Season check-in for Maine

[MapleME]

How ya'll doing with syrup? Up here in Brunswick its been warm for 3 days straight and things ran like mad, but shut back down yesterday and heck, its friggin snowing now.

We have been doing OK, just curious how the weather has been effecting you guys who are in my area. Think we may get another week or so?

[hambone]

Boiled here in Central Maine for first time Tuesday, made 3 gallons. We've got a couple hundred gallons of sap to boil today. It did run here yesterday too but not like last Sunday, Sunday night into Monday. Right now it is 27 degrees and hoping for a run!

[hotfire]

Not a great year , but we can not change mother nature , got around 35 gal bottled so far , hope for a run today , my ro is working great , but i wont come close to paying for it this year.

[Revi]

We have made only about 4.5 gallons of syrup so far, and it looks like maybe another 5 or so this weekend may happen. Then I think it's over. Have you seen the temps next week? 60s until at least Thursday. I think it's over. We'll see, but we may pull taps this weekend, or maybe next. It was short but sweet.

[gmcooper]

Revi,
I have to ask why you think the season is a few days from being over? We are 100 miles south of you and are still going quite well. Trees have shown some signs of progress with bud swelling in the really warm locations, but far from over (provided it doesn't stay in the 70's for the next couple weeks). Anyway just curious as most years we are still going after you have finished. Lets hope this weekend is a good one!
Mark

[PerryW]

Revi,
I have to ask why you think the season is a few days from being over? We are 100 miles south of you and are still going quite well. Trees have shown some signs of progress with bud swelling in the really warm locations, but far from over (provided it doesn't stay in the 70's for the next couple weeks). Anyway just curious as most years we are still going after you have finished. Lets hope this weekend is a good one!
MarkBeing in Northern NH, I would also say the season is far from over. But once I look at the 10-day forecast, I'm not so sure. There's lots of 60's and 70's and no below freezing temps.

[hambone]

Luckily I boiled all day and made 6 gallons here in central Maine. In the afternoon it looked like a decent run, keeping my fingers crossed.

[maineboiler]

Sap is running slow today in Oxford. I am hoping for a run tomorrow but I said that yesterday too.




Maineboiler
130 taps
2 X 6 evaporator
12 X 16 sugar shack

[Round Mtn Mapler]

200 plus taps. I have been tapped since @2-14-12 and have 3 gallons of syrup so far!

Sap just not running Downeast!


Lasy year I had @50 taps and made 4 gallons all season!


I am ready for a big run....

[tessiersfarm]

If it gets to upper 60's for many days the holes dry up quick and the chance of it freezing up again are pretty slim. We go to the end usually but I agree I think its about done. Usually we have a better snow pack than southern Maine, which helps, but this year there is nothing. All in all I agree its about over but it was fun while it lasted.

[Ridge777]

My trees all budded out yesterday here in Lisbon. Ran good, but most of the buckets were bitter. Collected around 12 gallons that was okay and kept it separate from my good stuff to boil tomorrow. Only got three real runs of around 30 gallons a day since Feb 20th on. Learned alot, made some sweet stuff, and had alot of fun with the family. Looking forward to next year!!!!

[RollinsOrchards]

We gathered everything yesterday just after noon and finished it all off last night. We didn't expect it to run today, so we actually had buckets running over at 9am this morning. Gathered on average 2 gallons per tap this morning, and the taps were starting to thaw out and drip at 10 am.

I borrowed another 50 spiles and buckets and am headed out now to tap some more trees, which will put us close to 225 taps. I would like to maximize this run over the next three days in case the warm non-freezing temps all week kill the season.

[hambone]

Running really good here in central Maine, 34 degrees and freezing rain. Run MAPLES run, I think they are headed for the finish line!

[Sandy]

Slowed a bit, but still runnin' just collected about 35 gallons, and didn't even get to all the trees, just raining too much, and i'm spleeny today. Came inside to warm my toes and see what the weather is for tomorrow. Boiling every day. :)

[hambone]

It ran all night here in Cornville and it ran pretty good, too. It is 37 degrees at 5am so I would guess it will just peter out after a while. No budding here yet and the sap is nice and clear. I am going to boil it right up though, hopefully it turns into good syrup. It sure doesn't look promising from today thru next week.

[patrick81]

i just walked out and looked at a couple of my pails,and it ran a little over here last night im hopeing for an ok run to day and ill have close to 300gal for a good boil for tomorrow.the weather sure has been crazy over here in bingham it was 40 out and it was snowing but yesterday it was colder and raining,you just never know i guess

[twocanines]

Full bore today midcoast Belfast area. Emptied everything twice today. Buds are tight.

