March Journal

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

In high gear a lot to do nothing like waiting to the last minute gotta love procrastinatiom

[maple flats]

Me too. Last year I was all tapped by 1/20, this year I have not started. Each time I schedule tapping we get hit with either extreme cold or too much snow. The last time we headed to the woods it took us 2 hrs to break trail (to the top of the climb, did not go down the rest of the 1/3 mile trip in) with the snowmobile (kept getting stuck) and during that same time I made it up towards the top of the hill on the ATV with super lug tires about 100 yds. There I hit a drift about 5' deep and could not bust thru. Winter got the best of us. I now have my 4 pr. of snowshoes ready to try again next Saturday. Maybe if we do get 40 degrees on Wed. as forecast the fluffy snow might settle enough that the snowmobile can make a trail. When I tried even my biggest snowshoes last week I sank down about 2'. Breaking trail like that is just too slow going.

[PACMAN]

Your not the only one Flat lander. I've got a lot to do myself.

[wiam]

We tapped about 75 late yesterday afternoon. Going back today. But first thing this morning I had my tire guy patching a loaded rear tractor tire.

[bowtie]

Looks like Saturday thru Monday will be first run and I have a lot to do. I still can not get up the hill to tap and walking up over 3/4 mile with buckets is not an option, I will try my ranger(utv) Monday, but I doubt I will get very far. Had intentions of driving my tractor over this weekend but kids had a bunch of things going and had to change a bearing in the Tahoe, and today my oldest son(12 yr old)had a doctor appointment and found out he needs to have a screw in his hip to keep joint from slipping, doc says it is common but it will keep him sidelined for up to 3 months, so he will not be in the woods much with me, hopefully he will be ready for youth turkey season. I will try to get all tapped before Saturday if possible, do not really want to miss any runs but the weather, (snow), has really thrown a monkey wrench in my plans.

[NhShaun]

I am a little behind as well, and still have work full time for two weeks ahead. But after that I'm taking the rest of the time off for the syrup season. As much as everyone wants it to come now... I was hoping it would hold off another week or two! Luckily i have all my trails packed down from the snowmobile and I'm ready to tap.

[lakeview maple]

I got the first 300 done on the worse section, lots of snow and really steep. Ive got another 600 to go but there a lot easier access and hopefully not as much squirrel damage. I hoping to get the rest in by Saturday of this week and be ready for next week , Al

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

ok took some big green farm tractor out into the fields with chains and spent 3 hr scooping and plowing snow. main line stretched now need hammer drill and generator to punch through frost.

cant do much tonight have a big meeting about the socialist tree huggers and how they are going to make us working class people are going to throw trash away. by 2020 no more food in trash bags it pollutes the ground I guess.

[Sugarmaker]

This weeks forecast doesn't look good. Next week looks better. Snow is very deep where we tap. Lines are up.
Water line froze and broke under sugarhouse. Wind chill today is probably about 0 F.
Less than two weeks from open house Taste and Tour.
Made maple mustard and Maple BBQ Saturday.
Regards,
Chris

[maplwrks]

Get those taps in. Make your repairs. Test fire the evaporator. Relax. You've got 2 weeks before the sap will think about running. I disagree with some of you about the frost. Out in the open fields here, the frost went deep. We don't have any maples in the fields here. In the woods, I think there is some frost, probably not more than 6" or so. I was staking a line just before the storm in January, and had no problems driving stakes in the ground. Out in the fields was a different story.
I think this year is shaping up to be a normal sugaring season. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the 3rd week of March is the week for maple syrup here. Relax! Take the next week to shovel paths to your trees, or go back to making doilies with the girls!

[super sappy]

I tapped in a couple hundred taps today cuz I was born in vermont and its town meeting day tomorrow.I agree with mike look out on the 3 rd week of march and put on your swimmies . The big sap flow is coming soon = GO VOTE TOMORROW

[maple flats]

Finally looking like maple weather most of the rest of the month. We start tapping Sat. Will most likely be snowshoes, but we'll try getting the snowmobile in with a jet sled to haul supplies. I also have pull handles I made for 2 such sleds (made using emt) if we need to pull the sleds, the handles work much better than ropes and they swap to solid towbars for behind snow mobile and ATV in seconds. With so much snow in the woods my guess is that we will need to lift lines from under the snow to relevel and tap.

