Poconos 2012

[Maplewalnut]

Well guys, I couldn't stand it any longer and put in 800 taps over the weekend. Turned pump on and started with 12inches on releaser, found two taps not drilled, 3 squirrel chews and two leaking saddles. Walked the woods for more than 3 hours altogether. Eveything is buttoned up nice and tight, 23 inches at releaser 22 in woods. Not bad for an old dairy pump.

Got about 1200 gallons of sap as of this morning, dumped first 100 gallons or so of ropey stuff as the lines cleaned out. Still running this morning, putting the RO togther this afternoon and will have syrup shortly there after

Good Luck to all

[Z/MAN]

Pocono, Give it hell. I'm holding out for a while yet.

[Maplewalnut]

Got RO put together with new membranes and flushed them for about 30 minutes prior to collecting concentrate. Was able to go from sap just over 2% to almost 10% in a single pass. Vacuum was still chugging as we wrapped up the nights boil about 9pm, although the flow had slowed down considerably. Collected about 700 gallons yesterday and will be boiling again tonight. Pans are sweetened and syrup should be rolling off in a pretty constant stream! Highs close to 40 today.

[Maplewalnut]

Still getting sap on a daily basis although yesterday only a couple hours of thaw. Fighting the usual early season freezeups but overall things are going smoothly. Have not tapped buckets yet, maybe this weekend but most likely next. The cv's will earn their keep this year if the weather for Feb/March returns to normal numbers. Looking to make syrup for 6 weeks or more!!!!

[Maplewalnut]

Another run of light syrup...ugghhh. Even my son asked when we are going to get some syrup with some taste! Might sound sacrelgious but we live in a dark and B grade market. May have to pass it through the RO again and test the Joel Butin theory that the additional heat will turn it darker and more robust. Low sugar % and lots of sugar sand so far. Cleaning syrup pan tonight already to get it ready for end of week when temps climb a little.

[Maplewalnut]

Not much sap the last few days. Got some end of last week but then a freezeup and now it is running slowly today. Temp only 34 with no sun, so didnt expect much. Seem to have put a dent in the squirrel population this fall, system is still holding at 23 at releaser and 22 in woods. No chews to fix lately but bears should be waking up in next few weeks, then the fun begins. I swear they floss their teeth with semi-rigid.

[Maplewalnut]

Still plugging along with mini-runs everyday. Enough to start the RO and boil for an hour or two. My little boy barrels are starting to line up so we must be doing something right. hung another 200 or more buckets this weekend just in time for the deluge predicted this week. Should be interesting trying to dump buckets, run the RO, and boil everyday for a few days straight. Did get some sap in my vacuum line coming from the suagrhouse that was enough to freeze solid. I think my releaser hung up at freezeup the night before and sap backed up. Got it cleaned out and back up and running, just part of the fun of nightly early season freezeups.
At 25% of goal this year for finished syrup already and still have a week of Feb left!!!!! Hopefully the temps return to 'normal' averages the next few weeks.

[tuckermtn]

may all your new buckets be overflowing...

[Z/MAN]

Maplewalnut, Are you drowning yet??????????????

[Maplewalnut]

Sorry guys its been awhile. Was out of town yesterday and got over 2200 gallons of sap! Yikes , got home and wife had it concentrated to about 10%. Took off work today ran it back through the RO one more time and finished alot of medium syrup today. Next week looks good but eveyone is hinting at a big warm up in the 10 day forecast. I have pulled my taps on April 1, April 2 and April 1 last three years like clock work. I can only hope it lasts half way through March this year.

[Maplewalnut]

Decent run today even though it never got above 35degrees. Low sugar content but sap is still clear. Good freeze coming tonight and tomorrow

[Z/MAN]

Decent run today even though it never got above 35degrees. Low sugar content but sap is still clear. Good freeze coming tonight and tomorrow
For as close as we are , we have completly different conditions. Mine ran yesterday but only a couple of gallons today. Boiled 8 hours today. Don't know if we will see anything now until Tues or maybe even Wed. but i think they will run great when they start again. Sap is still crystal clear.

[Maplewalnut]

Good run yesterday but sugar is still low. Only 1.5% coming out of the woods and just under 2 from roadsides. Sap is still clear, but that of course can change in hours. Flow was decent this morning even after about 36 hours of no freeze. I suspect it may slow way down today but we should have another short freeze this weekend. Yesterdays run and hopefully a run this weekend/early next week may save what could of been a diastrous season. After mid next week, I will be done. Probably 70% of goal

No sap for open house weekend this year:-(

[Maplewalnut]

Still hanging on and sap still clear. Good run yesterday about 1000 gallons and sugar was surprising up to 2%. Temp about 32 now so who knows may get an extra day out of it?????

[Z/MAN]

I ran 70 gallons through tonight and they are still running but I doubt I will get enough to fire her up tomorrow.

[Z/MAN]

Mike, how'd the open house go? Lots of people with the nice weather?

[Maplewalnut]

Paul,

Had about 700 people total for the weekend. Mostly from Lehigh Valley, so your right it seems like the nice weather enticed some to take a drive to the mountains. I gave everybody the disclaimer, " great day for tours and walking in woods, terrible day for sap flow"..most just laughed. I did put a cage tank full of water at the end of one spur line so people could see liquid coming through the lines and up a sap ladder, they liked that. I also boiled down the sweet from earlier in the week and chased it with water, so at least the sugarhouse smelled like syrup. All in all good weekend but man it is exhausting talking the much!!!

Mike