buy some stainless buffet table pans, the double length ones. You can set them over a double burner camp stoveand cook it down that way. Rig up a gravity drip system to add new sap slowly without dropping the boil and you should have syrup pretty fast!

[@nowakezoneforever6021]

WT Farm Girl Videos thank you for your advice!! Great idea about the buffet pan on the camp stove, too. I learned a lot from your video, you did a great job. Thanks again!

[@bigcountry_5599]

This is a very interesting video and I loved it and it Will help others when they wanna get some maple for something like I say keep up the great work farm girl god bless ya and keep moving forward

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Thanks Big Country!

[@bigcountry_5599]

WTFarm Girl your welcome miss and I hope your channel never dies because I'll be sad and I just got here not to long ago lol

[@zacharyjones7948]

With 18,000 taps, I don't think I'm changing to disposable taps just saying.... And with trees that have been tapped for decades, unfortunately you drill where you can, not where the sun is.

[@petestucker1577]

Thanks farm girl didn’t know that about reusing tap

[@treeclimbing7798]

Great vidja... on a beautiful day in da 🌳 Woods 🌳 Who could ask for anything more. ⛄️ 😎

[@This1LifeWeLive]

birds singing perhaps?

[@wrknonitnow8711]

Another informative video.... Nice job....

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Thanks!

[@ruralridez6165]

Hi dry county do you sell your moonshine I would love to give some a try.

[@That-Guy-Gaming17]

I LOVE MAPLE SYRUP!!!

[@MatthewCKirschner]

That Awesome! I live in Florida, it 34° I'm not going out....lol Thank you love watching things like this.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

LOL, well I can understand that's freezing cold when you guys are used to a normal 50+ degrees :D

[@MatthewCKirschner]

After my near death experience in Battle creek, Michigan, driving a hummer in a ice covered pond. Ever again, but love the summers up north..😊

[@This1LifeWeLive]

well yes, don't drive on the ice! ;)

[@philliprevels4906]

That was very informative. I enjoyed it. You put a lot of work into that little jug of maple syrup I bought. This vid makes people realize why a small jug cost what it does. Thanks for all your time you spent making my little jug. I'm gonna keep that little jug when it's empty. : ) Yours is so sweet. I really like it. So much better than the store bought shit corn syrup with fake flavoring. I'll always buy mine from you . REAL IS THE BEST. Be safe You are amazing Phil from WI

[@This1LifeWeLive]

LOL, I can't eat the store stuff now either! I'm completely spoiled ;D

[@philliprevels4906]

Me too. Yours is the best. Be safe You are amazing Phil from WI

[@bobbates6642]

What method do you use to sterilize the drill bit and the other things that you may need to sterilize? Also have you seen that new system that I saw on KZbin that was part of a tv show in which they did not tap the tree but instead hooked up vacuums to the roots and the sap that came out was many gallons in just a few minutes

[@jerrymckinley7854]

great job very interesting I've done a lot of different things in my life but I've never taped trees

[@This1LifeWeLive]

You could start tomorrow :D

[@jerrymckinley7854]

i could with the knowledge you've shared

[@WhitetailBushcraft]

AWESOME VIDEO!!! First time I've been told by a lady an inch and a half is plenty lol lololol Keep the videos coming love your channel !!! added you to my cover page as one of my favorites hope you don't mind . All the best to you and yours ...Nick

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Thanks Nick! Do you have an videos of setting snares? I'd like to learn how to do some and maybe catch some rabbits or coyotes before season is done!

[@AndrewMoore]

Where did you get your taps? All the ones i see are very expensive.

[@cockshuttboy20]

I am a Canadian ,it is sort of a Canadian tradition ,lots of fun haven't done it for years ,I live in Eastern Ont.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I've heard that most of our maple syrup in the store comes from Cananda . . .

