Wv Mapler Tapped 02/17

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Spent most of the day tapping the 2 south side bushes yesterday which consisted of around 360 taps. Temp was 5 below in the sugarhouse yesterday morning and about 10 outside. With the wind chill, it made for interesting tapping weather along with the snow and ice on the ground. It finally warmed up to about 20 in the afternoon and started snowing. Definitely the most adverse weather I have ever tapped in. Looks like quite a warmup starting tommorrow and I hope to get the 140 taps on the north side tapped on Wed or Thurs. If the forecast holds out, sap should start running about Wed as it will take at least a couple of days for the trees to get thawed out from the 5 weeks of well below normal temps and some sub zero temps.

[lharris1]

Congratulations Brandon. You are a tough one. I'm sure I do not have the stamina for that. If we get our taps in Monday & Tuesday I will not be able to get on line till probably Friday to post it.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sap started running a little this evening as the temps hit 40 today with lots of sun. Supposed to be in 40's next 2 days with some rain and then 50's the rest of the week. I am going to get up early before work and try to get in the other 140 on the north side in the morning. Looks like it may be a huge run, likely the largest first run I have had in a long time. May be boiling every day Wed thru Sat.

[Sugarmaker]

Brandon,
Sounds like you are right into it. If you get a break give us a update.:)
Hope you have a good season!

Regards,
Chris

[royalmaple]

Go get em brandon.

Are you getting time off from work to boil or just at night? Keep the heat for a couple more weeks. I need some time still. Then put the fans on to blow some heat up this way. Maybe with all the southern steam following the jet stream it will get us warmer in a couple of weeks.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Hammer time- I'm so far behind i might be able to get my 2 taps in by Mid- March?? Got 1 softwood and 1 hardwood to tap. Lost focus last summer=Though i seen gold and got Sh-t.

Gotta spend some of my moldy money pretty soon Brandon=I came out of Bascom's this moring $3750 lighter. ): ): Or i should say in the hole.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I went over this morning before work and tapped the 156 taps I had on the north side in 2 hours and 15 minutes. They were running a little, so hopefully there will be some sap to boil this weekend. The ground is still frozen hard and it rained today and was overcast, so doubt they ran much on the north or south sides. The forecast has been downgraded later this week, so it is the old wait and see game. I will take off early tommorrow and go check on everything as I didn't have time to check anything this morning.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Kevin,

Did you buy out Bascoms???? Better get on the ball, if you miss this season too, you are going to forget how to even make syrup!!!!LOL

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

I was only about 3 million $'s short of doing that ????

[Tomahawk]

Go get 'em Brandon! Good luck!

I drilled FOUR taps today and had little to no immediate flow but I'm expecting bigger things this week. After many weeks of sub-freezing temps the weather broke today to 38 degrees. Forecasts show above and below freezing trend to continue thru next week.

Since you usually ask me, here's my ten-day:
Feb 20-47°/33° Feb 21-45°/28° Feb 22-45°/26° Feb 23-33°/17° Feb 24-38°/22° Feb 25-37°/33° Feb 26-48°/31° Feb 27-47°/31° Feb 28-41°/28° Mar 1-45°/31°

Talk soon.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

Hey Brandon,
let me know when you get some fresh syrup made. Id like to buy a half gallon off you. Sorry to say, but We are not tapping this year, but next season we will be. Im going to purchase a smaller rig. Gotta pay my 750 JD off this year first..

Do you take pay-pal??

Thanks
Charlie

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Charlie,

Sounds great and you can paypal me. Hate to hear you are not tapping this year but congrats on the great tractor purchase. About April or May would be a good time to pick up a small used unit as a lot of people are looking for upgrades.

Great to hear from ya, I had been wondering where you were.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

Brandon, Just let me know when you have it and give the the cost with shipping..

Use USPS PIORITY 2-3 DAY..
and what address to paypal it to..

I will be looking around june ,july for a unit..I still have the home made rig, but tossed all my milk jugs out, oh well, been meaning to get some from you anyway..

