snow in the bucketts and ice in the pans...

[HandsomRiver]

looks good for sap comming in The Finger Lakes

[Paddymountain]

Where are you in the Dundee area? I used to hunt up that way years ago, and now hunt over by Burdett

[HandsomRiver]

below freezing and had a slow drip on southern taps

[bowtie]

no sap since tuesday in my neck of the woods (southern tier), taps either frozen or dry, most buckets are dry a few had a small amount of ice in them.

[3rdgen.maple]

snow in the bucketts and ice in the pans...

Sounds like a title to a country song to me.

[HandsomRiver]

the last 136 gallons of sap boiled down brought me just 1 1/2 gallons of dark amber to gross $4.00/hr

[HandsomRiver]

26 degrees and taps in the sun have a drip......

[HandsomRiver]

should we make a link for people that do it the old way ?

[HandsomRiver]

The snow that came last week weighed the bucketts down and seems to provide good coolant to keep the sap, water has come in afternoon drips these past few days and bringing some more ice coolant. The FOOD GRADE bucketts I purchased NEW from Wixon's Honey are 3 1/2 gals. and it looks like weater conditions tomorro will bring almost full bucketts for the concrete block and SS pan evaperator at the end of the day ! This will bring a fire-up Thursday with more sap by days end. Maybe, full bucketts again ! I have NO BUDS in my bush and see some long days for the next week !

[HandsomRiver]

Running as projected and collected 180 gallons of sap between last night and this mornings pickup....

It looks good in The Finger Lakes...........

[HandsomRiver]

Just a constant drip in The Finger Lakes.......

[HandsomRiver]

The peepers talked a little the other night..........

The BUDS are still tight ............

A slow constant drip still happens in The Finger Lakes !

The CONCRETE BLOCK ARCH with two pans is running .........

[HandsomRiver]

Sap collected yesterday clear...........

All taps dripping this morning.........

Still NO BUDS in the bush visable to my far sighted eyes........

Elevation about 1400 feet above the sea........

[HandsomRiver]

Pulled bucketts yesterday with thoughts of "what to do next".......

I think I will use the 2x3 food grade SS pans for cooking down tomatoes...........

[HandsomRiver]

Buds on a tree that sits out in the open and usually indicates the end is near !

I am still waiting to tap !

What a strange year !

[HandsomRiver]

Still in debate on tapping.........

[Haze]

We were thinking about it but now another cold snap is coming. So we're going to hold off another week or so. It's too bad we have to wait as this is the best snow conditions we've had for getting in our sugarbush.

45 taps on buckets
2' x 6' arch

[HandsomRiver]

Started tapping yesterday and got 30 taps going in the "bush", a conglomeration I have been working on getting going since ''97, when I first came back to the 225 acre "farm" in The Finger Lakes. My BUSH has some 1" POLES 15-20 FEET HIGH. iT IS SO DENSE WITH THESE SAPPLINGS YOU CAN SMELL THE SUGAR STANDING BACK THERE ! The drip yesterday was just starting because the trees were still frozen when I tapped in the morning. This morning I got the rest of the first 50 bucketts hanging and the drip was starting as I drilled !

[HandsomRiver]

collected almost 100 gallons of sap late yesterday and will do my first boil today !

[HandsomRiver]

Had to cancel yesterdays boil. I started leveling the cinderbrick arch and do my "up-grades" when I got rained out with a constant drizzle. Walked out to the bush on a rain brake and was surprised to find JUST a couple of cups of sap in each buckett on the average in mid-afternoon. Rains came back fierce with heavy winds late evening. Could the decrease in activity on this site be because of the weather conditions confusing "traders" ?

[cpmaple]

That maybe some of the reason but also it close for alot of fellow traders to start tapping so they all may be busy. Also alot jump and and forth from the trader to sbi now with that site up and running. Sapping never flowed here yesterday till 3 pm gonna boil this morning the 1000 gallons i have from the last 4 days. Cant wait hope it turns out to be a good season but mite be a short one best of luck to ya and let your sap be 3%

[HandsomRiver]

I still can't bring myself to throw out the ICE because of the few molecules of SUGAR that may be present !

[HandsomRiver]

The sap is starting to drip and we are dancing for a GREAT week !

I got food grade bucketts from Wixon's Honey back when I started again maple syrup on the "farm" back in 2010 .

Remember the story of "your grandmother's kitchen wall paper came down on the maple syrup we made when we first bought the farm in the '50's and made out first batch" .........

[HandsomRiver]

I got (atleast) 40 gallons of sap yesterday on 50 bucketts............

The pans and bucketts have a frozen top and I think the sap will stay on ice for the next couple of DAZE........

[HandsomRiver]

Just collected that 40 gallons ....

Got about twenty more on a late afternoon "run" yesterday....

This evaperator is going !

[HandsomRiver]

Tapped on Febuary 23rd and got 70 bucketts that filled up last week. It froze before I could evaperate. Will start going with production beginning with what looks like THE PERFECT RUN comming this week. Signs comming from BASCOMS and will be open for sales this year from the roadside .

[HandsomRiver]

My "PERFECT RUN" didn't come. The day time tempertures were beautiful but night's brought cold conditions that never allowed my trees to open. There didn't appear to be enough water around the ground surface, either. I am reminded of how nice it would be to act "weatherman" and get paid for being wrong ! NO REPORT today said it was going to be over 40 degrees that I saw. My first boil after the freeze we got had me with three 50 gallon drums filled with 90% ice, I got a few gallons of a an amber. The "PERFECT RUN" week brought 70 gallons that gave me 2 gallons of an amber, all in labled pints. My taps this morning wanted to open and were close when I checked them. We have a good week ahead of us ?