saps a running

[appleman]

Last 2 days sap has been really flowing well, do not really know why. Went out today at 11:00 am the roadside buckets were frozen,went back
at 3:30 pm. and buckets were running over and pipeline tanks were full.
38F and wind was whipping, but the sugars could not wait to give it up.
AYUH looks like it could be a good season in southern maine.140 gallons
so far and mostly light amber . :D :D :D :D :D

[gmcooper]

appleman, hows your sugar content been so far? Ours has been way down. One group of trees that was over 3 most of last 2 years has only been 2.2-2.3 and our vacuum system has bee ave just 2.

Never did check trees today. Thought it was too cold!

[Revi]

I wish it was a bit warmer around here. It's been around 32 degrees, and I don't know if it's any warmer today. Southern Maine has perfect sap weather this week, but those of us in Central Maine are a bit on the cold side. We should get some sap next week. The sugars are running even though the temps are cold. They run right up until they freeze up. I'm expecting a flush from the tubing when it warms up a bit.

[appleman]

Hi ! Mr. cooper our sugar started out low the first few runs 2.2 to 2.4, but
they started to get better last few days running about 2.6 to 2.8. We
seem to have real good sugar content on our roadside trees, we are lucky
to have about 500 taps on monster sugar maples in town, nothing
runs better or sweeter than them, even though more work to collect them, they have saved the day many times.our pipelines have always had a lower sugar content than roadside,but they have given up the sap good even on these cooler, windy days. 1200+ gals. fri afternoon.Mother
natures own version of reverse osmosis on friday"ice" gave us a sugar
content of 3.2. gotta like that. :) :) :)

[royalmaple]

appleman-

where are you located?

[Revi]

I'm hoping it gets a bit warmer in the next few days. We boiled a bit more on Sunday, but we need more sap to feed our new evaporator! We tubed up a lot more maples, but we still need sap weather to make them run! We face north, so they won't run really well until we get around 40 degrees. It could happen. We just have to have faith. I have a feeling it'll all pour out of the trees in about 3 days. They want to give. They just need temps above freezing!

[royalmaple]

They should rip at least down here starting tomorrow. 15 outlook shows low 40's and 20's each night.

Trees should really wake up.

[Revi]

Spring starts at 1:26. It looks like it may be right on schedule. We may just get a run this week. It's definitely warmer today than yesterday. There must have been some sun yesterday, because my solar hot water got up to 105 degrees. I'm liking the spring sun. Now if it starts the sap pumping I'll like it even better!

[royalmaple]

Just checked a few sections of s/sw trees and they are just starting to trickle a little sap. Tomorrow and wednesday should get them going good.

[appleman]

Hi Royal maple We are located in Alfred only about 15 miles from you
You may know our store on 202 "Giles Family Farm". stop by sometime
and introduce yourself. 8) 8) 8)

[royalmaple]

Sure-

I know where you are. Kinda under the weather today, wouldn't you know it. Think Flu or something is setting in. Really sucks, seems this week is going to crank. Actualy next 15 days look great. Taking it easy today and hopefully I can knock this down a bit and be ready for some marathon boiling sessions.


Haven't been outside today but, pretty much zero wind, bright sunshine, and already 33 degrees @9:30am.

My roadside buckets and bags are frozen solid, but hopefully can thaw out today and dump them so they can fill up.
:P

you guys must be seeing the same down the road.

[MaineMapleDave]

I've got about 2 inches of frozen sap in the buckets. Frozen solid, so at least it's not going bad!!

Soon.............it will happen soon.....................

[Revi]

It looks sunny out there, but it's still cold! I hope it starts to run a bit today!

[royalmaple]

Revi-

Heat is coming up you way soon. No wind down here anymore, 44 degrees now at 1pm. Bright sunshine.

probably take 1 more day of this to get them going, checked some big rocks on roadside buckets on my way to rite aid for some flu crap, and all frozen but starting to get wet at around 11am.

