Time to tap

[afretired]

Well I've been getting everything ready, trying to get ahead of the season. The weather has been great. Been having teens and twenties at night and thirty to forties during the day. Yesterday I put out a few sap sacks to check on the trees and we have sap. So when everyone else is watching ballgames and staying in the house, I'm going tapping. Tonight it is supposed to get down to 24 and up to 49 tomorrow, then 16 and 33 for Thursday. Looks like it will be this way for several days.

David

[spud]

Is this about the time you tap every year? Do you have access to more maples on your land? Have you ever thought about vacuum? How many others in Kentucky make maple syrup that your aware of? Please keep us posted on your progress. I find it very interesting for someone as south as you to be making maple syrup. How much syrup do you make in a season? What can you sell a quart or pint for? I hope you have a great season.

Spud

[markcasper]

Wow! Wish it were that warm here, predicted high temps for next Monday are -13 for a high! Its been a brutally cold winter so far. Best wishes to you and your season!

[afretired]

Spud
Well, last year I started mid Jan and missed most of the season since it warmed up early in the spring. This will be my fifth year making syrup, and like everyone else, I'm learning and growing each year. The number of trees I can tap has not been a problem there are always more trees to tap than I have time or energy. I have been considering running vacuum, right now I'm tapping in four different areas on my farms, but I don't have any electric service real close. I've been trying to round up some left over milking parts to try and run vacuum one sugar bush down from the house. Maybe I'll get it by next year. There are a few in KY tapping, but very few. There is a Amish family a few miles away and a few others here and there, but not many. Selling the syrup is no problem, in fact I don't try to sell it. I really haven't made enough to sell. If I did I would be sold out in a few days. I do sell it low keyed, and I give a lot away. Well my help is coming down the drive, time to go tapping. Se ya

David

[Gary R]

I noticed you are in the "hills of Kentucky". Have you thought about 3/16" tubing? You get the results of vacuum without any pumps and releasers. You only need decent slope. The best of luck to you and the season!

[Sugar]

NO! Not too early! If you don't start early here, you will miss out.

We tapped on Saturday and collected for the first time today. It's just my kids and myself and we don't sell. Last year we ended up with over 200 twelve oz. jars. We bought a 4 ft. evaporator last year and that makes cooking so much easier.

I am very careful to tap when there is a long spell, with not too high temps...That's when the taps seem to be more likely to become infected. Last year we tapped before Christmas and even collected on Christmas Eve. We had a very long season. I didn't want my taps in when those 60-70 degree days hit, right before this Christmas. I also didn't want to tap when the trees were frozen, because tapping can crack the tree.

This afternoon the trees were really giving. We will collect again on Saturday, since the next two days are expected to be cold enough the sap won't flow.

We have tapped until almost March here...It just depends on God and Mother Nature and when the trees are done, they are done.

Good luck to each of you!

[afretired]

I haven't ever heard of the 3/16 tubing. It would really get confusing around here with all the different connectors in 3/16 and 5/16. It's hard enough to carry everything you need as it is now. I think I'll stick with the 5/16.

We had a good day today, we got 225 tapped and it was flowing good. We ran most of the day out on the ground to flush the cob webs out of the lines.

It amazes me on how some trees will produce and then one right next to it dry as a bone. I noticed I had some maples that still had kept several dry leaves on them kind of like a white oak, they didn't produce a thing today. I've also got one sugar bush in a hollow that is wet. I've tapped it for three years and I can spit more than they produce. They are mostly red/swamp maples, but with all the water you would think it would run out of them. Any one have any ideas on why they don't produce?

[Sugar]

I haven't ever heard of the 3/16 tubing. It would really get confusing around here with all the different connectors in 3/16 and 5/16. It's hard enough to carry everything you need as it is now. I think I'll stick with the 5/16.

We had a good day today, we got 225 tapped and it was flowing good. We ran most of the day out on the ground to flush the cob webs out of the lines.

It amazes me on how some trees will produce and then one right next to it dry as a bone. I noticed I had some maples that still had kept several dry leaves on them kind of like a white oak, they didn't produce a thing today. I've also got one sugar bush in a hollow that is wet. I've tapped it for three years and I can spit more than they produce. They are mostly red/swamp maples, but with all the water you would think it would run out of them. Any one have any ideas on why they don't produce?

Sugar maples have the longest sap flowing season and I think that the white/red start earlier and quit earlier, if I am remembering correctly. I know that sometimes depending on where the trees are, some don't thaw as quickly as others, so may need a longer period after a deep freeze to start flowing. Some of my bags were still quite frozen today, at 3pm, while others were completely thawed and overflowing. I don't know why some trees just don't give. We tapped one this year, that the saw dust from the hole was completely dry and no sap dripped. We didn't put a tap in. It was right next to one that has sap just pouring out. It really is interesting to ponder all this...Such a wonderful gift! I am always so grateful, no matter how tired I am...To bring that sap in and make maple syrup.

