Tapped in Phillipston

[Fishgill]

Got 114 tapped today. 100 on tubing & 14 in buckets. The buckets are on roadside Sugars and they were running as soon as drilled the holes, and the Reds on tubing weren't doing anything.
I still have 20 or more to tap when time allows it. At least I'm in for the first upcoming run. :D

[TRIPLE L MAPLE SYRUP]

You better get an 18 wheelerr to collect for the weekend cause with temps reaching in the 50s they are going to bleed like a cut artery.

[Fishgill]

I would like to have to get an 18 wheeler. But I think my 275 gal tank will do.:lol:
They are running pretty good today. I'll be collecting in the am. I'll let you know how I do.
Hurry up and finish getting all of yours in.

[Fishgill]

Collected about 27 gallons this morning. I will collect again in the morning. I hoping to get enough to fire up the evaporator on Sunday. I think I will need to add some taps to get to my goal of fifty gallons of sap per day.

[maplecrzy]

Collected about 27 gallons this morning. I will collect again in the morning. I hoping to get enough to fire up the evaporator on Sunday. I think I will need to add some taps to get to my goal of fifty gallons of sap per day.

I tap today Westminster Mass almost 1/2 of a 55gal 32 taps

[pidget19]

You're making me get antsy!! I'm just down the road in Athol but I won't be able to tap this weekend! Running out of patience fast now!

[Fishgill]

Pidget as long as you get them in soon you shouldn't miss much. It doesn't look like good running weather for the next 3-4 days. I checked all my buckets this morning. I has a little in the buckets on tubing (all reds and a couple of silvers) I didn't even bother to collect any. The 6 buckets I have on Sugars gave me about 7 gallons. It doesn't look like I'll be cooking tomorrow. Hopefully I can by the end of next week. I dying to get my new evaporator going.

[pidget19]

I wish that were a possibility! I'm away from home for another 2 weeks. Hope you get some good flow though, gotta break in that new evap with a good season!

[Fishgill]

Got a few more taps in today. 21 in buckets and 12 on tubing I had set up last year. Hopefully the next couple of days will give us a good run. I'm ready to fire up the new evapoator for real.

[Fishgill]

After collecting 20 gallons on Friday I fired up the rig. I went thru all my unfrozen sap roughly 35 gallons. All went well except for the thermometer I installed in the side of the pan. When I went to calibrate it the set screw broke :mad:. This being my first year with a divided pan it was cool to see it working. :D

[ejmaple]

Hay Gillis get much sap in the last 24 hours? it's been decent here collected about 100 gal in about a 10 hour run with 320 taps.

[Fishgill]

Hey EJ
Collected about 50 gal. or so and my storage tank finally thawed out. Today I cooked off 70 gal. or so. The pan is looking super sweet :). My next boil I will be drawing syrup :D. Hopefully this will be a good week. I'm ready to go.

[Fishgill]

Collected 30 gals this afternoon on my buckets. Boiled it up hopeing to draw some syrup. But no such luck. I was about a 1/4 inch from the hot line on the hydrometor when I had to think about shutting down due to lack of sap. The next time I boil I should be drawing some syrup for sure. So far I boiled about 130 gallons. I was hopeing today was the day. This is my first year with a divided pan. I can't wait to draw some syrup off. The weather looks good for the net few days.

[Fishgill]

Collected 23 gallons today. It's been cold and cloudy the last two days. Hopefully the next couple of days will give up some more. I'm hopeing to have a good boil on Sunday. I can't wait to draw off some syrup.
This is alot like fishing mother nature dictates everything.

[Maplesedge]

Hang in there, it's coming your way. I'm about 30miles south of you and I picked up over 20 gal. from 8 taps today. The bags were full and ovrflowing but I cant pick up twice a day so if this keeps up I'll have to go to one bag per tap and buy some more bags.

[ejmaple]

hay fishgill, got sap!!! it ran real good last night up this way.

[Fishgill]

I collected over 90 gallons. Major run :o. I was up until midnight boiling and still have a good amount to boil off today. I finally was able to draw off some syrup. I got three good draws. :D.

[Fishgill]

Finished up all the sap I had. And bottled 4 gallons of light Amber syrup :D. I still have to collect todays run in the morning. I'm sure I will have enough for another day in the shack. :) Hopefully the weather holds up.

[Fishgill]

Collected another 90 gallons this morning. Boiled it all up. had four good draws probably 2 gallons or so. Suppose to get a freeze tonight. Hopefully the good runs continue. Sold 1 quart 3 pints and 2 dozen eggs today. Not bad for having fun. This is almost as good as getting paid to go fishing!:D

[wcproctor]

You got light Amber syrup yesterday, I got that last weekend and this weekend i got dark. I think we it is all over down here spite the cool coming in :cry:.

[Fishgill]

Collected 75 gallons yesterday. They were still running at 6 pm and the tubing was full of sap. Hopefully I'll get some more today. Looking to have a boil tonight.

[Maplesedge]

Still running fast here.

Next week looks good too now.

Best season I've ever had so far.

