Tapped about 10 trees

[Tor Haxson]

I tapped about 10 trees that I have on a run of 3/16 gravity tubing. I tapped them about a week ago.

A few of the south facing trees where beginning to be slightly moist yesterday.

I suspect some action when I get out there today with the 50 degree weather.

I might tap another 10 trees today.

I only tap about 40 trees, location athens county ohio.

--
Tom

[dobbs4m16]

Tapped 70 trees here in Georgetown, Ohio today. Believe it is time to get underway. Plan is to begin the boil tomorrow, and tap more trees tomorrow. Anyone else tapping ?

[Tor Haxson]

Sounds fun over in Georgetown, nice area. Hope you have a nice boil and a good year.

-update-
My sap was running but not the whole line.

I let an unknown amount of sap run onto the ground to clear the lines. It was running on the ground when I got out there.

Tested the Specific gravity and it was so low I thought my refractometer was broke. Walked the line and it seems like the reds and the sugars that are on top of the hill and catch some morning sun are running, the trees in the shadow of the ridge are dry.

So 3 reds and 2 sugars are running, but very little sugar between 1 and 2 brix, boiling down about 5 gallons of sap on the stove.

I hope the sugar content starts to rise as the run goes on, I like boiling but I do not like it that much.


--
Tor

[asknupp]

We tapped out yesterday. About 160-180. Need to go back out and count as we were trying to rush around to all the properties. It ran really well yesterday. Just wish we would have gotten things tapped earlier. The next two weeks sound ideal for some good runs.

[Tor Haxson]

Well this cold snap is a bit of a surprise, but in my opinion it is a much needed break.

I was not ready, tapped only about one quarter of my available trees and was having trouble keeping up. I am still on steam pans over cinder blocks.

So it is nice to catch my breath, get ready to tap the rest of the trees and enjoy the run that should start in early February.

Maybe that sap will spend some time in the roots and accumulate some high octane sugar for the next run.

--
Tor

[bowhunter]

It must be nice. Up here in Northwester Ohio we've had no sap since January 21st. The long range forecast really suckered me and I tapped early this year thinking February was going to be ideal. Looks like a bust now. March is going to be frantic.

[buckeye gold]

Things are not going as hoped down here in southern Ohio either. Now I'm glad I fall/early season tapped and made syrup. I pulled all those and put out about half my usual taps (100 is all in so I have 50 out) about 10 days ago. I've had one good run, one medium and three or four very small runs. I looked through my records and I am usually tapped and all in by January 31st and the latest I have ever been all tapped is February 5th. By the current forecast I will be lucky to have all my taps out by Februrary 10th. There was one other year like this and I had a three week season, because in March it turned suddenly warm and I was done March 3rd. After last years disaster I was really hoping for a better season. My only hope is that the cold holds down into March, but my latest date to boil is March 12th.

[RC Maple]

I would have assumed some of these days that it has gotten to 35-40+ degrees that there would have been more sap. Every time it has gotten warm like that I have been groaning to myself that I haven't tapped anything yet. I am hoping for early Feb maybe next weekend? The accuweather forecast for this neck of the woods doesn't have one day in February that gets into the 40's. I find that hard to believe none the less I would appreciate an encouraging forecast. I do hope your get some runs here and there until things really get going. I am still looking at the numbers and looking forward to making some steam.