[@randymaylowski2485]

Well in my opinion. Which I understand why they harvest Maple syrup out of Maple trees, but the thing is, although it might not seem like it? But it wounds the trees for veneer logs. If you didn't know that;) but If you are just doing it on your future firewood trees, then that's fine. But that's just my opinion, so good video of that:)

[@HambonesAdventures]

I was told to tap no more than 2 1/2” ? Is it safe to say that once you see the sap dripping out to go ahead and put the tap in ? What happens if you drill past 2 1/2” ? Dose it kill the tree ? Thanks for posting I learned a lot.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

2.5 is too deep. The old idea was the deeper the better, but most trees no more than 1" is fine. Too deep and you risk hitting heartwood which does not yield sap, plus hurts the tree. The deeper the hole the longer the tree takes to heal and more likely to get sick. You don't need to see sap to put the tap in. But if its warm out, then allowing it to drip a bit will help flush debris out that might clog your spigots:)

[@abcxyz9643]

Every single source I have found says you get less sap from cleaning and reusing taps. I still don't believe it haha. I don't have a ton of trees to tap so it doesn't really matter, but I couldn't bring myself to buy all that stuff just for a few trees. I will be carving my own spiles this year just to get into it. I would use other techniques if I had more trees, or if this year goes terribly wrong.

[@DEVUNK88]

vacuum tubing technically doesnt suck sap, the vacuum at the tap lowers the barometric pressure at the tap hole and allows the trees internal pressure to overcome the outside air pressure. sometimes when tre trees internal pressure drops so fast that it will suck the spa back into the tree against a vaccum pump, this is why some producers use check valve spout that will not allow sap to go back into the hole. With a tight vacuum system with no air leaks, sap may run in the lines below freezing temps, however any bit of air from a leak will cause the line to ice up solid, and the 3/16 or 5/16 lateral lines will eventually freeze at the end of the night, only to thaw out and run again the next warm up. mainlines will drain out mostly unless there is sag or a leak. to get the most out of these sytems you must spend long hours monitoring lines and fixing leak from critters, sag, loose fitting especially janky saddles.... or get wirelss monitro sytem to report to you vacuum levels on each line allowing you to pinpoint leaks quicker instead of walking an entire woods, I may be doing a video soon about how to find leaks quickly, and how to fix them, over at kzbin.info/door/ZpVhISL6wFKI8m80w8VSUQ

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Very cool! Let me know when the video is up, I'll certainly be checking it out!

[@98alllegend99]

Drinking it straight is real water

[@rogerholloway8498]

Always nice to see your smiling face! :) Good video today, think i'll leave the syrup making to you guys, besides the old oaks we have would probably fall over on the house to get even!

[@This1LifeWeLive]

LOL!

[@cliffordwilliams9597]

And try to figure out, why are you producing this? Is it going to be worth it? Will you lose money on it? And is there a better way to do it? I wish someone told me this ages ago!!

[@GarnettM]

I`ve never tapped a tree but seems to me if one drilled in then used a Burr tip ( Ball Tip ) router tip then insert and do a small swirl inside to make a pocket so to let sap flow from all around the tip , Or drill a relief hole 1/4 " from the plastic spigot end so don`t close the end .Baking soda should take smell out .

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Hmm, it'd be interesting to see what the sap difference would be! And the buckets aren't too bad, but I have a good nose for smelling things so I put it to use!

[@GarnettM]

I was watching another of my subs Joeandzachsurvival he was doing his too but just used a piece of copper pipe and a 2Liter pop bottle and nail seemed like he did`nt have time to do anything else during the day .

[@jondunit6232]

It's called a "SPILE" spickets are on outside of your house. You tap on an upward angle so gravity can help. You, can hear when it's in you tap 6 more times. Lots of people are switching to 3/16 line because it creates a natural vacuum vs vacuum pumps on less of a grade. Every thing should be sterilized even for home production. "NO JOKE"

[@stevewright1945]

Is this possible in VA? I have never seen local maple syrup. I know I have maple trees on my property. Just didn’t know if the colder weather has anything to do with the trees producing sap or what. I guess I should not be lazy and research it.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I believe I have seen small farms selling syrup out there - I lived in Manassas several years. Lots of lovely maples. I believe the season would be very short though, I remember one April it snowed 3 feet and by the end of the month was 85 degrees! I'm guessing it's around, just not a whole lot of it!

