who has yet to light the fire for 14?

[Bentley Wood Maple]

We generally get busy around the 10th, have boiled as early as feb 13. I have not seen the 1st of march pass with out at least sweetening the pans. Had a sm run around the 24th and another early this week. Almost enough to get the pans wet and then shut down. I do like the 16+ inches of icy hard pack in the woods.
Gonna replace a pump this afternoon then wait on the weather...

[regor0]

We still have 38" of snow. No sap running yet, which is a good thing for me, still have lots of taps to put in. Looks like it won't be till next Friday that it gets above freezing.
Last year it didn't start running till around early April.

[Flat Rock Farmers]

We haven't even tapped yet. Been too cold and a huge amount of snow in the woods.
Maybe next weekend if this weather ever cooperates!

[Spolcik]

only have 50 taps this year only collected 12 gallons of sap. hopeing this week breaks loose.

[Swagner]

Flat Rock where exactly in Vermont do you live. I currently live in Ma but bought a piece in Troy on the back side of Jay peak. Hoping to be their within a couple of years. Was just wondering when you normally tap and how long it usually runs too

[Clinkis]

Haven't put a tap in yet. Never have I not made syrup by the first week in march. Still sounds like at least a week until we will have favourable weather. Only silver lining is I broke my ankle a couple weeks ago playing hockey and this late start is giving me a chance to heal up enough so I can get a walking cast. If season had been usual time then I most likely would have been unable to make syrup!

[maplestudent]

Haven't had enough sap to boil yet, so my answer is No.

of course, if I had a sugar shack to boil in.....I might have already started a fire just for he sake of starting a fire

[Yellzee]

no luck here in Quinte, about 100 miles east of Toronto, almost enough to sweeten the pans but too cold at night to leave it in there.

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

Hey Bentley wood maple. I'm not far away up in Comstock last Sunday sweetened the pans and looks like maybe try sat afternoon again ? Maybe ? I'll try to swing down your way sometime on the weekend. Good luck to ya !!

[Ittiz]

I've only got a couple gallons from my 18 taps, so I haven't boiled.

[sap retreiver]

Whole lotta nadda here in so. nh. Me and my son hung 5 buckets just so we can say we did it this year other wise i wasnt going to even tap.. I don't think theres 3" in them so i didnt bother collecting, maybe that'll keep them on the trees

[Wanabe1972]

Tapped in yesterday and it warmed up a bit today and sat is supposed to be 40 here. I just set the temp controller on my vacuum to auto so we will see. I'm going to flush the RO tonight and with any luck will be putting sap to it soon.

[palmer4th]

around 200 in and I have 40 gallons to show!!! I made 20 gallons by this time last year! I hope to put out 100 buckets next week to make up for a poor season. I have been trying to stay away from them because of time.. maybe by the 20th things will let loose!

[cbhansen]

350 km north of Toronto and it's still winter so nothing yet. I don't expect to see any significant sap for another week or so.

[PACMAN]

Nothing as of yet. Took two weeks to tap because of the snow. They have been in now for 3 weeks and have about 1 half inch in the tank thats frozen solid. No fires lit as of yet.

[Shawn]

Tapped out the 19th of last month, when we had the two warm days during a weekend had about fifty gallons but not enough to fire up, that is where it stands and after this last snow dump of a foot and rain and then ice and -10 this morning not much going on. Warm up tomorrow but then cold again.

[wall hollow]

Got 50 gallons out of 60 taps over the last week. Going to boil for the first time tomorrow.

[Run Forest Run!]

First sap started dripping today. Can't wait until I've got enough to boil up a first batch, but with the forecasted temps, I doubt that will be until the middle or end of next week.

[eagle lake sugar]

Nothing happening here yet, but that's normal for this area. We're at the northern tip of Maine, north of the majority of the Canadian population and it doesn't usually run here until almost April.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Randy going to break his cherry tomorrow afternoon byob and driver

[sjdoyon]

the three small runs we've had probably dumped 800 gallons. Not worth it to store in our concentration tank for 2-3 weeks. Still have not boiled yet but just digging out of this two feet of snow. Back to tightening the system up this weekend so we are ready for next weekend.

[maple flats]

I have not had a fire yet. I had 3 times so far that I got up to 260 gal over a 3 day period. Not worth starting yet. Dumped them as the weather got radically colder each time. I'll check tomorrow, but I doubt it yet. For me it looks like a tease next Thursday and then maybe for real starting in 9 days. If I could believe the forecast then, it looks like almost 4 weeks of good sap weather. If that holds true, I'll be boiling later in the year than ever before. Time will tell.
It becomes hard to trust the extended forecast when they get so far off just 1 day out!

[SWEETER CREATIONS]

Start a fire ? HARDLY , cant even find the matches so much snow. Trees have been tapped since 2/15 not even a drip yet. GOOD LUCK to all of you . Mike

[newmod]

Boiled down 40 gallons last week. Should have 100 gallons by tomorrow morning. Weather is looking good for more to come
newmoe

[tendermason]

Boiled down 160 gallons back on the 23rd and have 65 frozen gallons in tank now.

[DonMcJr]

I tapped a week ago yesterday and only have about 10 gallons of sap and most of that is from today...All ready to light the fire just need more SAP!

[sweetwater sugar shack]

Just finished 2 gallons up to 3 now

[DaveB]

I have not had a fire yet. I had 3 times so far that I got up to 260 gal over a 3 day period. Not worth starting yet. Dumped them as the weather got radically colder each time. I'll check tomorrow, but I doubt it yet. For me it looks like a tease next Thursday and then maybe for real starting in 9 days. If I could believe the forecast then, it looks like almost 4 weeks of good sap weather. If that holds true, I'll be boiling later in the year than ever before. Time will tell.
It becomes hard to trust the extended forecast when they get so far off just 1 day out!

