Maybe next week

[Mapler]

Weather here in west central Indiana is still cold and snow covered. And planning to have last of taps out in bush by middle next week. Tapping day is tentatively set for middle of last week of February. Am running 3 x 12 Leader Vermont with 3 foot preheater pan on rear of arch. We set about 700 taps.

[MapleMounder]

We are hoping to get tapped by mid week. It will obviously take a few days to wake up the trees but with upper 40's it shouldn't take too long. Good luck to you this season Mapler!

Maplemounder

[Roger Taylor]

I also live in very northern Illinois, but do not think it will start to run for a little while longer. I am getting things cleaned up, organized, and getting some new trees to tap in my area. good luck R. Taylor , McHenry Co. villiage of Cary

10 X 16 sugar shack
2 X 5 batch pan
2 X 3 steam hood & pre-heater pan
wood fired / approx. 90 taps / buckets & tubing
no horses anymore, no cows, and never any chickens!
25 year plus hobby

[elderblack]

Got probably 20-25 taps out. Just started to flow a bit today. Once that freeze comes outta' ground though I'm betting "Kattie bar the door!"

[MapleMounder]

Well things got cold in Northern Illinois again and looks like it is going to be that way for at least a week. We put tapping on hold until we get a more favorable long term forecast. No worries though, At this rate we'll have a good view of the July 4th fireworks from the sugarhouse while were boiling!:D

Maplemounder

[iowatapper]

I live in Ogle County, Illinois but tap in NE Iowa. Frankly in both places the weather doesn't look favorable through Friday, March 7th. Maybe the weatherman's wrong it will warm up next week after all.

Will be attending the Tri-Sate Forestry Conference in Sinsinawa, WI on Saturday, March 8th. If anyone is interested in forestry learning about new forestry practices it is a great meeting.

Good luck to all you serious tappers in the upper Midwest. Hopefully when this weather finally breaks maybe we will get lots and lots of sap testing 2.5%. :)

[Flatlander]

Hey all
Still cold and snowy here as well. Didn't get quite the snow they were predicting but looks like we will still get the below zero temps for the week.

Woefully behind as normal. Got about half of the taps in. Rebuilt two lines. Still working on erecting sugar shed again. Had planned to build new sugar house last year but that didn't happen. Figured a new roof on the house needed more attention. Maybe this summer?

Hope everyone has a great year again as we did last last year.

May the squirrels be merciful!!

[MapleMounder]

Well we still have quite a bit of snow on the ground up here, hopefully it will diminish a little in the next few days. The 7 day forecast is calling for some high 30’s with a 46 and a 49 in there so I pulled the trigger and put about 40 taps in tonight after work. I had a dozen give me a few drips and several more were wet so maybe it is finally go time.

Flat is it running good down where you are?

Good luck to all this year! MapleMounder

[Flatlander]

Hey Mounder

sorry I'm out of touch more than I want to be. Most of my taps are now out. Missed calculated the number of new spikes I had so I still have about 20 to go once I get new supplies delivered.

Ran a little Thursday night and some Friday. Not much yesterday though its hard to tell when the squirrels are eating everything. I did collect 50 gals yesterday afternoon. Sap ran 2.6. Brother took half for beer making. Big beers. Should start to run well this week unfortunately work has me in Cook county again all week.

I ended up plowing snow here so I could get the mule through to the tanks. Still a foot of snow in the bottoms and the less sunny slopes.

Hope things go well for you and everyone else as week.

[MapleMounder]

Flat

We got some new trees this year and also misjudged, we need to order some more taps in the morning.

Has your brother made beer before with sap? I had someone ask about that the other day.

A week in cook county is a week too long. If I get East of Rte 47 I turn into a pumpkin!

Again good luck everyone! MapleMounder

[Flatlander]

Mounder

I wish it were only one week in Cook County. Have maybe two more weeks on this job and then 4 on the next one. I hate traffic! I've been by that pumpkin farm on Rt 47 south of Harvard. Is that where you turn into a pumpkin?

I have two brothers that make beer. The oldest has been using sap for quite a few years. He likes big beers, figures this batch at about 14 -15% once he is done. He'll take the sap (2.6%) and reduce 15 gals down to about 12 then use that as his "water" for the mash boil(?). I don't make beer, just drink it. His beers take a little getting used to, mostly on cold winter nights when you don't plan on doing anything after you start drinking it. They both use syrup as well. They each got about two gals last year. Porters, ales, maple wheats, etc all show up here at one point or another.

Nothing really ran yesterday. the tanks were pretty much still empty this last night. Froze up more than I thought it would over night. Maybe it'll run today.

Time to bottle today. Hope all goes well up that way.