[@stevewright1945]

WTFarm Girl Manassas shoo you was in the heart of traffic and people. I work all around that area but live in Roanoke. It's a lil more hillbilly here 😁. I am gonna look more into it I am very intrigued to say the least.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Give it a shot! or see if you can tap trees on state land or a city park :D

[@tennaco]

Do you check the sugar content of your sap? We are down to just under 2% sadly. Good job.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I usually do, but was short on time the first round. However, I can test it well by taste, and I was figuring to just under 1.5%, which for that area of woods is pretty sad.

[@jerrymont2595]

I wonder if the buckets were soaked in baking soda and vinegar water if the bucket would hold a scent?

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I tried that :( That is how I clean them now, but plastic is so permeable that smells can get stuck for quite a while. 3 years later I think they are finally scent free ;)

[@sef2273]

If I drill a 2 inch hole how far should the tap go into that hole? And what’s with some parts of the tree not producing sap ? I can tap 1 side and get sap and the other side hardly nothing ? Thanks 🙏

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I'd drill one inch honestly. And you pound in the spile until the sound changes. It's a bit of a learning curve. Too far will crack the hole, not far enough will cause dripping. It takes time to get a feel for it. It's ok either way if you get some wrong :)

[@This1LifeWeLive]

And there are a few theories on what side of the tree to tap on. Some say it matters. But recent studies have found it to have no effect 😕

[@sef2273]

WT Farm Girl Videos I’ve done this once every few years maybe only doing 20 gallons of sap on my scale . Just curious if I was doing it wrong . Was afraid if I pound the spile in to far it would seal up too much of the walls around it.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

@@sef2273 I asked our syrup supply seller and he said it actually creates a vacuum effect. I had worried about the same thing. Really they will only go in so far if you use the right size drill bit for the spile :)

[@truefigmandu1810]

Was the farm your idea? How long did you live in San Angelo?

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Jerry Newton no, lol, it was eriks! He had experiences as a small kid helping on his grandpa's farm. I had zero!

[@truefigmandu1810]

WTFarm Girl well you seem to have taken right to it. Beautiful place y'all have.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Yeah I think it's in my blood, lol! And thank-you!

[@dirtydish6642]

southWest MI in the house

[@davidcrowley4790]

Please put the hammer back in the tool box ! You are splitting the tree at your tap hole . Pick up a tiny little hammer or just a piece of wood . You may want to watch Proctor Research of Vermont on the 3/16 line works so much better ! I am changing all my woods over ! I really enjoy your videos please keep them coming !!

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I was once told a story by our syrup supplies guy about a 70 year old man who came in complaining that his taps always leaked no matter how far he tapped them in. The supplier asked him how far he tapped them in. The old man was surprised and said "well all the way of course!" The supplier said "well don't tap them in so far" the old man looked disgusted and replied "Well it's always worked like that". So I am always trying to find the "sweet spot" and it's possible I was tapping in too far ;)

[@davidcrowley4790]

You were spot on with tick tick tun-ck but use something much lighter than that hammer . Hope all is well with you and yours !

[@donaldhoward2723]

What's the difference between light and dark maple syrup and which tastes more maple?

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Dark tastes more maple, but all syrup is different. Each farm cooks it a bit differently, harvests it a bit differently and the soil is a bit different. All those things affect flavor. Someone else's dark could be very strong compared to ours, eventhogh both might be the same color. None of this year's syrup came out very strong. The dark syrup is dark in color but medium in flavor :) The light stuff has some maple flavor but more akin to a light butter scotch taste :)

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Dark tastes more maple, but all syrup is different. Each farm cooks it a bit differently, harvests it a bit differently and the soil is a bit different. All those things affect flavor. Someone else's dark could be very strong compared to ours, eventhogh both might be the same color. None of this year's syrup came out very strong. The dark syrup is dark in color but medium in flavor :) The light stuff has some maple flavor but more akin to a light butter scotch taste :)