[sjdoyon]

Tried to make it to the top of the sugarbush today (2,400+ elevation section), snow started pushing over the top of the Argo. Had to turn around. Snow is very soft. Thankfully lifted mainlines last fall up to five feet plus off the ground. Still have some clearance under the mainlines.

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

Spent the day in the sugar house still getting ready. Went to CDL this morning and got some supplies and they have totes for sale so I grabbed one for a transfer tank, half the price of a pickup tank. Hope the temps break things up and we get some sap moving:cool:

[jrthe3]

after 3 days of trying to fix leaks on my ro after changing membranes i find out that the new caps i hard to order where brittish threads so ready to ring some necks

[maple flats]

We're going to the woods tomorrow. Going to attempt breaking trail with the snowmobile. If that gets stuck, we'll all be walking in on snowshoes. If we can bust trail with the snowmobile, after several times in and out, the ATV will likely make it. That goes thru up to 25-30" of light and fluffy, but with a crust that it breaks thru, it won't go at all most likely.
Tomorrow will be my first time using my new Hot End system. I got an extra battery, I hope it like it as much as what I've read others like it.
I hope no new big trees came down, we had everything fixed and cleaned up between Christmas and Jan 9, but have not been able to get in since with the machines.

[maple flats]

It ended up being a snowshoe day. The snowmobile got stuck 4 times just trying to get out the 1st 100'. I decided I really like the Hot End system, very quick and easy. My only complaint is the weight of the battery, but I guess it's worth it. My first battery ran for 6 hours. I thought that was good.

[bowtie]

Tried to get to sugarbush today, yeah right. Made it about 100 yds up the hill and that was with my 4x4 tractor, and that was a mess, broke a line trying to use bucket to get unstuck. I have at least 3/4 of mile uphill left to go, might try my snowblower tomorrow. If that does not work and I doubt it will I will miss at least the first week of runs. I thought about trying to get a bulldozer but at around $500 dollars to get someone top plow it is not worth it. The crappy thing is if I had a dozer it would take about 2-3 hours to drive up and back, but so is life. This winter sucks!!!

[nace]

It looks like Thursday March 5th was our last freeze here in southern Kentucky and I suppose it will run dry till next year. Last boil tomorrow. Good luck y'all!

[maple flats]

Finally, yesterday was my first boil, from accumulated sap from 8 days to have enough to fire up the first time. I finally had enough to boil for 3 hrs. after running the RO. Did not get to my first draw, was 3 degrees light yet at shutdown. It now looks like the next 2 weeks will be good and busy. For me this is actually good timing, I don't have to return to work until 4/7 and then I took 4/8 off in the afternoon (I drive school bus, done in morning about 9:00 AM), then I drive am and pm on 4/9 and 4/10 , then 2 days off for the weekend. This should get me past the rush, and then it will be slowing (or stopping?). We are on Spring Break, a time when I often am on after season cleanup, this year I just started.
Sugar %, I've had quite a broad range, from 1.8 up to 5.2% from individual trees. The batch yesterday, blended from all previous hauls over several days, was still at 3.2%, and it had 1" of ice on top in the tank. From washing other tanks, including my head tank and cleaning to RO to be ready to process 2 days earlier, must be I didn't drain my hoses good enough, all had some ice in them someplace in the hose. What a pain in the a$$. I will be more careful from now on.
Flow should start again today shortly after noon and might run all night. I'm sure glad gas prices are down because my pumps both run on gas.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

made another 7 gal so around 43 total

[maple2]

We are at 40% of a crop.Mostly light syrup.The cold weather has been good for keeping the sap cold and clear

[brookledge]

definately a different season. I'm at .33 gallons per tap and the grade has been amber from day one till now. I should have no problem reaching a half gallon per tap.
Keith