Signs That Your Maple Syrup Season Is Over

This wasn't that great of a season for maple syrup here in Michigan as it looks like we are coming to a close here already. Here are a few of the signs to look for to tell when your maple syrup season is coming to an end.
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#maplesyrup #michigan #endofseason

[@holler8594]

Sad in way to see then end of maple syrup season. But it means warmer weather for gardening is coming . God Bless

[@jerrysalgat3406]

And now we look forward to gardening!

[@carlboehm3858]

Finished our collection end of last week ... March 26 ... We did ok but had 9 taps in 3 trees this year. Still collected just shy of 2 gal good Syrup ... I will have to look into those DIY bag holders ... Blessings

[@michiganron]

I'm in southeast Michigan. I normally process around 120 gallons of sap into about 3 gallons of syrup. I, too, had a really disappointing season. I ended up with 1/3 of what I normally get. I have a video on my channel from last year, where I use PVC bag holders that I made. It's all I use. They work great.

[@JensenJamie]

Greetings from a maple collector in Minnesota. I am also a woodworker. You talked about leaving nails in trees year round. Please always remove all nails. Someday someone will want to cut down a maple tree for some furniture. The nail will break the chain saw and inside the tree there will be stains left by the iron rust from the nail. See "Out of the Woods" on KZbin. The guy is in Tennessee or something. J.

[@neildriedger637]

GREAT video Todd!

[@graphguy]

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

[@edensgarden1775]

Enjoying your videos. Have a great day. I grew up in Michigan. In Iowa now.

[@spoolsandbobbins]

Always great videos!! God bless from Nova Scotia

[@DDiamondRRuby]

Mine was done a couple weeks ago. Used the end of it for sugar and made candy today :)

[@YoungbloodFamilyFarm]

It was less than expected in SW MI as well. 15.5 gallons on 53 taps. Cleaned up by March 23, earliest ever

[@ChrisMoran1]

I built a RO system this year and it insanely cut down boil time and thus propane expenses. Probably $300 or so into it, so it'll take a couple years to pay off, but we'll.worth it for my teeny tiny "operation".

[@justtinkering6054]

Any updates to syrup production over the summer? Did you build or make any new equipment?

[@TheSmagzilla]

i made a bunch of the pvc bag holders, 2" pipe 6" long. cut the groove for ziptie with 2-3 blades instead of one on chopsaw or table saw. drill press to do the tap hole. top doesnt need a cap but i bought test caps for mine. helps keep the bugs out more than anything. i use cdl aluminuml taps or smokey lake stainless taps. you dont need bigger than 5/16 style.

[@ajlewis9454]

forget the buckets and invest in more tubing and then run a main line attached to all the trees running into 1 storage tank. This will also save you from walking through the swamp and no emptying buckets ever again. Its much faster setting up as well.

[@larrykluckoutdoors8227]

Sad to see it end

[@MaddawgHunter]

Had our best season ever here in Iowa. Collected 650 gallons from 30 trees over 6 weeks. I build a DIY RO system and will never tap trees again without one. RO will take over 60% of the water out of the sap and cut boiling to 1/3 the time.

[@jasonsharpbucks]

Would love to see that diy RO sounds worth it to save all that evaporating

[@jameswadas5366]

Nails left in trees is really great for your chainsaw blades!

[@joelhowe]

Thanks for this -- I've really enjoyed the maple syrup series, especially the evaporator build. How is the tree that you tried to tap to death doing? Did it produce any more than the other trees?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Seems to be doing fine and didnt produce well at all!

[@jasonsharpbucks]

Looks like you have a nice Estwing made in USA hammer there

[@TheUserid82]

Do an elevation survey of the maple forest as you might have a spot you can put a central collection ibc tote without needing any pumps. Easy to deal with the flooding in the area as you just need to put 2 post on ether side of the tote and a board over to hold it down as long as the flooding is less then the height of it. Polly irrigation pipe strung tree to tree from the tote and just need a tap to hook the hose from the tree tap to the collection pipe. That the elevation survey will also help when you get permission to fix the ditch to drain the area also helps in the long run as you might find a better spot to run it. Odd question but have you tried to feed the chickens with the algae growing on the pond?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

I was just out in the maple forest thinking about that exact same thing. I may try something like that next year. I could even dig a low spot and set it in with cement. Then run a pump with a remote switch to drain it out to my truck. The ducks ate all the algae:)

[@jimschlaugat6475]

I had a fairly good season got 130 gallons of sap boiled down to 4 gallons of syrup I taped sugar maple its has a higher sugar content. Then silver or red maple.

