Discouraged

[Kngowods]

So this is my first year and I have access to endless amounts of maple trees silver and reds mostly. So 2 weeks ago we decided to tap 25 and we have gotten about 20 gal of sap at 1.8-2.6 why so little we have boiled what we got but it's hardly worth it!! is it to early still? What's goin on?

[spud]

I can only assume you are using buckets or bags. You are at the early point of your season so hang in there. You should get 10 gallons of sap per tap and maybe a lot more. Your sugar content will go up most likely in time. You might make 8-10 gallons of syrup this season.

Spud

[red maples]

Well I would say 8-10 gals is alot to expect out of 25 taps on buckets especially out out of reds and silvers. your sugar might go up a little but it is still early in the season so don't worry is only still january!!! I would think depending on the weather length of season etc. you can expect about 2-3 gallons or aprox. somewhere a little less than a quart per tap or maybe a little over a pint per tap. and don't get discouraged its a lot of work just have fun with it. and remember approx 40 gallons of sap at 3% will give you a gallon of syrup. Test the sugar when you get all the sap together then it will give you a better estimate at how much you will make pending you get the density of the finished syrup correct!!!

[emo]

Part of it may due to the goofy weather we have had in Ohio this winter. Usually, there is the nice January freeze when the temp goes below freezing and stays there, but with the weather being so warm, the trees may be a little out of wack when it comes to syrup flow. The sap may be flowing slow, but hopefully it will be a long season. Three years ago I made about 4.5 gallon from 12 trees, two years ago I made 2 gallons of syrup, last I made 3 gallons from the same 12 trees. I am tapping tomorrow, winter thaw usually starts about end of January, hopefully the weather will co-operate after that.

[heus]

Yeah its JANUARY. Wish my sugar content was over 2.0%

[SevenCreeksSap]

Discouraged - Title of thread.

What you may become after making a crazy decision after last season to go from 10 taps to 110, buy expensive metal cookware unusable for anything else, buy a welder, build an evaporator, move an office trailer across a creek, build a 12x24 - 2x4 frame/wood siding shed with wood roof inside and metal outside, and unfinished cupola (no doors yet), install evaporator and stack, buy caged tank and install on stand you built, with 2500 feet of expensive blue plastic running into it, build tools and equipment, set up head tank and plumb, : and then get a grand total of 5 gallons of sap come out of the 20 trees you did tap early.

Hopeful - What you may feel after realizing you were goofy enough not to listen to all the people who've been doing it for years, and try it early based on your hunch, and that it has to get better when the weather does get right, and maybe you'll get to at least try your new everything this year.

Dread - What you may feel knowing that even if the weather doesnt get right you'll probably spend another 2-3 grand getting ready for next year.

Hang in there Dude.

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

Here is a formula to use to calculate how many gallons of sap are needed for one gallon of syrup. It is called the rule of 86.

Divide 86 by your sugar content.

Ex. 86÷2%= 43 This means it will take 43 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup at 2% sugar.

3% would be 28 gallons to make one gallon of syrup!
And your sugar content from mainly red and silver maples is pretty impresive. i would expect about 1.5 from them. You are lucky. and hang in there. it is only january. if your hole start to dry out just tap more trees since you have an infinate supply :lol: Your good shape and dont even know it :lol:

[Kngowods]

Ya we were pretty excited wen we checked the sugar most of the trees are in the "woods" and get mowed around twice a year. So it will get better?? we collected 3 gal today off of 30 taps that's what's disappointing!! We do use the rule of 86. the sugar % has gone down but right now I don't care I just wanna boil. So wen do you usually tap in NE Ohio?? And how do you know wen your taps dry up besides the obvious they stop flowing and how long until that happens.

Thanks for the help!

[heus]

Last two years in Ashtabula County we've tapped Feb 21 (2010) and Feb 13 (2011).

[christopherh]

I'll be waiting until later in February to. Last year it was Feb. 19th for me.

[KenWP]

My first year in allmighty Quebec I tapped the first part of march and waited.Took two weeks to get enough for a gallon of syrup with 50 taps. So being a smart person I just compensated by putting in about a 100 more taps.Took a week to get enough for my next gallon. This went on for a couple of weeks and then all hell broke loose and I was boiling day and night to keep up to just a days worth of sap. I had every thing that would hold sap full and would boil enough to just about take the next days sap. Seems like we get nervous for no reason sometimes.