Saybrook

[KevinS]

260 gal of sap so far. That should have been 500 plus. had I been able to put all the buckets out earlier


The good thing is the conversion to natural gas is going to be great! (at least until the bill get here ;)
but compared to fuel oil, it should be alright. Ran a new line directly from the meter 200 feet to the shack today. It is far enough to the house that there is a second regulator at the house. That regulator said Max Water column of 11 inches. So when I looked on the industrial burner regulator I had installed, it said max WC 11" so I though huh good to go... famous last words.... following that said over pressure will damage the regulator...
So I pressured up.. holding the pilot light button to purge air as I turned the valve.. and it stopped when I got the valve half way open. SO of course, apparently I killed the regulator. I was sitting with a bunch of sap. a new regulator of the same type and model online is 275 bucks.. I took the burner apart stuck it back in plumbed direct with black iron pipe and an extra valve. Now I am just throttling with valves.
then spent several hours tinkering with damming the flame to where I want it to go, to get an even boil. still a little weak at the back of the drop flues.so i will have to play with that tomorrow. plus get out there and hang the rest of the buckets! woot!

[KevinS]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=849717838387665&set=vb.100000483711234&type=2&theater

[KevinS]

Looks like the trees will get a rest for a few days. then pretty good temps in the forecast. not exactly ideal. but fair. I have a total of just under 80 buckets out and have made 14 gal so far. how about you other Il. people?

[KevinS]

Finally going to collect again! how about you other Illinoisians?

[Flatlander]

Ran hard yesterday and today. Unfortunately, I was gone yesterday. All the tanks were full when I got home today. Brought up 235 gals, still another 70 down in the woods. Sap is still running hard. By tonight I should have another 200 gals with the rain coming in. Seems to run well with the low pressure. Problem is no storage and the MUD..... probably get stuck a few times. Not sure what the weather will bring. Should stop running with the warmth but now they are talking another cool down early next week.

Sap running 2.2% today.

[KevinS]

I hope it is not too late for a warm spell this long.
I collected 220 gal yesterday eve. I wondered if part of it was not rain water. I know I tossed a bucket full when I collected because it was so off color. but it was not off color before the down pour just before I collected. Boiling proved if there was rain water in buckets, it sure was not much! I iced down the last 55 gal but of the 165 I cooked off I made 4 gal of syrup. so 41 to 1 ratio and the syrup started getting lighter. good luck today!

[MapleMounder]

Ran good yesterday and this morning so far. 75 gals last night and another 100 by 10 this morning. Thank goodness its spring break and the kids can help! Looks like a long weekend in the Sugarhouse:D

[KevinS]

LOL yes!
Too bad my kid is married and moved away! I did not get out of the shack until after 3 AM, sitting here looking blurry eyed at my computer...and get a facebook message that I have buckets running over...I thik I am going to let them run over until I finish my first cup of coffee! bad sugarer I know.

[Flatlander]

Kevin

I hung it up at midnight. Got up again about 6:30. I need my beauty sleep or I'm pretty ugly the next day. Been cooking since 9 AM. Last 50 gals being pumped in. Hope to done by dark. Too much on the plate this weekend. Got get everything done, cleaned up, so I can be busy with other things all weekend.

[MapleMounder]

Started about noon yesterday, finally shut down about 12:30 this AM, made some real nice syrup. Back at it this morning looks like a long day again, that's alright with me, although tired, really enjoy this time of year. Making sugar is like being a part of Norman Rockwell painting or something.

Now that I read this I am really sleep deprived!:confused:

[KevinS]

two cookin and canning until 3 am day in a row. The day before yesterday when I went to collect sap, my brother went out and fired the evap back up and proceeded to pull off a batch of candy...well nearly, he pulled it off at the cold line... I told him to not do that. apparently I was not clear enough... yesterday he went out and cooked again while I was collecting...
this time he ran 1 1/2 gal into the garbage can. he carried out the canner from where I washed it up that morning. and set it up. but did not close the valve...
I flat out told him very firmly that it is much better to learn how to run the **** thing by running it with a little supervision. not just blindly trying to fiqure it out. ( yes you CAN do that, but it is not the best way...)
so his reply was... I can cook for you in the morning before you get up....
I made sure that it was all cooked so he had nothing to boil... SMH... Sorry for the vent, just feeling a little frustrated

[KevinS]

I still made and canned 5 3/4 gallon yesterday. gee it could have been over seven...

[KevinS]

Collected and boiled 230 gal of sap since 11 Am yesterday. I am thinking that the collection today may very well be the last for 2014. sugar content seems to be dropping fast also.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=858360287523420&set=vb.100000483711234&type=2&theater
I would call this running fair, wouldn't you? BTW that is one of two taps on the tree. The other was running just as fast.

[KevinS]

Yeah MapleMounder. I agree :)

[MapleMounder]

Got in from the sugarhouse at 3:30 this am. Went to work till 11:00 and now back at it. Just collected sap, only about 50 gallons and most weren't running. It will be interesting to see what the next few days bring. Might be a late short season. Will say for some reason this year sugar content seems to up though, that's a good thing.

Good luck all!

[KevinS]

with the over night temps we had last night and as big as the reds blossoms are. plus 60 today... I never dreamed I would get good sap this eve. I had intended to go collect at first light today, since I cooked until near 5 AM. but I passed out instead. I went out this eve expecting to pull buckets. instead I came back with 95 gal of good sap. I did have some I had to pitch. some of the really sunny area trees did not produce more than a few cups.. and it was not good stuff. ( as you would expect.) the best of this years producers were still dripping steady when I came in.

[Sapster]

Pulled my taps yesterday. This year started out very slow but ended up just below that last few years for sap output. Ended up with 10gals per tap. On my last two batches, sap collected between 3/23-3/28 made light amber, and sap collected between 3/29-4/1 made medium amber. Hope everyone else is catching up.

[MapleMounder]

Thinking about doing the same, going to see what the freeze brings Friday & Saturday night but more than likely will pull them. No freezing in the forecast after that with high 50's each day with a 70 on Thurs. Overall it's been a decent season.

[KevinS]

I finished off the pan yesterday. I had boiled it a couple times to make sure it would keep and did not feel there was enough in there to do it again. Still have buckets out just in case I get a good run after the freeze tonight..
Bountiful harvest this year no matter what happens now!
A record even for this little hobby set up :)
contributed to by record sugar levels for me here in the early and mid season runs.
Very thankful!

[KevinS]

Pretty fond of this tree.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=862964183729697&set=a.383528998339887.114359.100000483711234&type=1&theater

[KevinS]

aw shucks..had to order a second case of quart jugs this year :) pulled the rest of the buckets today. 79 was my count.

[KevinS]

I put about 100 more maples in yesterday and the day before
Fall is better, but now is good

[MapleMounder]

Always good to keep on planting. We plant a bunch of 6' whips each fall but after a lot of research I think we are going to get on the waiting list for some of the super sweet RPM hard maples from Forest Keeling Nursery in Mo. They said it will be fall 2015 before they are ready but we are going to bite the bullet and do it. If it works out I will look like a brain child, if not I've done stupider things! Oh well you only live once.