Looking forward to this year....

[HAHA I 1]

Getting plenty of firewood gathered. Might be starting on a new sugar shack and evaporator soon, too. Anybody else doing any preparation work?

Matt M.

[Indiana-Jones]

Matt
I have been cutting some wood, but I have failed to get any of the big projects started for this up coming season. I put off building a sugar shack to some future date. I decided to do a rerun of last year on the back side of the garage. I'm planning to put one hollow on tubing adding about 30 taps.

We did sell all of the syrup that we had to sell this year at the local farmers market. (That shot a lot of Saturdays) I think that I made enough cash to buy a double boiler bottler and a hand powered filter press, that I need to get ordered.

Their holding the Indiana Maple Association convention here in Terre Haute this year and I plan to attend for my first time 12-1-12.

This summer was so hot that it made it hard to come home from work and get anything done, but now that it is cooler I will pick up the pace.

Good to hear from you.

PS. The local weather people have put out their winter predictions and all called for a more "normal" season. Maybe Mother Nature will drowned us with sap.

[lpakiz]

Hey Chris,
I wondered several times if you were going to try some tubing in those ravines. I was in Rockville last weekend (11/10/12) and also about a month ago-first weekend in October. Not sure when the next visit is. I am interested in seeing how you do that project...keep in touch.
Larry

[Indiana-Jones]

Hi Larry, it is good to hear from you. I hope that all is well with the family.

I'm thinking that I will do each ravine all in 5/16 and maybe have two main lines, one down each side. But I might learn a better way by spring.

Next time you are down this way please give us a call.

The season is coming fast.

[team40]

hello
well the list is starting to go down got to finish the sugar house and all the wood is in and ready to go but still
have to finish paying off my arch and got to put 15 taps on tubing and i will have 25 buckets to put up but other then
that we a just about ready to roll
cant wait this will be my 2nd year boiling

[ahowes]

I am clearing some trails so that sap hauls aren't so unfriendly. My fall has been been spent waging war on the amur honeysuckle that is dominating all of the woods around here.
I want to build a sugar shack, but that will have to wait a year or so. Guess I'll be in the elements again this year.

[HAHA I 1]

It is way too early, but the weather is PERFECT over the next 10 days: 30 at night, 40 during the day. VERRRRRRY tempting.

[ericjeeper]

It is way too early, but the weather is PERFECT over the next 10 days: 30 at night, 40 during the day. VERRRRRRY tempting.
I will let you know how the are flowing up in central Indiana, I have a few tapped.. I have yet to see a weatherman be right when it comes to forecasting sugaring temps.

[Indiana-Jones]

I'm getting the feeling that we are going to have a more normal season. Last night was the first time in two years that we got down to single digits of temperature. I have been watching the 30 day forecast on Accu-weather and they have a chart that shows the average daily high and low temp. So, I'm planning to be ready to go by the end of this month. I still have a lot to do to be ready, buy right now I plan to be ready and make a decision then. Two years ago I tapped in February 15th. Last year January 15, so maybe where I live over time end of January will be the ticket.

Did anybody besides me that posts here attend the Indiana State Maple Association meeting here at Terre Haute last month?

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

Im geting the feeling we may tap earlier, but have a more normal length season... I have also been watching the weather and they think we may have a warm up in a week or two... time will tell
Good luck this season everybody!

[ericjeeper]

I did not attend the Indiana meeting. I was unaware of it.. Oh well.. Hopefully this year we get a better season than the past 2 years.

[Tapping Wolf]

Im planning tapping the end of Jan or first week of Feb. if the current weather olds...last year tapped the 15t of Jan. and was done by the third week of Feb....hope things stay cold longer and i can tap in Feb, and it will run into march....last year was just too warm....and Im up in laporte county.

[ericjeeper]

6186
Folks this is what we have in the next 7 day forecast.

[Tapping Wolf]

Accuweather currently has 16 of the next 25 days above freezin with 13 of those days at 37f to 40f or more...want to wait till feb. but it reminds me of last year just not as bad....ill hope, wait, and see...it looks like feb. weather to me.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/union-mills-in/46382/january-weather/2135840

[ericjeeper]

I am thinking that here in Indiana, our winters are not going to be like "Back in the days" for many years to come. We have over a foot of snow on the ground, and the ground is barely frozen. I have a few taps out. And might even put out more tomorrow.
Personally I would rather be tapped to early and have them just hanging there frozen, then to wait til the right time of year and watch the trees bud out,.

[Indiana-Jones]

How is it a going Eric? Are you going to tap in on this weeks warm temps?
I'm so far from ready that I couldn't if I wanted too.

[ericjeeper]

How is it a going Eric? Are you going to tap in on this weeks warm temps?
I'm so far from ready that I couldn't if I wanted too. I am all in minus about 40 taps on tubing. I gathered 50 gallons of sap this afternoon. Tomorrow I should have enough to build a fire. Currently 39° at 9:35 pm..So either they are going to run all night.. Or a lack of freeze will shut them off.. I guess I will know tomorrow.

[Gandolf]

I have attend the past two years but didnt manage to go this year.

[HAHA I 1]

What do you guys do after the taps quit producing midway through the year? I have struggled with that for a few years now. We tap early (Jan 17 last year) to catch that great early season, but by mid Feb after the inevitable warm-ups, the taps are mostly dry. We always keep about 40 trees to tap in early Feb so we still have sap to boil, and those taps always produce very heavily because they are newer. My friend and I speculated that if you start those early taps with a smaller hole/tap (maybe a 1/4" tap), then re-drill them in early Feb with a 7/16" tap that you can "re-start" the hole. My friend tried it last year and it didn't work well (he only tried 10 trees). The other thing he does is to tap a tree with a 5/16" or 7/16" tap first, then when it runs dry add another smaller 1/4" tap in another location and run them both into the bucket. Any thoughts???

Thanks,

Matt M.

[adk1]

do not ream out the hole. you need to be using check valve taps and that wont happen