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Dark tastes more maple, but all syrup is different. Each farm cooks it a bit differently, harvests it a bit differently and the soil is a bit different. All those things affect flavor. Someone else's dark could be very strong compared to ours, eventhogh both might be the same color. None of this year's syrup came out very strong. The dark syrup is dark in color but medium in flavor :) The light stuff has some maple flavor but more akin to a light butter scotch taste :)

[@emerituse3390]

That's fascinating and a bit perplexing regarding the issue with reused taps. It really makes no sense to me. I mean, if they're perfectly clean, how could there possibly be any effect on sap collection amounts? The only thing I can think of is possible restriction due to the tap's inside diameter shrinking a little bit from being hammered into the tree, but I wouldn't think that would be a factor so prominent that it would decrease the sap collection. Very weird... Thank you for sharing the experience and your knowledge as well! =)

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I also recently read that if you tubing isn't' clean, that can also affect the tree because sometimes the tree has a REVERSE Vacuum effect at night and suck the sap still in the tubing back in!

[@tennaco]

Dr. Tim Perkins has spent years and I presume lots of our dollars testing this at the U of V. Its proven that they cant be cleaned enough to overcome the tiny cost of new ones each year, and as stated below check valves at the newest thing to keep holes open and flowing as long as possible.

[@gordbaker896]

That put my BS meter in the Red!

[@johnsonlong1272]

Change the spiles yearly. Simply cut them off as close as you can and put new ones on it's way cheaper than cleaning them and you're going to get way more sap production then if you clean them anyway. I have tried this over and over with different types of spiles. The best ones I have found so far are the polycarbonate clear plastic are far more productive than any tree saver they have less steap of a taper so they seal up better no sap or vacuum leaks using them. Plus they're super cheap plus they're super cheap.

[@CB-ps4or]

Seems like its your second time and already think you know everything. You have alot to learn. Starting with terminology.

[@heyyou5189]

Galvanized buckets and taps inhibit mold and fungal growth.

[@CantKillMe]

will silver maple work i have about 8 trees

[@ruralridez6165]

Can't Kill Me silvers will work the sugar content might be little lower also they tend to bud out quicker aka start to grow leaves so if you look up and start seeing buds on the branches pull your taps. It can give your syrup a weird flavor.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

You can tap silvers, but I think what Erik is trying to say is that silvers and reds FLOWER in the spring. They always have big red buds all through winter, but warm spells make them pop open which turns the sap into a bad flavor. You just have to keep an eye on them :)

[@CantKillMe]

ok thanks i would like to tap them but never know until now i have been here for 10 years and all ways want some good fresh syrup but thanks maybe this winter i can get some

[@jasultkon12]

What is the sap used for?

[@This1LifeWeLive]

LOL< maple syrup :D

[@jasultkon12]

WT Farm Girl Videos 😂 That’s what I thought but I was wondering if there was any other application for it.

[@donniefiechtner5437]

a friend of mine ran lines to his trees but the bears figured the sap was theirs and kept ripping the lines down.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

oh man! I think in Vermont they run lines 10 ft above ground to try to avoid that!

[@augustreil]

The taps in Southern Vermont, Putney Vt, to be exact, right next to Santa's Land and Basketville have their taps around the 3-4' mark. Might not be any bears there either so... !!

[@youtubefarmer3081]

Sense when does using the same tap each year reduce the amount of sap a tree produces? We have been using the same ones for over 10 years and have never noticed a drop in sap production, sounds like someone gave you bad info. At the end of every season, you clean them and sterilize them, the tap didn't change any, the hole size is still the same which means the same amount of liquid can still flow

[@ruralridez6165]

LBZ so what we were told some University did a study and plastic taps are impossible to get 100 percent sterilized after using them. So if the tree senses bacteria they start the healing process faster then normal.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I don't know, maybe try half and half next year and see. The 15 I did last year outperformed nearly every tap that was from the year before. I'll see if I can find the study done. Mostly likely Cornell or Uof V or U of Maine. . .

