Tapping

[mapleguy]

any early birds out there thinkinking of tapping with the thaw coming? If anyone knows someone with good used buckets for sale in this area would appreciate a heads up thanks!

[JBUTCH2450]

How many are you looking for?

[mapleguy]

40 t0 50 would be great

[JBUTCH2450]

Let me see how many we have. They are food grade, 5 gallon and only used 1 season.

[Kngowods]

I will after the season.. Or as soon as the season starts if we have extra.

[OneLegJohn]

It is tempting. I hear March is supposed to get warm and stay warm. If that happens, I'm gonna wish I did tap January 6th! In the same regard, February is supposed to be colder than normal. So who knows?

[psparr]

I tapped this weekend in central pa and they were running like CRAZY!!!
Was getting like 6-7 drips a second. Even the reds were going crazy.

[christopherh]

I'll be holding off until February.

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

I will not tap until at earliest the 20th of january. and even then i would be concerned of tapping too early.

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

I am going to put out between 50 and 100 taps I think, but on checkvalves and gravity. I hope the CV's Give me a longer season so when the freeze up comes and its frozen for a few weeks they will not seal up... I will let you know what I do, but the batteries are charging and drill is on standby...

[jluckay]

going to put out 25-30 to see what we get.

[jhd504]

As I looked at the extended forecast on Saturday, I was tempted to put out some taps but decided not to. Now the extended forecast shows a good freeze at the end of next week lasting about a week.

[creighta]

We got sealed out tapping too early last year. Found a bud on our driveway today, though and cant decide whether to tap a few this weekend or not.

[newman_maple]

It looks like it will be too warm for awhile to tap. Cincy weather doesn't give any freezing nights until next week. The 15 day AccuWeather forecast seems promising for around the 25th. I hate the guessing game, but I plan to wait this warm weather out.

[SandMan]

I am going to put out between 50 and 100 taps I think, but on checkvalves and gravity. I hope the CV's Give me a longer season so when the freeze up comes and its frozen for a few weeks they will not seal up... I will let you know what I do, but the batteries are charging and drill is on standby...

Interesting to hear sugar makers talk about check valves and gravity tubing! I'm on gravity and used CV's for 2 years on gravity. I was not happy with the results so I spent a fair amount if time reading the data on CV's as it relates to gravity. There is NO data that supports the use of CV's on gravity other then conjecture. That being said, Leader Corp. sure makes some strong statements about CV's on gravity with ZERO research to back it. Yes, I still buy Leader products, but I don't use CV's any more.

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

Put out 45 taps today. All on CV'c and gravity execept the one I tapped a few days ago, with a bucket, but hung on a CV. I tested the sap that came from the bucket from a silver maple, and it was about 1.7%. So I will see what happens...

[jluckay]

put out 30 last night, that leaves us 70 for later, taps were dripping for about 30 min. (got dark & refroze.) lots of snowpack to melt off, hopfully today with the sun out. not expecting much till the low pressure moves in on thursday or friday weather talking mid 50's this weekend, hope to get a few short boils in with this thaw.

[saekeaton64]

I decided to bite the bullet and tap a few to see how it was flowing. All of my taps are flowing through 5/16 on gravity.
The video below is of the 26 I tapped today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7wbRxIbX50

[Starting Small]

Looks like a good rate of sap flowing. This year will be my first year setting up 20 taps on a 5/16 gravity so I am curious for future reference is that considered average flow for 26 taps? or above average? Were those sugars or reds?

[saekeaton64]

This is my first year with tubing, so I can't really say. In the past I used buckets, but my sugarbush is on a very steep hillside and buckets became too much work.
There is about 50' of drop from my first tree to the collection point, I have a 200' long run of the 5/16" acting as my mainline with 8 branches containing between 5-7 taps per branch. I was installing drops and tapping this section at the same time. Every time I would cut the tubing to install a new drop I would hear a long sucking sound, so i must be pulling a pretty good natural vacuum. I still have about 25 to 30 more taps to be installed on this run so hopefully that will just make things better.

All of the trees that I currently have tapped are sugar's. I have counted around 600 maples on my property and I would say that 95% are sugars, 3% are reds, and 2% are blacks.

