Rochdale 2012

[Maplesedge]

Tapped about a week earlier than usual, but then probably could have tapped in January this year. Kind of cold and windy today, but all the taps are flowing, North and South sides.

Only put in six taps this year, still have syrup left from last year. If I make 2-3 gallons, that'll be plenty.

Sugar maple buds still small and tight, not any different from last year, even with the unusually warm winter here. Heck, we already have crocus blooming and I've never seen that this early before. Course, last year they were still under two feet of snow!

Had to feed the bees all winter too, strange to see them fly in January.

Hope you all have a great season!

[Maplesedge]

First day: not too warm, low 40's. Of the six holes, four gave about a gal. each, mostly iced up in bag. The two biggest, full crown sugars gave two gal each, so pretty normal for these trees.

Sap looks clear, a little frothy, and sweet. At first impression, I don't think the "winter that wasn't" has changed the sap flow at all. Just coming a little earlier.

If winter patterns keep going this way, we'll maybe just be more like a mid-atlantic state, with an earlier, shorter season.

But probably we'll be back to a blizzard a week next year, so might as well enjoy it.

[Maplesedge]

Day two: much warmer, 50's, and twice as much flow from yesterday's slow trees. One tap gave 3 gal.

These are large driveway trees, 2-4 ft diameters, and I've come to expect 3-4 gal per tap on a high flow day.

So far, two days, six taps, 21 gal. in the bag. All I have to do now is keep it cool until I can boil on Sunday. Have ice on it In coolers now. Usually I keep the bags buried in snow, but no such luck this year. But supposed to cool off again after tomorrow, so should be ok.

[Maplesedge]

Really slowed down by the end of the week. First too warm at night, then too cold and windy. Sap flow went down by half, then half again, and got nothing at all today. Ended up with about 35 gal for the week,which boiled down in about 5 hours today. Finish it on the stove tomorrow and hope to get close to a gallon.

Supposed to go back to the 50's for a couple days, so we'll see if the flow returns.

Reading the Conn. reports of dry taps makes me wonder if I should have started in January, but time will tell.

[Maplesedge]

40's today, got about a gallon per tap. Boiled yesterday's batch down on the turkey fryer, but ran out of time, have to finish and bottle tomorrow. Nice color, little lighter than usual. Have to get out to Belchertown and get some more filters.

[Maplesedge]

Sun. 3/4, second boil, less sap than last week, about 27 gal, but much easier to store it in the snow. Makes for really quick boils too, so more relaxing. Good flow early last week, but after the snow hardly any. Even yesterday being warm, hardly got a gallon total from six taps. Guess the snow's keeping the roots too cold. Supposed to hit 60's by end of this week, so we'll see. Wierd winter continues.

[Maplesedge]

Going to pull taps this Saturday. Should put me at about 2 gallons made and that'll do for this year. Still have some left from last year. Last year was wild. This year just kind of wierd. If next year is like this, I just might tap in January.

Happy Mapling!

[Maplesedge]

I think Mama Nature is taunting me. Right after I posted that last post I went to collect sap and got more sap than I did all of last week! I use 5 gallon bags, but they'll hold six when they stretch tight, and four out of the six of them were full, and may have even overflowed. And I collected yesterday. So, six gallons per tap? That's a new record for me. Hardly any snow left to bury the bags in to keep em cold, got some in coolers again. Gonna have one long boil Sunday and call it quits. Too warm next week. But now I'll have plenty to make maple cream candy and still have enough syrup for the year. Nothing like going out with a bang!

[Maplesedge]

Done. Sap still dripping as I pulled the taps, but that's all I can do, gonna be too warm this week, can't store it cold enough, so, done. Three weeks, little over three gallons, and that's my goal anyway, a quart/month is plenty.

Six taps turned out fine. Next year I think I'll do six in just the three best trees and make it even easier.

Was really nice to be outside all day yesterday. Took me 10 hours to boil down about 70 gallons. Got lots of stuff done out in the yard. Lotsa of bird song already. Bees finding pollen. A fine end to the winter that wasn't.