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Are you using metal taps by chance? It's the plastic ones that promote bacterial growth, metal being too dense for bacteria to hide in :)

[@augustreil]

I know the plastic is cheap but I'll stick to the old fashioned way with a metal tap and bucket hanging off the tree, looks cool too !!

[@timerfarms113]

WTFarm Girl you do realize that ther are many factors the affect year to year sap production. Just because you had less with old taps really doesn't mean new ones are going to get more out of the tree.

[@dakotabeuerlein1443]

so many jokes could be said lol

[@carmennieves7190]

Men..

[@danlindeke4039]

Machinists resharpen drillbits, us regular hacks burn them out!

[@Okanagan48]

If you have Netflix, there is a program you might enjoy. Look for "dirty money" then scroll to The Maple Syrup Heist.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

maybe I'll watch that tonight!

[@FiremedicGross]

I would like a bottle of syrup please. Let me know how much. Have a great day

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Bob Gross I'll post a sales video as soon as season is done. We don't want to sell everything and have nothing to eat ourselves ;) so stay tuned!

[@joshjansen8429]

Tip for getting you spigots on the line when your in the Bush, chew on the end of the line to soften it.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

LOL, well that's a new one! usually we boil the end and attach everything right at the house, but I was flying out the door that day ;)

[@augustreil]

I missed the reason why last years taps won't produce as much as a new one ?

[@This1LifeWeLive]

My apologies, I missed covering that! Bacteria starts growing inside the taps due to the sugar in the sap and plastic, being permeable creates a natural environment for bactria to thrive. The tree feels the bacteria and instantly starts closing over the tap hole at a much faster rate. The great the bacteria, the faster the hole closes.

[@augustreil]

Would dipping them in boiling water for 10-15 seconds cure that ?

[@gordbaker896]

The plastic 'taps' have microscopic holes on the walls that allow sap to go into the tube and flow out. Sorta like Reverse Osmosis or E tube. They apparently plug up during the season.

[@augustreil]

Like I said, I would think boiling them would kill any bacteria and open any microscopic holes they have, no ? I don't know, which is why I'm asking. Seems boiling a pot of water and a 10-15 second dip would cure the problems and would be better than chucking them in the landfill ? Thanks.

[@DEVUNK88]

you can boil them or bleach them, but you still have to remove them, I use stainless taps, and clean them with food grade alcohol, plastic taps may develop micro leaks from year to year especially on a vacuum system.... bacteria is also responsible for flavor variation in medium and dark syrups, also drill your holes so that they drain into your tubing and your spout drains out in theory, when the sap freezes it could push out your spout... also, you can tap when things are frozen but you must be gentle, if you are on a large system its easier to manage if you tap and not trying to collect sap at the same time, at least for us as soon as sap starts to run I am looking for leaks and managing pumps and working kinks out of the system its just easier to tap when things are froze up in anticipation for a warm up. the freeze and thaw helps the cells of the tree build pressure, when they thaw the cell pressure moves the sap up the tree,, the sunny side of the tree ie: west,south,east will run sooner since they are receiving warm sunlight meanwhile the north side may still be frozen, and may need hours longer to start running, but the north side will run later in the season (being in the cool side of the tree bacteria wont if the temp the night before was real cold and the day time temp just hits 35-40 those tress are still ice cubes till they thaw out in the sun, no sun? its gonna take longer, and sometime the trees barely get running before the temp starts to drop again, if they run into the night, its either still above freezing or the trees have built up excesses heat energy during the day and continue to run until the hole gets iced up....