Maybe kick in later today just in time to freeze back up.

[royalmaple]

All my main lines were running at a steady trickle as of 5pm today. Kicked in probably around 1:30ish today.

Dumped some buckets but seems those bigger trees have not warmed up yet. Hopefully tomorrow will be good now that the trees are active again.

[Revi]

We had a little run yesterday. Only 38 degrees at the sugarhouse. Not a huge amount of sap, but it was 3 and a half percent! That'll boil up quickly! We'll see what happens, but it looks like spring is here. Today is cloudy, but we may have some from yesterday's run still in the buckets. Our mainline seems to run best in the afternoon, so I'm sure it kept filling the tank too.

[royalmaple]

I would dare say that I got somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 gallons yesterday. Already starting to drip now, sun just peaked out, was really cloudy this morning when I got up, but that sun is trying to burn through really hard. Maybe today they'll take off.

I had set up a new section of woods on Sunday, got two sections of 5/16 y'd together one leg has 7 taps, other has 13. I went out to check that yesterday after noon, and it was going pretty well. You didn't have to go blind trying to figure out if the bubbles were moving, they were heading towards the collection tank at a very good clip. I was amazed to see it flowing like that, normally you can hardly see the bubbles move, at least I haven't.

Probably start boiling this afternoon, and get caught up now since my overhead tank thawed out yesterday. Been frozen solid for 4 days now.

[royalmaple]

What does this mean?

http://www.diecastwarehouse.com/32206-(1).jpg


:wink:

[Fred Henderson]

It means that you lid is missing and you had better find it PDQ before it starts raining.

[sweetwoodmaple]

...or it becomes a squirrel swimming pool (or mouse trap). 8O

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It means a good sap flow! :D

Shame on you other guys. :oops: :oops:

[Fred Henderson]

He was picking so I picked back. Glad that someone is going to get to boil. Four big outfits here in northern NY are haveing a maple weekend open house but they got no sap to boil. They might have to import some from PA.

[sweetwoodmaple]

We're just jealous. :wink:

Not much to import from PA. Even with Vacuum, i've just had a couple hundred gallons to boil in the last 5 days or so.

Gotta love that extended forcast. Has to be too good to be true. 40's to 20's for 10 days straight?

[royalmaple]

Last I checked the 15 day forcast or teaser was 40's and low 20's. Should kick in pretty well. Started out partly cloudy today then ended up cloudy no sun and spitting snow, sap was still flowing pretty well.

Pushed myself a bit too hard today, forgot I was sick and should have stayed on the couch, but I got the fever and started up the locomotive and boiled for about 3 hours. Didn't get a chance to collect any today, just about dropped in my tracks after boiling. Guess still need couple more days of rest. Nice to see the "flow".

Got the lid on just intime, the tree rat was soaking wet from the muddy puddles and looking for a place to swim. 8O

[Revi]

We had a nice run yesterday, and hopefully today. It was 35 degrees last night, so maybe the run is over. We have around 150 gallons at 3 percent, so we'll do a boil this afternoon and get some syrup! The ice is out of the tank now. I can see that the new taps we put in have really increased our flow. It never ran like it did yesterday!

[royalmaple]

Just got off the couch and went outside and checked my collection tanks and they are all full, right to the rim. I didn't have enough time or energy to dump them yesterday and with todays run, they are ready to overflow.

Just stinks being sick, figures. Must have 300 gallons now waiting to boil.

Should be a busy weekend.

[Al]

I know the feeling. Just coming out of a bout of acutie sinusitis.(?) Boy talk about no energy and head aches. Of course just came back from the Doc's today. I usually work weekends but I told her I was feeling a little puny this weekend and she wrote me out of work. She said,"Steam is a good enviroment to loosen up your sinus's." She was smiling as she went out the door. Think she saw through that one. :D Have to drop off some candy to her. Don't get many good Doc's like that.
Take care

[WF MASON]

I like that Al.Boiling for health purposes. We've all had colds here to , brought straight from school , I mentioned it once last year to my sons teacher , she ripped me to shreds , I won't be doing 'that' again , apperantly she battles the colds at school from start to end.