[mapleguy]

Im on gravity too and I think I do see a difference in using the cvs. at least it seems so . I think sometimes all of this is a bunch of hipe and a good sales pitch, there are too many variables from one sugarbush to another consider them micro climates. I believe there is a lot of truth in how bacteria forms but cv's are nothing more than a bacteria free tap with no bacteria imbedded in the plastic so if you replace every year they may seem to work probably the same way if you replaced with a tree saver spout every year. do what works for you I suppose. anyway since you are gravity what sort of entrance fittings do you use? thanks

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

I am not to sure what you mean by entrance fittings.. Entrance from tap to CV to Tubing is the old 7/16 spout from last season. There is no mainline on the 45 taps on CV's as they are in small groups. The rest of my taps have 3/4 mainline and saddles if you meant that. Hope this helps.

[mapleguy]

I've been using the 4 way manifold from leader I'm shortening up my lats and because there will be many more going into the mains I didn't want to use the 4 ways. want to try the saddles was just concerned I couldn't get any slope between the hooked connector and the saddle.

[jluckay]

trees ran for a houre or two yesterday & shut down.(2-3 inches in buckets) hope to get a decent run today & boil tonight.

[creighta]

Couldn't wait, tapped 20 trees in our closest/driest woods and have broken 2 plastic 3gal buckets due to the weight of the sap when full. Our trees are running more than dripping, but with the forecast we are holding off a week before putting out the rest of our 100

[newman_maple]

Where you located creighta I teach at WB and live near Seaman.

[SevenCreeksSap]

Couldn't wait, tapped 20 trees in our closest/driest woods and have broken 2 plastic 3gal buckets due to the weight of the sap when full. Our trees are running more than dripping, but with the forecast we are holding off a week before putting out the rest of our 100

We've got about 20 in and getting a good drip on most, but not that much. a little further up the river than you. your few degrees warmer might be the ticket. Looks like it's going to chill back out this week though.

[jluckay]

first boil last night, ruffly 25-30 gal of sap off 30 buckets. syrup was dark on grader not sure why? possibly from holding sap for 30+hrs & very warm out?

[newman_maple]

I hoped to tap early last week, but everyday was below the forecast temps. Now, we are in a week-long freeze with no real good looking sap temps for at least 2 weeks. Oh well.....

[mapleguy]

well it looks like we are starting this season on the right foot artic cold for the next 2 weeks and maybe lots of snow? hope this wind hasn't caused a lot of damage for anyone finished up in the woods yesterday. saw an extended forcast this morning and if correct won't see 40deg. until first week of feb. that would be great!!!! But then again when was a forcast ever accurate.

[stevepipkin]

Anybody tapped in southern Ohio? If so, how much did you get per tap on Saturday January 19? We haven't tapped yet and I'm afraid we missed a nice run.

[saekeaton64]

My sugarbush is on a North facing hillside, so with the cold weather the trees haven't really got a good chance to thaw out. I have 40 taps in right now, on the 19th I collected 55 gal. Works out to be 1.375 gal per tap.

[jluckay]

will be boiling again tonight, did a partial tap on the 12th (30 out of 100). trees ran all last night problly have around 30+ gal. this am . hope they run all day! thinking of going all in first week of feb.

[jluckay]

we got ruffly 50-55 gals of sap off 30 buckets,(nice run). unfortunatlly the sugar was only @1.25%. start to finish 4hrs. ended up with dark again, lots & lots of sugar sand in the filters, made just under 1 gal. flaver is very good!

[jluckay]

boiled again last night, another nice run. 55-60 gal sap. lots & lots of sugar sand in the filter. looks like this will be it for a little wile, hopfully next week brings back some favorable weather.

[mapleguy]

just looked at the extended forcast on Accu-Weather and it appears that late nxt week a thaw is coming with temps. in the low to mid 40's with below freezing at night for the nxt 10 days after. hope mother nature agrees!

[tom jr.]

probly start tapping friday the 8th if the weather liar is telling the truth. still have a boat load of work to do in the shack and woods anyone local test the sugar% yet?

[mapleguy]

you are thinking like I am for tapping probably nxt thursday and friday if forcast holds true could be boiling nxt. weekend! If you want to believe any forcasts looks like March could end up warmer than normal which would be a bummer. hope everyone has a great season I'm predicting a normal one for what thats worth!

[mapleguy]

I've been sittting here brousing away when it occurred to me , Where is everyone hardly any posts from ohio producers. I know the saps not running ( maybe by the weekend) so where is everyone? Can you tell how bored I am! Probably going to tap Wed.-Sat have a small amount of work to be ready. Have heard some in this area have tapped but I would expect the majority to join the ranks within the next 10 days if the weather gooroos guess right.

[Ekrueger]

I am planning to tap on Wednesday night for the first time on our farm since 1960. Some of the trees will be the same ones my grandfather tapped in the 30's-60! I can't wait to get it going. This truly is addicting.