[@gordbaker896]

Nice to see the new technology at work. We always used metal spiles (taps) that had several holes in their tapered shank. Washed and reused them each year. There was a hook on the end for the sap pail and lid which hung from it, touching the tree. I think your drill size was 1/2" dia and the depth you had it set at was about 3". Your shank seemed to go in half way, about 1.5". A round pencil is 5/16" dia. Do the plastic taps have a series of tiny holes that get plugged over time? It makes no sense that if it is just a solid wall plastic pipe that it would have reduced flow when reused. We would put 2 or 3 spiles on trees over 12" in diameter and at 30" height.. At the time, an Imperial Gallon of syrup (4.5 litres vs 3.78 l for USG) was $10-$12. Ontario wouldn't accept U$ because it was worth less back then! Nice over vanilla ice cream and in Butter Tarts and pie. Never try to fry bacon in it!

[@This1LifeWeLive]

the metal ones don't lose flow, the reason being the plastic is not completely 'solid" and since bacteria are microscopic and so are the holes in the plastic, they can easily multiply despite using even bleaching (not known if boiling helps . . .) Metal has no surface for bacteria to live on :)

[@gordbaker896]

AHAaaaaaaa. Much like Reverse Osmosis membrane or Etubing. Now I get it! You should compare flow rate with a couple old metal ones if you can find them. Thanks for the explanation. ☻♥

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Be good to do a test of old, new, boiled and metal and see what the results are.

[@joshjansen8429]

It’s all about bacteria. If it is present you will lose sap production. We have a rather large sugar bush of 3000 taps using sap lines and in order to keep down on bacteria every year we put new spiles on the drop lines.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Right on. After seeing the difference last year $10 or even $20 for me is well worth it.

[@hsmith3844]

22 cal bore snake might work

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Interesting idea!

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Actually, I think I DID use a gun cleaning rod :D

[@therronlangley8236]

Learn how to tap

[@jefftiger9258]

you look like mygen kelly

[@timerfarms113]

If you clean your taps each year it doesn't matter how many years u use them. The ration of sap to syrup is closer to 40 to 1 on sugar maples.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

I would be curious to see a comparison of new taps vs boiled ones and see if there's a difference in sap collection :)

[@99GrandAM3400]

And i thought i was the only one who called "pallets" skids. I get made fun of everytime!

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Depends on what side of the country you're at :) Erik's Dad calls them skids, so I got used to saying it interchangeably. He lived in LAs Vegas.

[@AvantGrade]

who else came here instead of MapleSoft the mathematics software? 😂

[@This1LifeWeLive]

😆

[@cowpoke02]

just change spouts every 2 years or 3 or use stainless steal . cleaning the line your just pulling bacteria around to every line . stainless steel and leave em in don't have to clean .. cheapest spouts you could change every year . don't push the tubing onto to far but far enough . haha. could do that . people can steal stainless is expensive but bacteria don't effe t them .. answer is cheapest plastic spouts ... no way to do it with out line bacteria being in the spout .. buy cheapest or stainless . maybe pull stainless every three years and clean em .. have to experiment to see . stainless just leave in . some land spots tree;s don't run as good dry up fast ,, almost want irrigation pond and flood tree ground at night before freezing in dry periods. haha ..

[@This1LifeWeLive]

We have actually found that our high ground trees seem to produce more sap than our low ground trees . . . thinking maybe because the ground heats up faster. But i think we will invest in a cheap vacuum system next year :D

[@cowpoke02]

tree's are hard to tell . soft or hard maple. smooth bark ones soft maple . re tap some times or refresh only hard ones. take ya time and watch and leaves you learnt most . i learned when disabled . i had time to watch nature . before being used and running around by people. keep ya dumb and hard labor ... want a sugar bush i have one .. could expand fast .. comes with phsyco people trespassing and causing problems . want to make a deal i help ya . free pay my taxes . i own 300 acres . little over hundred mostly maple .. should make sap drink. be rich in one season . save all money on fuel from boiling ... we could plant trees from my one property to my other .. sell sap then get back into syrup . start some camps a beaver pond resort . mini stable cabins .. lets do it . haha.

