What will this cold snap do?

[TC matt]

Sap has been running strong for 2 weeks, but what can we expect from this cold snap? After it thaws, will we flow again and with as good of sugar content?

[TF Maple]

Sap will flow from my experience and normally the sugar content drops as the season progresses.

[michiganfarmer2]

I talked to Jim Olds last night about this very thing. He said sugar content would come back up. I hope so too. My sap is at 1.7%

[TF Maple]

I talked to Jim Olds last night about this very thing. He said sugar content would come back up. I hope so too. My sap is at 1.7%

According to my spreadsheet for last year, the sap ran real good after the cold snaps but the sugar content didn't change much if any. There might have been .25% more sugar for a day or two... or maybe my refractometer needed calibration.

[Typical8]

The cold snap just makes a bunch of problems when we start up again. Today try to empty everything. Weatherman is talking low of zero for Thurs. night for Northern Wisconsin. Sap is going to freeze solid. If I was collecting on bags I would for sure get them collected today. Pipelines suck them as dry as possible, pump lines vacumme them out.

[Ed R]

We'll probably drain the evaporator &we gathered up everything in the woods. This cold snap will probably be the difference between an average year & a good year for us. We'll hopefully make another 100 gallons at least now, and the way things were looking with bacterial growth we would be lucky to make another 50 gallon the way things were going. Sap started out at 3% for us & is at 2.2-2.4 now. Hoping for one week plus of a fast paced frantic finish.

[Tweegs]

Almost threw in the towel. Had the holding tank empty and cleaned out, even bought the sanitizer. Came home last night to half full buckets, after not expecting anything.


Put a couple of wash tanks on the trailer and washed out all of the buckets as we collected, they were starting to get some mold in them.

I had to pull a few taps, but not as many as I thought I would.

I think we’ll let her ride for another week, see what happens. If nothing else, we’ve got a start on the clean up…what’s to lose?

What we gathered came in at 2.3%

[maplecrazy]

I had a conversation with a very experienced sugar maker today abot this very thing. He says if it stays cold for 3 or four days that the sugar content will e better or at least stay the same. his theory made sense (way to long for me to type) And he said that it should extend our season where I'm at because it just relly started we haven't had many warm days and not real warm. We'll see !! I hope it gets better I collected 3%+ sap today had one bucket that was 4.8% same tree as 3 3% buckets. Keep steaming!!

[Homestead Maple]

You'll probably see a lighter grade of syrup being made for a boil or two, after a cold spell like this.

[shane hickey]

Mid Michigan we should see what happens by wensday, thursday, If it stops running or seems cloudy I start to pull everything It has been a real good year so far, A record year for me. Good luck Michiganders

Shane

[michiganfarmer2]

the sugar in my woods went from 1.7 before the cold snap to 2% yesterday.

I broke down and hung a couple hundred buckets over the weekend. After throwing ice away last night while collecting, I ended up with 250 gallons of 4% lol. Gotta love road trees!