Thanks
Charlie

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Seems like the longer I make syrup which has been a long time, the less I know or can predict. I gathered between 250 and 300 gallon of sap yesterday that had ran from Mon to Wed. Temps have been 40 to 45 all week with no freezing at night since Sunday night but the sap isn't hardly running at all. What amazes me the most is that the sun was out nearly all day monday and again today and the ground is still frozen as hard as a rock. Mud, mud, mud would be an understatement. Lots of rain Tues night and 12 inches of snow in place when the thaw started and you can't even imagine the mud. There is water in places I never knew water could exist and no it is not flooding any.

We seldom ever get much freezing of the ground and if so, it normally thaws in 2 to 3 days. In places where the ground has been exposed since Monday and the sun and rain have hit, it is still as hard as a rock. The ground was super satured before the deep freeze hit about 6 weeks ago, so I guess the ground is just one big huge chunk of ice and at the rate it is going, it will be April and past syrup season before it thaws. By this Sat last year, season was 1/2 over and I had made half of last years crop or more. Usually by this time, the sap has ran for 2 weeks and we are well on our way. We will have to wait and see, but it is supposed to be cold tonight thru Sat and then warm back up. We normally get 15 days in March and 20 max, so it is not looking good at this point and sugar content seems very low.

[powerdub]

If you have a lot of frost in the ground your sugar will be low for a while. Hang on, it won't be long before all he-- heck breaks loose and you will get more sap than you can ever imagine. (at least that is my prayer for you) I hope you have an awesome season, it sound like it is off to a good start. Lots of moisture in and on top of the ground for the trees to make lots of sap.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Scott,

Thanks and I hope that is the way it happens, but it's up to God now as I am ready and have done everything I can. I am only concerned as the season is over here about the time most of you are just getting cranking.

Kind of a side note, I went up add some weight to my tank covers on Monday and saw a squirrel running from one of my trees as I was driving up on the tractor. Didn't think much about it and then yesterday I went up and checked my lines as I had extra time and low and behold I found something I have never seen. I had about 10 to 15 taps that were chewed off or half off at either the shank, below the shank on the tubing, the entire head off of one or two Leader taps and a couple on the spout just outside the tree. I have never seen anything like it, but it devoured them to an extent I have never saw. I borrowed a gun and went back later yesterday evening, but no avail. Today, I got off a little early and went over with my trusty 12gauge model 10 and slipped in undetected and was standing there watching when Mrs Fox decided to jump on a tree. She saw me about the time I started to raise my gun and tried to run, but at about 50 yards, she got a rear full and then I went down and knocked her in the head with a stick. I hope she was the culprit. She hadn't done any more noticeable damage since I repaired everything yesterday. Guess it is because she could get to the ground for food. I went over to my north bush later this evening and slung 2 rounds at another fox running about 60+ yards. Don't think I killed him, but hopefully he got the message.

[VA maple guy]

Brandon, by this time last year I was about a week to ten days from being finished. yesterday and today was the first two days I collected any sap. Only about forty five gallons. Hopefully tomorrow will be the first real good run.
I guess those stainless spouts are starting to look pretty good. I'll bet those little varmits will have a tough time chewing through them.
If you want to really reach out and touch them, try a turkey load.
Somthing like a 3 3/4 or 4 dram 1 1/2 oz load of #4 or #5 shot with a full choke. I've killed them out to 75 yards with that load.
Gerry

[Sugarmaker]

Brandon,
I agree with Scott,
The weather conditions sound just like normal good season conditions up here. If I were you I would get some rest between squirrel hunts and get ready for some awesome runs!
I did get my first run of about 40 gallons of sap. I dumped some and some is Frozen solid at this time since it was zero again last night.
Regards,
Chris

[powerdub]

no sugarin weather here. Even the ski area was only half open due to the wind. Temp didn't get above twenty today and with the wind it felt like twenty below. Odd thing was if you could get out of the wind and in the sun it felt like fifty out. I hope your getting runs down there now. Someone has to be.

