• Carhartt coat & bibs – Not only do we need insulation to stay warm in the woods during winter, but tough material that can stand up to pricker-bushes (note the double layer by the knees)
• Utility belt – the many pockets help keep taps and fittings organized and easy to access
• Tool leashes – have you ever dropped a tool in the woods in deep snow?
• DeWalt drill – we use special drill bits to drill holes in our trees, only about 1.5” deep to minimize scarring
• Hammer – we have to make sure the taps are in securely in order to avoid leaks
• One-handed tool – a specialized tool that is used to push fittings tightly into the tubing
• Hat & face/neck warmer – we are often tapping in sub-freezing temperatures

Tapper/model: Kameron Ganje

We started tapping our trees last Saturday. With weather in the 20s we can drill below freezing, maximizing taphole health, then once the weather breaks all of the trees should run hard at once. We’ve never been more prepared or had a better crew than this year’s group. Halfway done after six days while simultaneously working on other projects – we should be finished next week sometime then it’s up to the weather!

We’ve posted videos in the past of our Hobart mixer making maple sugar, well now we have two of them! This post is actually overdue, we’ve been running both for five months now making sugar and candy. The second one is exactly the same as the first except it has a 50+ year old single phase brushed motor. We intend to upgrade it with a new, more powerful, three phase motor this summer. We’ve noticed the second machine gets bogged down easier on large batches. This video shows around 110 pounds of granulated sugar being made at once.

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