[Al]

I"ve been through that too. Hope to have fully cleaned out my head my Monday morning!!! :D
Take care

[Revi]

Well we got about 200 gallons just yesterday. We filled every container we could find and then some. I don't know where we'll put the sap if it flows well tonight. We'll see. We boiled until 10 pm. That's late for us, since John is a forester and gets up extremely early. We got it all boiled down except for 35 gallons. It sure makes a big difference having a bigger evaporator. This one sure puts out the steam! We'll see what happens the next few days. There is always a hectic time every year when we can barely keep up with the sap coming in. We'll have enough to make some steam for Maine Maple Sunday now!

[royalmaple]

Well finally made it out today to dump some roadside trees, WOW

I never saw so many pillows hanging off trees :lol: :lol: 8O , well that is what the sap saks looked like anyways. Unreal, in 2 1/2 days everything was ready and waiting to see me some running over. Those bags held nearly 5 gallons each on some, puffed right out and stretching. The only bag that wasn't puffed right out had a small rip in it about 4 inches up... :cry: :evil:

I had nearly 100 gallons out of 38 buckets. Gotta get cold again for some more of that. But should give me a chance to get caught up.

[Revi]

We've been boiling for the past 4 days. This may be the end of the run, however. I don't think the trees will give at 60 degrees. We're making hay while the sun shines. It's going to be about like last season, even though we have more taps. Let's see what happens. Maybe next week will get colder.

[gmcooper]

Looks like we are rapidly approaching the end here as sap has really slowed last 2 days. Way too warm. Lots of the reds are budding along the roads and on peoples lawns. The sugar content is dropping on our vacuum system. Dumped the last bunch only 1.5%. Better season than last but only 75% normal so far.

[MaineMapleDave]

Yep--I think it's winding down.

Gathered on Monday, and couldn't believe how much sap I had--nearly every bucket was half full. All trees running, except for one that had shut down.

Yesterday, barely enough to justify the trip to the woods. A couple of trees showing signs of shutting down, and the one tree dry as a bone.

When it's all done, I think it'll be better than last year, but below average.

I am so glad I do this as a hobby and don't try to actually make any money at it!!

[Revi]

I'm just happy to be able to do maple syruping. It would be nice to get more sap, but the amount we got will end up about like last year. We need to get back to normal winters to have a decent season. I figure whatever sap we didn't get in January and early February will promote more maple growth and that will pay off in the future.

[gmcooper]

We had a few trees running some today but most were shut down. I still believe that the weather during the season has the greatest effect on our total production than any weather during the rest of the year. Take the last 2 years. we have had far fewer days with decent sap flow than 3 and 4 years ago. I think we boiled 7-10 days less the last 2 years than the 2 proir years. Tough to make syrup if the temp is too cold or too warm.
Just my thoughts
Mark

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mark,

I agree with you but this was one of the warmest winters on record down here and the worst sugar content I have ever seen by far. The trees are going to run about the same if you get the correct weather, but if there is no winter, the sugar content may be low. A lot of guys on here have been getting sap with 1.5% sugar content this year. :?

[royalmaple]

I checked some of my roadside rocks and they were running at 3% as of the last dump few days ago. Pretty well dry now.

Things happened a bit quicker when I ran that stuff through.

[Revi]

We had pretty good sugar content all the way through, but not that much sap. We have a bigger evaporator and it eats the sap, so this season has seemed to be short and sweet. I think it's pretty much over now. We had a Catholic priest and a UU minister bless our operation the first 2 years. We got a lot of sap then. Maybe it's time to start that tradition up again!

[royalmaple]

Maybe he can send a long distance dedication to me as well.