[Diana in Wisconsin]

We tapped three maples yesterday and they are just GUSHING! Beau makes the best maple syrup!

I would like to find a way to make $$$ off of our woods; I am LUSTING after a wood chipper so I han make mulch for between my garden beds and for the landscaping around the house. I’d also like to learn to make soap. Beau wants to try his hand at cider once we have a glut of apples - we have 6 trees and they are just about old enough to produce a bounty in the next year or so.

So much to learn and do! :)

[z3n]

3 maples, nice? How many taps per maple? On the larger trees, you can use more than one tap.

I don't use the old style metal taps and hanging buckets. I drill 3/8 holes with a bit, then cut a shallower but wider whole for the NPT side of a barb fitting (like below) and run a line down to a 6 gallon water container.



You can use a barb "t" to connect multiple lines together



Sorta like what this guy did, but he used one gallon jugs. These wont last long AT ALL on a decent early spring day.

[MomwithHope]

All those years we kept dairy goats and so many people asked me if I made soap. I just could not go there. Just about every soap recipe calls for lye.

[Califreak]

Soap is easy. I don’t drip my own lye though-I buy it from the store. Depending on what type of lye you buy, you can make bar soap or liquid Dr. Bronner type soap. I’ve only made bar soap but someday I’d like to make some liquid soap like Dr. Bronners and add my own essential oils to it as I use it. I buy unscented, dilute it with water, add it to a foaming dispenser and use a few drops of whatever essential oil I want-sage, rlse, lavender....

It would be much cheaper to make that liquid soap at home.

Lots of YouTube tutorials on soap and simple recipes are all over the internet.