If you're talking about Accuweather, I wouldn't trust it more than a week out. I'm a meteorologist and can tell you that most guidance is only good for details and about 7 days for a general idea. Beyond that it's only good for hints of patterns, etc. One tool I like to look at beyond a week out is the ensemble forecasts which are many variations of the same model. Looking at the consensus can give you an idea of any trends - goes along with the old adage that somewhere between the extremes lies the truth. Here's a look at a graph for your area (http://www.weather.us/newWindow.php?x=NY_ALBANY) (it's for Albany so you'll have to adjust accordingly). Here's a table (http://wxweb.meteostar.com/sample/sample.shtml?text=Krme) from the output of the latest model run for Rome. They only go for 16 days so I'll let you figure how AW makes up a forecast beyond that.

I've yet to boil myself for a couple of reasons...It's just been too cold here like everyone else. Things are starting to loosen up and I have several hundred gallons that I'll be boiling this weekend with hopes of additional sap tomorrow as temps climb into the 40s! It'll be a heat wave!

[sweetwater sugar shack]

I have made 3 gallons so far

[Stamford sugarmaker]

Dave B,

What site do you generally use for forecasting during the sugaring season?

Peter

[Drew Pond Maple]

Haven't even fired the 'evaporator yet here in Plymouth NH. Had a couple of days that ran but not enough to start the fire. Ran some more lines today and the snow is 3' deep still. What a PITA with all my tools and gear. Hopefully tomorrow it will run.

[jeffeich]

Still waiting here in NE Iowa, a few taps dripping just enough to tease you, but nothing yet. Snow is melting some, hopefully in a couple days we can start cooking. Have 400 taps out and no sap.

450 taps
6080 AC with loader
2 JD gators
2x8 Smoky Lake Evaporator

[slammer3364]

Fired up for a test boil in St Marys Pa,new stainless stack,the way sap is running that may be the only boil this year.Talked to some people doing excavating the frost is three to five feet deep its any wonder the sap is not running.

[Jmsmithy]

Here in Southwestern Adirondacks got 14" overnight wed into Thursday. Close to 3' in the woods. Everything frozen solid. Just finished firebricking so it's ok :lol:
Hope to tap next weekend...after plumbing everything, stacking firewood etc etc...:cool: late start this year!!

[DaveB]

Dave B,

What site do you generally use for forecasting during the sugaring season?

Peter

I do a lot of it on my own looking at different models and data but if I'm in a pinch, I'll just use the NWS because I know the forecast it put together by a group of people in my area. Like I said though, forecasts are usually only good a a few days out and at most a week. For you, here's a link to the Burlington NWS office and the graph/table for the latest model guidance for VT:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/btv/
http://www.weather.us/newWindow.php?x=VT_MONTPELIER
http://wxweb.meteostar.com/sample/sample.shtml?text=Kmpv

Mainly I just take what I get but it does help in planning sometimes since I can only boil 3-4 days a week with my regular work schedule.

[Flat Rock Farmers]

Swagner,
We live in Irasburg. Last year was our first season going all out into sugaring so I don't have a really good
time frame on an average time of tapping and such. This past season we tapped on February 22. Our first
run was on March 9th. Last run was April 24th. Almost two months but the season was strange with many
freezes and thaws.

[Geroldn]

Last year i just started with 12 buckets and a 20 gallon galvanized tub to boil over an open fire. I started 1st week of March and missed a couple of runs and ran into mid-April, but it was enough to get me hooked. This year i have 105 taps gravity tubing and another 15 taps on sap sacks, buckets, and tubing to buckets. I tapped 3 weeks ago and have had 3 small runs of only 50 gallons total. All froze solid the night after each run and is still there in a solid block. No fires for me.

[TheMapleMoose]

Still very much winter in northern Maine. -4 tonight. No sap in sight.

[steve J]

Yet to fire but maybe it could happen Thursday but I just look at the long range forecast and it could be still another week after Thursday this season is going to stink at this point.

[markcasper]

No fire and no taps in either. Snowstorm for tomorrow, a day or two of 40 degrees, then it is to get really cold by the weekend and into next week, and since weather systems move east, it'll be that much later for you's in the east.

[maplestudent]

Was able to light the fire yesterday. I had put in 64 taps the previous weekend.....haven't had much of a run even with an occasional warm day, but had a total of about 25 gallons of sap by the end of the day on Saturday, which was great for a test run of my rebuilt/extended barrel evaporator. boiled it down to about 2 quarts yesterday.

[cncaboose]

Minus 12 here this morning. No fire yet but we did get crazy and tapped over the weekend.

[antelope76]

Thought I was going to have enough to fire up the evaporator this past weekend but that didn't happen. Definitely the end of this week and this weekend should be the first boil for me, finally!!!

I have 50 taps in since the first week of March and only have around 50 gallons of sap total so far. The frost just doesn't want to let loose.

[sg5054]

i collected about 100 - 150 gallons but it froze solid in the storage tank. I'm debating trying to gently heat the tank and melt the block. I haven't lit a fire yet.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

We hope to evaporate on Saturday the 22nd even if its only to make sweet water. the 2x6 raised flue maple pro evaporator tales 25 gallons of sap to flood it. I will gather Wednesday.

[WindyPoplars]

We are WAY up north, so it will be another 2-4 weeks. We will tapa couple trees in 2 weeks, so we can keep an eye on what is happening.

[ROCKRIVERMAPLES]

Will have 1st boil on friday.had an OK late run today.