tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2101360708311478186.post1058898972231648266..comments2023-06-12T11:25:19.047-04:00Comments on The Freehold: Tapping treesRevAllysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08647500969442410706noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2101360708311478186.post-41978606794218051102013-03-19T17:05:16.244-04:002013-03-19T17:05:16.244-04:00Gretchen, you're most welcome! There will be m...Gretchen, you're most welcome! There will be more to come, about how to boil it down and freeze it until you have enough to "finish off". We're actually having a party with people coming over to learn. The tapping really is the easy part *grin* ... There's a science and art to making the sap into syrup that tastes good. Making sugar gets complex, too! RevAllysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08647500969442410706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2101360708311478186.post-26011923256497945702013-03-18T20:21:19.772-04:002013-03-18T20:21:19.772-04:00I REALLY wish we had trees to tap here! We might ...I REALLY wish we had trees to tap here! We might try some red maples next year. Thanks for sharing all the detail of how you do it!Gretchen Stuppy Carlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07291250980834419050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2101360708311478186.post-66011179374617967132013-03-11T15:30:28.656-04:002013-03-11T15:30:28.656-04:00Yes, I've been slowly re-drilling the 'Y&#...Yes, I've been slowly re-drilling the 'Y's and getting them back on the tubing. The original set-up seemed to get backed up at the 'Y' every time, but now it flows through very easily. :) Thanks Chris, for figuring that one out! <br /><br />I just let the girl child drink a bit of the half-boiled down sap and she smiled so widely... it was worth all the work that you did and we did. :) RevAllysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08647500969442410706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2101360708311478186.post-91756968866719772042013-03-11T15:12:44.546-04:002013-03-11T15:12:44.546-04:00The tubing style is very nice to use to collect. ...The tubing style is very nice to use to collect. No hanging buckets to get knocked down by the wind. No gaps for the little (and big) bugs to get in. When we tried using the buckets we had all of the above plus having the spiles pull out dumping galons of sap. Very disappointing.<br /><br />One thing to be aware of is that all the tubing is designed to be used with a vacuum system. This means that the tubes will not collapse on themselves but they are stiff. It also means that the Y fittings are not designed for free flowing sap. You'll have to drill out the side branch to get the hole big enough to allow free flowing sap.<br /><br />The instructions call for drilling 1.5 to 2 inches deep. But they don't say how deep to drive the spiles. I guessed that the "fin" was a good marker and used that.<br /><br />And please taste your sap. It is an amazing flavor. Thereforehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01907675457092270281noreply@blogger.com