[@sef2273]

I live in Ohio and I quit March 14. The trees went from producing over a gallon a day to less than a quart overnight . Then periods of absolutely nothing.

[@diannemiller8061]

I see you have several types of containers to collect sap...what is your favorite and where are you getting them?? First time watching. Luke from migardener introduced you two years ago. I just found his video introducing you all and several other youtubers 🙂

[@SSLFamilyDad]

I get frosting buckets from local bakeries for free but honestly they are a lot of work to clean and store each year

[@greensnapper1602]

Good Day Sir, Seasons Are NOT the Same !! First where we are at it Goes From Winter to Summer then right back into Winter... lol Cold to Hot Not Spring No Fall .. Its Crazy We had Got Only a Half an Inch of Snow this passed Winter... That's NOT Good !! A * TIP * You can Maybe use BAGS , Put the Hose in a Trash Bag to KEEP DUST OFF of the HOSE & Maybe Even BUCKETS ... One of them Heavy Duty ones from HD ... Thanks SSL. Sounds like a make of a Car lol The SSL.. { lol }

[@greensnapper1602]

That was Quick lol Good Morning !!

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Good morning!

[@Njennings42]

What in the world is going on with this crazy weather? Maple sap has barely started running in the northern lower penninsula, and you are already finishing up the season!

[@dylanmcdonald7765]

Do you have all of your trees tapped in some way? Are there other trees untapped that you could expand your operation if you had the equipment?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

yes, I have many more trees I could tap

[@andrewsarles3520]

I took mine out today should of took them down a week ago! I bought them taps through your site them taps rule! How well do them bags work for sap? Are they heavy duty bags?

[@larrykluckoutdoors8227]

The blue bags is what I use. I like them. They are very thick. But one in a while a small animal may chew a hole in one. You can fit 6 holder in 1 5gal bucket in the off season

[@wroughtiron7258]

What happens if you tap in summer or fall? It won't be sweet, but does it still yield starch water?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

If you tap any other time of year you will get nothing. Only time the sap is “running” is in spring

[@wroughtiron7258]

@@SSLFamilyDad Thanks! I was wondering about wilderness survival, and how to get calories from trees, and I couldn't find the answer to that question.

[@thecynic807]

Taking a poll how many say Year or Jear.

[@MrsMags]

I got my maple syrup today! Thank you! I'm excited to try pure maple syrup for the first time. How do you like to use it?

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Great! Fresh on top of some pancakes! Enjoy and thanks so much for supporting the farm!

[@MrsMags]

@@SSLFamilyDad it's amazing! Tastes so good. We tried it with fluffy pancakes my daughter made for dinner last night (she uses a pot and steams them). My brother-in-law suggested making maple candy. I might try that. I'm excited that I could support your family. Be safe.

[@darrinbree3521]

Just wondering when your new chicken operation is going to start

[@annielariviere5393]

Still going next week should be over made 12 litres should be good for the year good info

[@TheKallipugos]

For next year, put a single firebrick on the side of the new furnace just for the benefit of all the neysayers

[@SSLFamilyDad]

lol

[@TheUnistat76]

Sorry it was such a garbage syrup season for you, but now we move on to outdoor gardening!

[@lizhaydon2250]

Do you give the unusable sap to the farm animals?

[@lizhaydon2250]

I guess not

[@SSLFamilyDad]

lol, no that stuff is really gone bad. If it has not completely spoiled I would

[@lechatbotte.]

This is farming, farmers know they have to trust God. Abundant years and non abundant ones. Hence the term don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.

[@TheSmagzilla]

you probably are having a bad season due to reusing plastic taps. sanitizing helps but they will NEVER produce as well as a new tap again. why dont you hang your buckets on a metal tap instead of putting nails in trees for someone to screw up a chainsaw on in the future after you stop doing all this.