[@allengoodwin4294]

you need a bigger hammer for that plastic spile

[@FarmallFanatic]

I should buy a farm girl hat, then wear it in one of my videos 😁

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Be interesting to see the comments on that one ;D

[@FarmallFanatic]

WTFarm Girl you got more subscribers than you can handle already, no need to stress you out more hehe

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Lol, it's kind of a "learn as you go" process ; )

[@FarmallFanatic]

WTFarm Girl thats my life, i wing everything 😁

[@cowpoke02]

buy metal spouts if people don't steal them .. a lot of work to change spouts every year .. longevity of your body vs lots of labor ... new taps remove easy though and are like 15 cents ... joints are more important than changing taps . haha.. less work some profit under rated ,.. ya being over complicated ... big sugar bush just tap the tree .. try to preserve the log not the tree . so try to tap low as possible .. tree's can get cut in half and they still live . haha. gonna experiment with baby tree;s to plant and make sap to sell .. while letting some grow .. dang money and agents make owning land impossible. land is slavery unless you get a ,to of profit . angle gives you deeper holes but not into the center of the tree// angle you can tap deeper but not going deep . slant drains the sap . bacteria don't go into the hole from the line or tap . haha. your a rookie reading research . love ya though ... hard work .. get many helpers when setting up . or you end yup death and broken . haha.. keep going ... hope people like you . they go in and mess up lines and drill holes and destroy ya life. suck crumbled up leaves int lines . pull caps off .. melt the line . move the lines around .. a bad business .. go to log they can shoot your tree logs higher up the tree's ..

[@steelthunder76]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@sonsofthunder915]

What happened to the good ol USA where people were self sufficient, friendly, and helpful ? Sadly some of these comments sound like they're coming from a bunch of snowflakes. I guess they can't appreciate you're out there doing this by yourself while you and Erik are raising 6 children, running a farm, making a small business out of your syrup production, all the while juggling the responsibility of the lives of the animals too. Not to mention a myriad of household and farm chores. Oh, I'm not finished yet. On top of this, you're recording these videos in order to teach others how to be more resourceful, then uploading the videos, answering comments, etc. Do they not realize youtube is hard work that takes hours for one video ? Do they not appreciate it takes you three times longer to tap a tree while you're recording ? Whew, now I got that off my chest I feel better. End of sermon.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

It's true, I understand though that not everyone has watched my videos, and all too often when someone watches ONE video they automatically assume that all the other videos are on the same subject and that I only put up a few videos a year. In that case, it would make more sense for someone to write out a script and really work to every detail just perfect. But as you so kindly pointed out, it does take a LOT of time both to shoot and especially to edit. I shot video yesterday that was a disaster due to background noise and a video destined to be 10 minutes took an hour to shoot and hours more to edit. But I'm learning to take negative comments with a grain of salt ;)

[@ruralridez6165]

Thank you Danny it is a lot of work. Glad you like the channel. I'm still debating starting my car channel not sure if I will have time.

[@sonsofthunder915]

Rural Ridez616 You're welcome, Erik. I'm usually not this vocal or "heavy" but c'mon, you both are parents and have a beautiful family. Sadly there are a few comments below that are disrespectful, smutty and borderline illegal to say to your faces. How dare they cheapen the both of you ? Especially in front of your children and in front of the whole www. Fun is fun but, filth is filth. Make sexual innuendos on the "lady Godiva" video not on EVERY video. Then there are a few that are whining about the health of those trees as if they're being grown as mill stock. Hello, they've been tapped BEFORE you owned the property, they're yard trees. But, if you'd lop those trees off at the roots to send to the mill they'd say, "boo hoo" anyway. In short you two are doing a wonderful job. I'll keep my complaints to a minimum from here on out. I just thought I'd give credit where it's due. :-)

[@bradolsen9981]

I’ve heard of people robbing our trees with your hands cooing and caressing the tree talking nice to say nice things to the tree telling the tree how much you love it you know motivational stuff

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Like what dairy farmers do? :)

[@tombo552001]

Little less talking and more tapping lol just like in the bedroom.