[Bruce L]

David, I told my wife last night that I wished it was March, not only to start sugaring but we have also had enough of the cold weather already. I will be surprised if we don't hear of any homeless freezing to death because of the weather, When I came back from loading the outdoor furnace last night temperature was -37 with the wind chill, worse today around -45 here right now with the wind, doesn't take long for your chin or any exposed parts to start to hurt.. On another note, would you be interested in trading a small bottle of syrup? I would love to taste syrup from Kentucky ,have tasted from many other provinces and states. Have a great season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sugar]

David, I told my wife last night that I wished it was March, not only to start sugaring but we have also had enough of the cold weather already. I will be surprised if we don't hear of any homeless freezing to death because of the weather, When I came back from loading the outdoor furnace last night temperature was -37 with the wind chill, worse today around -45 here right now with the wind, doesn't take long for your chin or any exposed parts to start to hurt.. On another note, would you be interested in trading a small bottle of syrup? I would love to taste syrup from Kentucky ,have tasted from many other provinces and states. Have a great season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remind me, I would happily give you a bottle. I am waiting for a reply on another thread to see if my sap can wait today. It is so windy and I am afraid that the stack will blow off. It is 26 now, with a negative 3 wind chill. We collected last evening and overnight the temps were mostly in the low to mid 30's. The sap had ice in it, when we collected, and I am sure it is refreezing. Without a sugar shack, I worry if it is too windy, that that red hot stack will blow off on one of my children....I am hoping tomorrow will be ok, for cooking the first batch.

[Maple Hill]

It amazes me on how some trees will produce and then one right next to it dry as a bone. I noticed I had some maples that still had kepdry leaves on them kind of like a white oak, they didn't produce a thing today. I've also got one sugar bush in a hollow that is wet. I've tapped it for three years and I can spit more than they produce. They are mostly red/swamp maples, but with all the water you would think it would run out of them. Any one have any ideas on why they don't produce?[/QUOTE]


On my grandfathers farm there was a sugar maple that was never tapped,when I asked why I was told that it didn't run.Years later when I cut the tree for firewood I found out why-it was 95% heartwood.

[afretired]

Bruce
I would be glad to trade with you, I don't get the chance to sample real syrup from fellow cookers. I would be more interested in finding out how mine fairs against seasoned sappers such as yourself. As soon as I get a good batch going I'll drop you a line. Our temp is starting to drop today, by Monday they are predicting -2 for the low which is cold for us. I also have an outside wood furnace, I made it several years ago and I wouldn't take anything for it. Just last month I ran another zone off of it to my honey house where I have my extracting equipment, refridgerator and snacks. It stays a toasty 70 in there, so when we need to take a break we have a nice place to rest.

Stay warm

David

David

[afretired]

Well, we had big plans for today. I just knew we would have lots of sap. Well the temp got up to 44 but the wind was blowing and it seemed colder than it was and they never really started to run good, maybe they will run through the night. My uncle suggested we walk around the woods with a chainsaw running and maybe the trees would take the hint, either give up the sap or be turned into fire wood. It is currently 37 degrees and only supposed to get down to 33 tonight with a high of 44 tomorrow. Then tomorrow evening dropping fast to a -1 by Monday morning. This evening we had lots of help to show up ready to work, but nothing for them to do. What a shame. Tomorrow it's going to be hard listening to the preacher all the time thinking about the sap running.

David

[Sugar]

Well I've been getting everything ready, trying to get ahead of the season. The weather has been great. Been having teens and twenties at night and thirty to forties during the day. Yesterday I put out a few sap sacks to check on the trees and we have sap. So when everyone else is watching ballgames and staying in the house, I'm going tapping. Tonight it is supposed to get down to 24 and up to 49 tomorrow, then 16 and 33 for Thursday. Looks like it will be this way for several days.

David

Our bags were nicely filled and frozen hard. We dumped what was liquid into buckets and pitched the ice. We will be about 41 tomorrow, then 9 on Monday, into the negative temps at night....Probably won't go empty sacks again until Thursday or Friday. Usually the ice can just be smashed in the bags and dumped, but today we had to take hangers completely apart and the ice was rock hard. Didn't even break, when thrown on the ground.

[adk1]

Yeah that is one of the downsides to bags I have found out

[Sugar]

Yeah that is one of the downsides to bags I have found out

I think it is hard on the bags too, but this is the first time we have had to do that. Still bags are best for this momma and her four chicks.

[Goggleeye]

I also didn't want to tap when the trees were frozen, because tapping can crack the tree.

Is their significant risk to tapping frozen trees? I need to tap today (off work), but the high yesterday was 3. High today in the 20's. Big sap coming this weekend that I don't want to miss out on. Is their much risk in the tree splitting, how can I avoid this, and will the taps stay well sealed once the temperature warms up?
Mark

[treeguy]

Hello folks

I tapped just after the artic blast on the warm up. Got some sap runs but then it got cold again. Hoping for a warm day to get the sap dripping Sunday maybe ;-)

I added 45 more taps the other day when it warmed up again as i found it not to be a good idea to drill frozen wood. Auger bit works ok but a good hole is key and warm day makes a better job for me.

I think the damage would occur when you drove the spile into the frozen wood more then drilling it. But frozen wood must dull and work a drill bit more also.