CampHamp
04-16-2015, 05:32 PM
I pulled the taps yesterday. It was still running a bit under vac, but trees are budding. I didn't run water through the lines to clean this year, but did suck all sap through and tubing seems pretty dry.
My last batch was my only dark this year, with a hint of molasses flavor. The first two were golden and the 10 other batches, amber. I was at 2% until the melt, then at 1% (and even fell below 1% for a couple days). Tons of sap at the end! Needed to fell about 15 standing dead to finish up.
Final tally, with 115 hard maple taps (excluding the 4 air-leak ones I pulled) was 58 gallons of syrup -- 5 more than last year.
I had my Shurflo pump drawing 26" most of the season. I have the pump rigged up nicely now and didn't have to touch the thing accept to clean a clogging filter towards the end.
The warm weather feels especially good this year. It was a tough winter - burned more firewood than ever before. We got huge ice dams with all the snow (bad roof insulation to our log home) and they broke some gutters, an outside spigot and deck railing when they came crashing down. These repair projects (maybe heat tape on roof?) and firewood are my next activities...
My brother came out for 3 weeks from the west coast to help out and had many friends and even a group of monks visit from next door. Having company makes this hobby all the more fun.
Wishing you all the best. See you next year!
My last batch was my only dark this year, with a hint of molasses flavor. The first two were golden and the 10 other batches, amber. I was at 2% until the melt, then at 1% (and even fell below 1% for a couple days). Tons of sap at the end! Needed to fell about 15 standing dead to finish up.
Final tally, with 115 hard maple taps (excluding the 4 air-leak ones I pulled) was 58 gallons of syrup -- 5 more than last year.
I had my Shurflo pump drawing 26" most of the season. I have the pump rigged up nicely now and didn't have to touch the thing accept to clean a clogging filter towards the end.
The warm weather feels especially good this year. It was a tough winter - burned more firewood than ever before. We got huge ice dams with all the snow (bad roof insulation to our log home) and they broke some gutters, an outside spigot and deck railing when they came crashing down. These repair projects (maybe heat tape on roof?) and firewood are my next activities...
My brother came out for 3 weeks from the west coast to help out and had many friends and even a group of monks visit from next door. Having company makes this hobby all the more fun.
Wishing you all the best. See you next year!