Newbie question - Delaware County, 4/3/11

[stimyg]

I've got a weekend home in Hancock, NY in Delaware County (elevation about 1200 feet I think?)

I've tapped a few trees the last couple years, only got a small amount of syrup but had fun. This year I was all set to do about a dozen taps, but only got up on friday, 4/1. I knew it was late but the weather seemed right so I decided to give it a shot - and in the first day got 18 gallons of sap, which is a lot for me.

It dipped below freezing last night and today should be 50's and sunny, so I'm hoping for one more good day. But tonight and tomorrow night won't get below freezing; in fact tomorrow, Monday, is predicted for a rainy high of 60 and low of 44. Tuesday night is predicted for a low of 28, but I understand it might be too late by then.

So two questions about the end of the season:

First, does the sap actually stop flowing at the end of the season? Or does it just turn bitter? What's the best way to know when to pull the taps? Some of these trees have only very high branches so it's not always easy to see any budding.

Second, is it worth waiting to see what happens Wednesday, after the Tuesday night lows of 28... or after 2-3 days above freezing is the season pretty much over?

Thanks for your help!

[happy thoughts]

I live about an hour southwest of you in PA and our forecasts are similar though a bit colder here. It's going to depend in part on what kind of maples you tapped. The hard maples will run a little longer than the soft ones which tend to bud out earlier. If you're not tapping soft maples then I think you can probably squeeze a few more days of sap out.

If the night temp hovers a degree or two above freezing tonight then you might get a decent night flow. You probably won't get any sap on Tuesday but it should pick up again for a few more days after that.

We usually pull taps when the buds start to swell or I simply can't bear the work and mess anymore :) With higher temps forecast, you're also going to have to think hard about sap storage and how to keep it cold if you can't get to boiling straight on. That may also be a factor in your decision of when to pull the taps.

[MillbrookMaple]

I would think you should be ok after tonight for some more sap to flow. Just watch for the trees to start to bud. Back when I used to boil on an open pan I would test the sap as the season came to the end. Just take several cups of sap and boil them down on your stove. If you have a large enough pan it will boil down really quick, just don't burn your pan. You can taste the few spoonfulls you end up with and you will know what the syrup will taste like before you spend the time boilling it down.