Hopkinton, We Have Sap!

[CitySlicker]

small timer here, folks - last year we had 13 bucket taps, upgraded to 19 this year. I put them out on Friday, and today I gathered 8 gallons of sweet nectar.

I'm sure the pros already know this, but I observed that the few trees where I could see around the base of the trees were running - others which still had several feet of snow around them were totally dry.

My 8 gallons of sap came from a total of about 5 buckets, one of which was overflowing (and I'm pretty sure it wasn't rain - I sampled it 4 times!)

[palmer4th]

Nice!!!!! I have 15 to 20 road side ones down there at a friends that I plan to have tapped by tuesday

[Parker]

I will be interested to hear how much sap you fellas got overnight...not much snow left around the bottom of the trees now I bet

[palmer4th]

So This is my first year.... Does it always have to be cold at night to run? whats up with the idea that if it rains all right the sap can keep flowing?

[CitySlicker]

Parker -
nothing last night - it is getting colder throughout the day today though, down into the teens tonight and then warm tomorrow - sounds like a good recipe for some flow.

Interestingly, there's still tons of snow around my trees. I pounded out some paths with the snowshoes last week, but as soon as it warmed up, my paths proved useless as I sank to my hips. Brutal. So now I have to retrieve my sap with snowshoes - which isn't easy.

Hopefully several warmer days this week will put a dent in the snow supply.

[highway]

I gathered 90 gallons yesterday and most of it was on snow shoes too. Not a lot of fun. Hope my holding tank does not freeze tonight.

[CitySlicker]

not much doing today - only 5 1/2 gallons from my 19 taps.

if I have ice in my buckets, I can chuck that, right? no sugar content in the ice?

[Backyard Sapper66]

Cityslicker,
Being smalltime backyard sapper, I don't chuch the ice. A couple of weeks ago I collected 3 gallons of ice and we boiled it down to make about 3oz of syrup. Everybody has there own theory but just remember sap is usually only about 3% sugar content so it will freeze. I'd save it if you have a place to put it.
Just my 2 cents worth....
Doug
:)

[The Butcher]

I agree with Doug. I do not throw the ice away. It did get pretty cold last night so even sugar rich sap could have froze.

Plus the way I look at it....I only get to do this for a few weeks out of the year, longer boils only equal fonder memories!!!!

[mtcrumpit]

guys, about chucking the ice, remember it's about the boiling and the fun. even an evaporator that is sweetened will freeze hard on an extended cold spell. some times I throw a little fire in there just to keep it from breaking something. keep having fun

[CitySlicker]

big sap yesterday - 27 gallons (from my now 24 bucket taps)

another 14 gallons today - I had to clean out my second 50 gallon storage tank!

we're boiling tomorrow...I have about 62 gallons of sap - so we're pretty psyched

[CitySlicker]

we boiled today. 50 gallons of sap down to 1 1/4 gallons of beautiful syrup.

I pulled it from the evaporator a little too early - after 6 hours - and had to spend 3 more hours on the stovetop in the lobster pot. Grueling day, but well worth it!