Hoping for a couple more weeks of sapping

[Indiana-Jones]

We had a good run first of this week and it looks like Friday and Saturday may hold prospect. I don't see any of trees budding or sign that the woods is waking up. The bugs are not bad and no peepers.
The biggest problem that we have now is a fire wood shortage. The plan here is to cut some standing dead timber on Saturday and boil Sunday.

Birdman, good to hear from you. I hope all has been good for you over in Monroe County.

[The Birdman]

I kick a couple of buckets that are across the street, they ran good here today, tomorrow and Saturday look great. Things are good here getting close to 50 gallon this year, I think the next 3 days will get me there.

[DougM]

I imagine all of our bags will be full today, and with the high temperatures they will probably fill again tomorrow. Right now the forecast looks great for all of next week, hopefully they are on target.

[Indiana-Jones]

We are having a bit of a run. Some of the taps have given up, but I think that we will have plenty to boil on Sunday. I'm thinking that this will be my last for the season. Low on wood and to be truthful, low on desire to continue. This has been one long season.

75 buckets and bags, 50 on tubing and when we are done maybe 35-40 gallons in glass. We will see.

[lpakiz]

Wow, Chris. Sounds like you have had a very successful season. You'll be able to knock another item or two off of the "gotta have" list.

[Indiana-Jones]

Yes, we did a lot better than last year. Looking forward to hanging out at the local farmers market and talking about the marvelous health benefits of the golden elixir that we all produce.LOL

My gotta have list.....A cabane a sucre, 250 taps on tube and small RO. Wishful thinking huh.

Larry have you got started?

[lpakiz]

No, we have not tapped yet and we havnt missed any runs yet. The warm temp forecast just seems to get deferred week after week. We might put some in today. Good news is I have had ample time to move the new Intensofire into the new building and get it bricked and plumbed etc. we are just about ready for sap.
I was in the woods Wednesday with the owners 4-wheel drive tractor and it would barely move on its own. Snow was closer to the knee than the ankle, and tough to walk thru. Pushing snow was almost out of the question. This was a big farm tractor-75 HP, not a small hobby model.

[The Birdman]

I give up and tapped out today. Not a bad season 45 gal would have had 50, but I burnt the last run. For those just starting go luck.

[Indiana-Jones]

Birdman, sorry about the burn accident. I burned last year, just before I learned about defoamer.

When my middle son runs the evaporator, he runs it so shallow that I can't stand to watch, but that is when the syrup gets made.

The run here is sorta petering out. Just didn't get warm enough and no sun.

I fixed the fire wood problem. I split a stack of Black Walnut from a blow down a couple of years ago and traded a neighbor a pint of syrup and a jar of home made pickles for a half a pickup load.

[DougM]

Same here on the wood situation, we've been boiling most of the day & have a few more hours left, but I'm not sure if we hav enough wood to do more than finish the sap we have now. The weather looks good for early next week, but we've bottled 70 gallons so far & only have enough containers for 80 so when we get to the end of the wood or the containers that's it for our season.

[Logan Cabin]

Still plugging away here in Bloomington. Having the same motivational/firewood issues that the others have mentioned! Really scrounging the wood pile, have split more knotty wood than I (or my wrists) care to think about. We've bottled about ten gallons so far, have 8 gallons finished awaiting bottling, and probably 6-7 gallons on the hoof in the boiler & turkey fryer/finisher. Friday we were ready to give in, but with a day off today and the prospect of more cold later this week, we may hang in there.

Think we've made up for the lack of winter last year yet?

[The Birdman]

Logan cabin you doing ok, good to here your still boiling. May want to keep a close eye on the trees budding they are close.

[Logan Cabin]

Yeah, haven't had much time to post this year. Tapped about 20 trees in Kentucky early, and we ended up with about 40 taps in B-ton. Definitely maxed out our boiling capacity.

The sap from our back yard silver has turned buddy, will keep an eye out on the sugars. Glad everyone seems to have had a good year!

[Indiana-Jones]

We have officially quit for 2013. Boiled in to the night Sunday, flooded the pans with water about 9:30. The sap in the buckets had a moth problem, not worth the time to collect.

The weather looks like there could be some flow later in the week, but my help has warned of a revolt.

We have about 20 gallons of syrup to get bottled and a big clean up ahead.

Good luck to all.

[bee crazy]

Still at it in Parke Co. Sap running good today and still ok so we're boiling tomorrow. Running low on dry wood will be mixing in some less dry wood. Will we be boiling on Easter Sunday? Don't seem right

[Indiana-Jones]

Still at it in Parke Co. Sap running good today and still ok so we're boiling tomorrow. Running low on dry wood will be mixing in some less dry wood. Will we be boiling on Easter Sunday? Don't seem right

Hi there Bee Crazy.

I'm happy to hear from another sugar maker close by. Yesterday I pull out taps and wash buckets. Some taps were running fast. Sad and glad all at the same time for calling it done for the year.

It sure looks like sugar season out side this morning, light snow mixed with lots of mud.

Have a great season

[lpakiz]

Bee crazy,
My son lives in Rockville. We see him several times a year. I also met Chris, know here as Indiana Jones. Maybe we could all get together and talk shop sometime.....
Here in Wisconsin, we are anxiously waiting for our first run. Pretty late this year!

[ahowes]

What a great year it was in southwest Indiana. I missed more than 4 weeks during the season due to business travel, but still managed to make 22 gallons on 96 taps. I hope you have such luck in Wisconsin...if the season ever gets here for you! I hope you don't jump right into summer...

[DougM]

We got plenty of sap on Friday and Saturday, but when we tested Saturday's sap it was only 1.5%, and we were running out of wood so we called it a year. 80 gallons is the most we have ever made by far, so we're pretty happy about that.

Like everyone else we're a bit sad to see it end, but we would have been running the chainsaw and splitter full time just to keep up, that would have been a lot of work that we don't really feel that bad about missing.

Now we definitely have something to do on Wednesday besides finishing this last batch & bottling it; we'll be pulling taps & cleaning up.

[The Birdman]

I got 60 quarts and 18 pints bottled today, bottled 20qts and 12pts at the start of season. 20-22 gallon to go tomorrow. Like Doug ,most I ever made:).

[DougM]

Birdman,
Just curious what kind of container you're using to store syrup for bottling later?

[The Birdman]

Doug, I have it in 5 gallon bucket, Menards have food safe buckets for 3.97.