[40to1]

I agree. Just saw the long range forecast and there's a spell of freezing cold nights coming! And to think I almost pulled taps last Sunday...

[Fishgill]

I boiled up all I had last night. Gonna collect this morning. I know some of my buckets are pretty full :D It's been a great season so far. Lets hope it continues a while longer.

[Fishgill]

Collected over 100 gals yesterday. It was a late night cooking it all up. Today I have to bottle up 6 gals or so. Looks like some nice weather is coming for more good runs.

[Fishgill]

Just finished up. I got 31 pints and 6 quarts. Still medium amber. For a total of 47 pints and 14 quarts so far. Just over 9 gals. I also rinsed out the storage tank.

[Fishgill]

There still running. Sat I collected 75 gals and cooked it all up. Today I collected over 50 gals and didn't check several buckets. Hopefully thery'll run the next couple of days. I want to boil everything Thurs. and Fri. Then I'll pull the plug for the season. It's time to get the boat ready for the upcoming fishing season.

[Fishgill]

Cooked up over 200 gals this weekend. All dark Amber. Tonight I will bottle it all. I'm hoping to get another good run or two this week before calling it season.

[Fishgill]

Done bottling. Just put up 36 pints and 8 quarts of dark Amber. That puts me at just over 16 gallons. I didn't get a chance to collect today but I heard they were running pretty good. I'll collect tomorrow after work. I'm hoping to have a big boil on Friday to end the season.

[Fishgill]

I just finished pulling all my taps and brought in all the buckets. I have a total of 38 5 gallon pales and they were almost all full :). I got at least 150 to 160 gallons. The tubing was still full. I hoping to boil it all down on Friday. What a great year this has been. I should end up with 20 gallons or more.

[Fishgill]

I boiled up 25 of my 38 full 5 gal buckets. Still got 13 to go. I started at 7 am and fiished at 5:30. Drew off approx. 2 gallons of dark syrup. I hoping to finish it up on Sunday. I will probably save enough sap to fill the pan and let sit a while to help clean it up.

[Fishgill]

My season is over. I ended up with 18 gallons :). I thought I would hit 20 but I didn't. I cleaned the evaporator pan and sugar shack. I stll have to clean all the buckets and storage tank. I hope next year is as good.

[Fishgill]

All Tapped & ready to go. Put in 145 today. 100 on tubing (Reds) and 45 with drops into buckets (Sugars). It sure was easy compared to last year. Hopefully the lack of snow don't hurt the sap flow.

[Fishgill]

The pan is looking pretty sweet. I've collected and boiled 140 gallons of sap so far without a draw. Hopefully we get a good run today.

[Fishgill]

Only got 30 gallons today. I fired up the rig and boiled it off. I still couldn't get the Hydrometer to float.

[eustis22]

End the season?????

[Fishgill]

End the season?????
I don't think so. Hopefully we get a good stretch of normal temps,

[ejmaple]

hay fishgill only 30 gal yesterday ? i had my largest run yet. very strange. even my gravity taps put out .65 gpd.

[Fishgill]

hay fishgill only 30 gal yesterday ? i had my largest run yet. very strange. even my gravity taps put out .65 gpd.
That's all I got. I did collect at noontime and some were still running. I'll be checking later today to see if anything accumilated since then.

[ejmaple]

is it below freezing in philipston? it's 29.5 right now here. barly was dripping yesterday, hope the light freeze is enough to recharge the trees for today.

[sapbrush]

Y esterday was the best run i have seen, bar far this year here in belchertown all buckets were mostly full, havent seen that yet this year, hopefully it stays that way, the sugar has semmed to have gone up also jim

[Fishgill]

Hey Ed
I had 31 @ 5:30 in the chicken coop and now I have 33. I just got back from collecting got 35 gals in the last 48 hrs. Some of buckets had ice in them also there was some ice in the tubeing. I gonna cook off what I got this afternoon.

[Fishgill]

I'm all done. Just finished bottling. This years total is just over 9 gallons of syrup with 586 gallons of sap collected. I used up one cord of softwood. Last year I made 18 gallons. All and all I can't complain. Now I'll have some time to burn brush before fishing begins.

[Fishgill]

I got 125 taps in so far. I going to finish up with 25 more on Monday.
Let's hope for a good season.

[Fishgill]

Collected 75 gals so far. The trees hidden in the woods haven't done much.

[Fishgill]

Boiled off 90 gallons on Friday. Collected another 75 since and boiling that off today.

[Fishgill]

The sap has been flowing like crazy. I've boiled four out of the last five days. Bottled up three gals so far with another five gals in the canner. Hopefully the weather continues to give us some good runs.

[Fishgill]

Tomorrows the day. The drill has been ready for weeks hopefully the weather cooperates. Let the good times roll.

[Fishgill]

I'm glad I bought a pellet stove for this winter. Because it has lasted FOR EVER !! I still haven't had a boil yet. So far I have collected 80 gallons. Hopefully the weather will cooperate before it's too late. Looking for a good run the next couple of days.