[hambone]

Boiled for 5 hours and got rid of all the sap, collected 325 gallons this afternoon, it was good to have such a great run today. I guess I'll be boiling for a couple days. Yippee!

[MapleME]

I finished off 7 or so gallons from last week and got it all bottled up which was really nice. Boiled for 6 hours today, got rid of all of the sap. Not sure what the barrels look like...I hope for one last run or two to have one more big boil...then drain the pans and finish it all off...

[RickinFarmington]

I am guessing today will be my last day of collection. I can't imagine how we can recover from the next two weeks of summer weather. My season total down by 50%. Time to focus on bees.

[twocanines]

She run all night here. I just pulled in another full load. Probably have to bank my storage tank with hay bales tonight.

[western mainer]

Good run yesterday and also today! Rick our bees are doing very well this spring going to be doing some splits later in May.
Brian

[hambone]

Let's see, could this season be any crazier! It ran real good yesterday, it ran all night too. Woke up to 38 degrees temp and now it is 73 degrees and shows no sign of stopping. Oh well, at least it is running. We would have had a really poor season if not for the last few days!

[mooseman]

Collected 47 gals of sap yesterday out of 30 taps. Had to collect twice. This morning collected 22 gals and it is still running. Boiling now with two pans over an open fire.

[500592]

Seasons over for me getting everything cleaned today bad year but we still made 20 gal gonna be getting a bigger:D evap

[gmcooper]

In from boiling again tonight. Today's run was a little less than yesterday but still decent considering it was just about 80 here this afternoon. Not really liking the sound of the spring peepers the last 2 nights! Earliest I can ever remember hearing them. Bees are really enjoying the weather and are bringing in natural pollen already.
Mark

[Maple Ridge]

Looks like I am done. Sugar content so low it is not worth it anymore. with the weather the way it is, we would have to process anything collected right away or risk spoilage. Did just under half of what I did last year.

[Revi]

We are packing it in slowly. It ran all day yesterday, and we boiled all day. We kept collecting and when we left at 4 it was still going. It was over 75 degrees. Wierd. Well I am pretty sure it has stopped by now, but who knows? We made less than a third of what we made last year, but the upside is that we won't have to cut much wood for next year.

[sap seeker]

I pulled the plug yesterday as well. Thought about hanging in through this warm week just to see what is going to happen but in the end decided to bail. Made just under a gallon from 9 taps after 5 gallons last yr. from 16 taps, what a difference a year can make. Always fun know matter the outcome! Was some weird to see sap running at 75 degrees yesterday like others have mentioned.

As always fellow sap-a-holics, thanks for all the information gained from here and enjoyed everyone's stories and projects.

[hambone]

Noon time in Cornville. Boiled this morning and then collected, unbelievable but it is still running, not fast but still running. Now I have to go boil before that sap spoils. We made 100 gallons last year, hoping for 25 this year. We'll just have to see what happens.

[RollinsOrchards]

Some taps are running a little bit today, some aren't. I need to flip a coin and figure out if it is worth the time to go collect for the few that did run so I can get that sap out of the heat, or wait until the end of the day. . .

[TapME]

we have been collecting sap here in the falls most every day. Had a major setback here with the evaporator. We will be setting it to rest after the 50 years of use. One flue pan had major holes in it this year (unfixable). So here is the deal, we have the syrup pan and one flue pan (mild steel, english tin) 3x3 and 3x3.5 in rough shape but we will give them to a sugar maker to be for free to start and make some cash to get new pans. PM me here if u have interest email would work also. I will not travel or send them pick up only. They have served us well over concrete blocks for years and may have a few left yet. no responce in a week and the junk man gets them.

[MapleME]

Hey Lou, how are ya buddy? Haven't seen you around the trader very much!!

[TapME]

ben busy with work and helping Twitch out when I can. It is one of those seasons where time has disappeared. Next year will be better with a new to us evaporator and small sugar house.

Hey Lou, how are ya buddy? Haven't seen you around the trader very much!!

[Revi]

We finally ended our sap season yesterday. We thought the trees would quit running on Saturday, since it froze on Friday night. Then we thought they would quit on Sunday, but they kept going. We kept the tube in and on Monday we had enough to boil. It was over 70 degrees, so we boiled it quickly. It only quit around 8pm on Monday, which means it ran for over 62 hours. Is that some kind of record? I wonder if Tim Wilmot could tell us how long the longest run ever was?

[hambone]

Good question, Revi! We experienced the same phenom in Cornville, it just didn't want to stop.