[@benjohnson6891]

Tap, not spicket. Hence why they call it tapping a tree. Taps go up at a angle not flat Your taps are to high. Plastic tips last a year. Go get a real tap.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Actually the university of Vermont did a study on taps and how long they last. The taps ARE at an angle, and about 50 people already yelled at me saying they are called "spigots" not "taps". And in VT they often use ladders to get to their taps because they are so high in the air. I believe Cornell University did a study on tapping height and the effect it has on sap production, as well as WHICH side to tap and how MANY taps. It's kinda like planting alfalfa to add nitrogen to the soil for grass hay. It pays to actually look at university studies instead of old wives tales . . . if your info is coming from someone else, then don't lecture me on what I'm doing. If your info is coming from ACTUAL university tried and tested studies, then by all means tell me what I'm doing wrong.

[@benjohnson6891]

@@This1LifeWeLive I guess grandpa's best voted syrup came from space. I've tested the theory of where to put a tap. 2 ft from the bottom. U can put it high, but your gonna get more water and what grandpa calls virgin syrup.

[@jamiemartin6193]

New taps?? Lol!! False

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Have you compared them? While there was one university test completed that showed inconclusive results with new spiles vs old taps, I don't recall seeing what type of spiles they used to begin with. Our first test year, we installed 15 new spiles (disposable clear) in the woods with 150 old spiles (1,2 and 3 years old). of the 15 taps, 10 were still flowing solidly into mid April when the system was taken down. of the 150, only 5 were still flowing. It HAS been well documented that neither boiling nor rinsing in bleach or vinegar will kill 100% of the bacteria in plastic spiles, and that bacteria in spiles is a leading factor to amount of sap produced from a tap holes. Last year was a bad syrup year according to locals. However, we used all new spiles, 60, and of those we boiled down 22 gallons of syrup from sap at 2% sugar. So for us, it's a no brainer to use new every year. The year we tapped 175 trees using mostly old spiles we only cooked down 15 gallons of syrup.

[@robertphillips7487]

What about the fact your wasting a ton of plastic.. for a couple of dollars. Figure out a better way than exasterbating our resources for profit. We can do better

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Look at the picture as a whole instead of one element. The land was being planned as a housing development . . . where everything would be torn out. We BOUGHT it to save it and keep it intact as much as possible while also allowing the land to pay for itself by using the resources it already had. And this is a farm. There is literally not enough time in the day to spend thinking about how the environment is affected by every tiny thing. If farmers all over had to spend their time contemplating every little environmental thing no one would be eating . .

[@robertphillips7487]

@@This1LifeWeLive hey i was. feeling a little crazy that day. Your doing solid things. I appreciate your repsonse. Have a great growing season

[@klazyy641]

WTF is she babbling on about? Half of what she says ends up being contradicted with the on-screen print. I shut this down after 4 minutes of total confusion!

[@treeclimbing7798]

Terrence Kaser Oh, come on, were you called-Kritical Kaser?? This is a Real life learning experience..enjoy Terrence.

[@This1LifeWeLive]

LOL, no not total confusion. I know exactly what I'm talking about, the exception being the drill bit which I can't read, but it's the same one I always use. The tapmytrees.com website DID say tap your trees at 4 in in the screen shot google brought up on my phone, but tapmytrees.com realized their info must have been wrong and recently changed it. I don't exactly have hours upon hours to re-shoot footage, but my info is still correct and anything slightly off was noted in the video.

[@randymaylowski2485]

Well in my opinion. Which I understand why they harvest Maple syrup out of Maple trees, but the thing is, although it might not seem like it? But it wounds the trees for veneer logs. If you didn't know that;) but If you are just doing it on your future firewood trees, then that's fine. But that's just my opinion, so good video of that:)

[@This1LifeWeLive]

Yes, actually I DID just look this up and you are correct! OUR woods are full of nice veneer wood maples (tall with branches way up high. GOOD syrup maples will have a fat, low crown and also make poor veneer trees. So good maples to tap are bad for wood harvest. ours had been tapped by previous owners, so I guess we didn't do any worse ;) But they would have made a decent profit! (and a big mess with trucks tearing stuff up)