Anyone who’s ever boiled maple syrup knows how crucial defoamer is, especially when you’ve forgotten to add it before turning on the heat! Over the years, we’ve tried various methods, including using timers and even purchasing an electronic dosing device that we didn’t like. This year, we decided to build a simple device that continuously drips our Atmos 300 into the steam pan. The device consists of a clear 2-foot PVC tube, a ball valve, and a few stainless fittings, all of which were built for under $50. We were unsure if the ball valve would provide enough control over the drip rate or if we’d need to install a needle valve instead. However, within a minute, we had it dripping at the correct rate. The reservoir easily lasts the 3-4 hours our usual boils take, and we’ve never had a foam issue, even at the end of the season when sap tends to be finicky. Stay tuned for our next blog post, where we’ll share an improvement we’ve made to our candy machine using our 3D printer!

When we first established our property in 2015, we had approximately 7500 taps. We made the mistake of tapping trees that were too small and installing excessive drop lines on multi-trunk trees. We later realized that while a 6–8 inch tree or double tapped tree may produce 5-10 gallons of extra sap annually, it wasn’t worth the materials, labor, and additional system maintenance. Consequently, during last year’s tapping season, we decided to remove any trees under 8 inches and extra droplines from all but the largest and healthiest trees. This resulted in a significant reduction from 7500 to 6800 taps.

Despite this improvement, we encountered an unexpected situation this year. After tapping, we discovered approximately 1000 extra spiles. This wasn’t the first time we’ve had excess supplies, so we decided to count every tap while untapping this year. To our astonishment, we found that we only have 5800 taps now. Every year, we remove trees that are too small, dead, storm-damaged, or otherwise unsuitable. It only takes removing a little over 1% of the trees each year for 11 years to reduce the number of taps by 1000!

As a result of these efforts, we now have 5800 high-quality taps. Our yields have always been a little lower than we would have liked them to be in the past, and we attributed this to the presence of small soft maples and not keeping our vacuum tight enough. However, with a precise tap count and a focus on maintaining the property’s tightness and maximizing production, we’ve achieved a yield of over 1/3rd of a gallon per tap, a respectable number for soft maples in Pennsylvania.

For reference, here’s a picture showing our current tap count, our estimate for last year, and our original count in 2015.

Every year, Hailee creates a one-second video capturing a snapshot of our season. This is the 2026 edition (although it’s not truly every day anymore).

Last week, we officially wrapped up the 2026 maple season—and overall, it was definitely a success.

With two of the strongest sap runs we’ve ever seen, we were on pace for a record crop early on. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. A week of 60–75° weather hit us hard, and despite strong vacuum levels, the trees just never fully recovered afterward. We did some re-tapping, which added another 13% to our total sap volume. It wasn’t a home run, but it was still a worthwhile effort.

One bright spot this season was sap quality. Our sap averaged 1.30% sugar content—our highest on record and 12% above our long-term average, while also being crystal clear most of the year.

Managing only one-third of our usual tap count, while boiling for roughly half (we still purchased sap from Robinson Road and one other producer), was a welcome change. Instead of being stretched too thin, we were able to really focus on our home woods. Vacuum levels were the best they’ve ever been, and our mainlines have never been tighter since our inaugural season in 2016.

Of course, it wasn’t without a few stressful moments. We had an issue with a wheel on our sap truck nearly falling off due to under-torqued lug nuts, then having the spare tire come off its beed due to a leaky valve stem.  That’s exactly why we keep a backup truck and trailer ready to go. Thankfully, the extra time this season also helped us stay caught up in the sugarhouse. For once, we never had to choose between keeping orders and inventory moving or heading out to fix leaks in the woods.

April is always a great month around here. It gives us a chance to catch up on all the little projects and notes we made during the busy season, while also enjoying the return of better weather while we untap. We’re already looking ahead to next year, and we’ve got plenty of exciting projects lined up for the summer.