[barbbragg]

Hello all. First year doing this. Have 8 taps out but the most I have gotten is maybe 2 quarts from 1 tap once or twice and the others just putting out very little. Have collected 9-1/2 gallons so far. Only got about a gallon of sap yesterday. How often do I have to collect it where the weather has gotten so warm during the day? Thanks for any help.

What I have boiled down so far is very cloudy, so do not know if this is good or not.

Not sure if I posted this right or not, just learning this site.

[hambone]

With this warm weather I would gather very often and keep the sap cold or freeze it until you have enough to boil. With some good luck we will get a freeze Friday night and it will run great Sat. Then it will continue in a normal freeze thaw cycle for a few days. Of course this can only happen if the trees don't bud out. Good luck!

[Revi]

I wonder if it will run on Friday? It's been a week without a frost and the temps have gone up over 80 degrees. I wonder if the trees will start up again or if they are done?

[500592]

Pulled my taps and cleaned everything up and my trees have budded out but I wonder what will happen if it freezes up.

[barbbragg]

Thanks hambone for the info. Put up my first batch today. Got 3 half-pints from about 8 gallons. I strained it through many layers of cheesecloth but still have a sediment on the bottom. Any ideas what would strain the rest of it out for the next time?

[hambone]

I think one of the advantages of sugaring is dealing with mother nature. We can try and figure out what is going to happen but often the unexpected happens. Like the sap running for days straight or in 80 degree weather or in the freezing rain, you just never know. Barbbragg, you could get a prefilter and a filter from a maple supplier or if you are in Skowhegan area I could give you some. The other very easy way to filter your syrup is to just let it sit for a while and the sediment will settle to the bottom of the jugs. Just be careful when pouring out the last little bit of syrup.

[GeneralStark]

I think one of the advantages of sugaring is dealing with mother nature. We can try and figure out what is going to happen but often the unexpected happens. Like the sap running for days straight or in 80 degree weather or in the freezing rain, you just never know. Barbbragg, you could get a prefilter and a filter from a maple supplier or if you are in Skowhegan area I could give you some. The other very easy way to filter your syrup is to just let it sit for a while and the sediment will settle to the bottom of the jugs. Just be careful when pouring out the last little bit of syrup.

How many sugarmakers have seen 80 degrees in March? Not many. Hard telling what the trees will do when this weather has never been experienced before. I am still in the midst of a 6 day high vacuum induced sap run without a freeze. Not making table syrup though.

[gmcooper]

Still getting some sap on vacuum but we have had at least 3 80 degree days. Buds are open on the reds in the warmest locations today. The lilacs by the house look like they will leave out tomorrow. I've never seen anything like this for March. I'm quite concerned about what will happen to everything if the weather returns to normal for the season in a week.

[MapleME]

GM- meant to send you a note, nice pic in the paper!!

[DIMariner]

I boiled all day yesterday- 77 gallons on my little block evaporator. The trees here on the coast are budded out, so even if it runs next week I am done collecting. Got 170 gallons from 30 taps this year and am ready to finish off teh syrup inside next weekend. Heading out with the family today for Maine Maple Sunday to support the real producers.

[DIMariner]

Hello all. First year doing this. Have 8 taps out but the most I have gotten is maybe 2 quarts from 1 tap once or twice and the others just putting out very little. Have collected 9-1/2 gallons so far. Only got about a gallon of sap yesterday. How often do I have to collect it where the weather has gotten so warm during the day? Thanks for any help.

What I have boiled down so far is very cloudy, so do not know if this is good or not.

Not sure if I posted this right or not, just learning this site.

When did you set your taps? I found that almost all of my sap came in two, two-day runs this year. One was the week of 3/5 and the other 3/12. In our area, the 3/5 run was better. Don't get too discouraged, some years are huge (like last year) and some are not (like this year). As a hobby, it is great fun no matter what the results.

[barbbragg]

I actually set them out the end of February.

[barbbragg]

Do you have a pic of your homemade concrete block evaporator and are you still tapping. I still have mine out but have not checked for 2 days.

[Flat47]

Sap is still running here in The County, but many trees are looking like they're about done. I expect this weekend to be our last boil of the season, and we'll probably end up with only about a quarter of what we made last year.

[hambone]

Trees started running in central Maine. Sap seems to be clear and tastes ok. We'll see.

[RollinsOrchards]

I had some trees run today as well in my shady bush. I have visions of tapping a few more there in the shady bush, but my mother is tired of finishing and bottling. . .

[birdmancf]

Wow, after walking the neighborhood and seeing some of the trees that I pulled taps out of last weekend running like a perfect March day I'm ready to put some taps back in. The silver maple in the hood already popped its buds but all the sugars and Norway's look settled in for the longer haul. We got 5" of snow yesterday and the freeze thaw forecast looks perfect for the next several days.

This is where a sap hydrometer would come in handy. I'm sure that the bacteria will grow easily and put an end to this soon, but it sure is tempting when it's running well. Anyone else put their taps back in or getting good sap in their lines?

Chris

[milkjugsapper]

Sap started running again for me on Tuesday, each day with a bit more than the previous one. Nice and clear and a shade over 1.5%. I have 30 taps out on buckets and milk jugs (woods trees) and have moved most of them to different trees either because they had budded out or just dried up after the heat wave. Common sense told me to just quit but after a bunch of extra work, time, and wondering why, it looks like I might end up having something to show for it! May have enough syrup to give to family/friends after all... :D Hoping for a big weekend for everyone that has stuck it out!

[western mainer]

Running hard here in Greenwood and the sap has a good taste to it. About time we had a little luck!!
Brian

[hambone]

22 degrees at 5:30 am, less wind(it was windy all day) but it ran ok all day yesterday. I cleaned the pans, hope to do a test boil on some of the sap. It tested 2.2 and 2.5 on a couple tanks. Buds are getting bigger. What is the syrup going to taste like? That is the question!

[Revi]

I would love to know how much you get Hambone. We pulled our taps, and it may have been too early. We're not putting them back in, but I'd like to know how much more we would have gotten.

[Flat47]

We'll boil tonight and maybe again mid-week. Sap ran pretty well yesterday. Hoping for a good day today. Looks like temps will all be above freezing by Thursday or Friday, so the end is near. Too bad - it was getting back on track, but that week of 70 to 80 degree days really killed it.

[hambone]

Good to hear from you Revi. We have collected 30 gallons from yesterday, it tested 2.4. I did a test boil on gas stove and it doesn't smell bad. I think I'll boil it down a little more and taste it. It is running quite well today, I'll keep you posted.

[barbbragg]

Got about 5 gallons of sap in 2 days from 6 taps, better than it was.

[davrhods]

started vacum up today to pull and clean taps and lines was running ok almost all reds that popped buds last week. have not boiled since 3/18 was concerned syrup would be lousy anyone getting decent grade in westerm me.

[western mainer]

I started thing up this morning, the sap tasted fine but after about 30 minutes of boiling I could tell it's DONE!!!! DONE!!!! not a good smell at all.
Brian

[RollinsOrchards]

The trees that ran well earlier in the season are either dried up or budded out, but we have gathered 100 gallons of sap from the trees that were slow earlier and it looks fair. Some had a slight yellow tinge to it. Have been boiling for three hours now and it smells good and looks good. The previous batch we made ten days ago had foam that looked black with a lot of specks in it, while this foam today is skimming off clear and white.

[gmcooper]

Started pulling taps today. A few sugars were still dripping just a bit this morning. A few less 80 degree days and it would have been a very good season. Good news is I have a really good start on next years wood supply. Also one of my landowners found another sugarbush to tap.
Mark

[barbbragg]

Can anyone tell me how to tell if my sap is bad/soured? I just added some sap to my boil down and now have little white floaties in it. Thanks everyone.

[gmcooper]

Barb
Usually you can smell it or taste it. Not sure on the white floaties. That never has a good sound to it. Thinking maybe it is just foam? When you start boiling you can usually tell. There is no question with the smell. When in doubt about quality of sap late in the season check before adding to good sap or syrup inprogress.
Hope all is well with the sap.
Mark

[RollinsOrchards]

I had white floating bits in some of what I looked at Sunday. I decided it was a "skin" of sap that had dried on the buckets during the hot weather, and then loosened up and flaked off. Those should be harmless. Your white flakes may vary.

I dump sap out if it is:
a) Murky or cloudy so that I can't see through it and reminds me of swamp water.
b) Yellow, because I figure the bacteria that make it yellow have eaten most of the sugar anyway.
c) Slimy with sort of a "oil slick" appearance.
d) Smells abnormal like yeast or beer.

[barbbragg]

The floaties seemed to clear up after it got to a good boil and the smell was fine. Going to boil it down the rest of the way today. I think my trees are pretty well dried up all except for one so time to quit. I so look forward to next year. This has been very enjoyable knowing where my food is coming from. Lots of work but I think well worth it.

[barbbragg]

Some of my foam had the black specks also but I just kept skimming off and it seems to be fine.

[barbbragg]

Thanks for that helpful information.