[mapleman3]

Well Brandon, I hope you get a monster run, Sorry I was busy when you called, I had someone who has horses talking to me asking me to move a bucket so they could get to their water hydrant, I got out about 150 today, finish up the next few days, maybe boil tues night if the sap runs.. I'll talk with you soon.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Collected around 275 last Wed and then around 425 on Sat. Boiled off most of it Sat and left the rest for tommorrow along with the aprox 500 gallons I collected today.

[brookledge]

Brandon
How much have you made and whats the grade?
I'm hoping to season my pans this week
Keith

[powerdub]

No post for a couple of days from WVM....Must be the sap is pouring in.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Not sure what the grade is, I just boil and store and can and grade later. Most of it seems light or med, but it don't really matter too much. Nearly everyone wants dark here, so grades don't matter too much to me. I would like to make 85% dark, 5% light and 10% B and that would satisfy everyone. Go figure.

Gathered around 500 gallon Monday that had ran from dark Sat evening and gathered another 550 gallon this evening that had ran since Monday evening. Hope to start gathering around 12 or 1 tommorrow and hopefully get another 500 or so gallons. Supposed to start raining tommorrow, so things will likely start slowing down. Sugar content was 2.4 monday which is the highest I have ever seen to around 1.5 to 1.6 today.

Shooting for another 1000 gallon of sap this week which would put me around 2000+ for the week. It was pouring this evening at dark and hopefully a small freeze tonight.

Rain for two days and then cold Sat and Sunday and gradual warmup after that. I would like to be at 50 gallon syrup by Sat evening which would be in 8 days of which I will have only boiled 5 of the 8 and then I can hopefully coast after that.

[powerdub]

You go Brother!! He He!!

[brookledge]

Brandon
Sounds good
Keith

[Sugarmaker]

Brandon sounds like you got the weather and were ready. We just haven't gotten good weather yet! 50 Gallons is great!

Sugarmaker

[Parker]

Sounds like all your hard work is paying off,,madey the sugar content will hold out for you this year!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Well, sap was pouring Wed at dark about as hard as I have ever saw it run and then the temp dropped from 45 to 25 in less than 2 hours. Later in the night it warmed back up and started raining the next day, but the sap never started again. Sure is strange the way it acts sometimes. It had frozen the prior 3 or 4 nights and then the rain comes, and it refuses to run. Ended up with close to 1400 gallons of sap for the week and finished off 29.5 gallons of syrup that was mostly med and some dark. Drew off a few gallons yesterday that haven't been finished. Weather looks good for this coming week. It was in teens last night, again tonight and tommorrow night and a gradual warmup and no freezing after thurs as far as 10 day shows. I am hoping to get 1500 gallon or more of sap this week as it could end this weekend. Usually it will go 1 more week past this week and 2 more weeks every few years, but the long range is warmer.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sap was pouring again today. It has been cold at night for several days and warmed up close to 50 today with lots of sun and man did it pour. I picked up 625 gallons that had ran since Monday with most of it today and it was still pouring when I left before dark. Hope to start boiling around 5 tommorrow morning and then my help is coming around 9 so I can go to work and then head back over to the sugarhouse around 2 or so to collect tommorrow. Looks good thru Sat and then 55 to 60 every day thru next weekend. Either way, if the sap keeps running like this until Sat, we could get 1500 to 2000 gallon of sap this week and it would make it a good season. I was kinda tired before the season started, so if it ends this week, it will have been 2 good weeks back to back and a pretty good season for 3 weeks.

[markcasper]

Nothing wrong with good production! If you get beat and half to shut down, commercial will probably be pretty close in price this year. Make all you can Brandon!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Picked up another aprox 530 gallons today and sap still running good. Supposed to get to about 24 tonight and then 46 tommorrow. After tommorrow, it is supposed to be 55 to 65 every day thru next weekend with above freezing at night also, so it will likely be over. Hopefully I can get another 770 gallons of sap between this evening and Sat night and that would put me at 4000 for the season and aprox 75 gallons of syrup, so I would be happy especially in less than 3 weeks.

[Parker]

Brandon,,Good luck and keep after it!! When you are all cleaned up come on up and Ill put you to work!! You can make a bunch more up here!!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Picked up aprox 425 more gallons this evening and sap still running fairly good but slowing down some. Hope it will continue to run thru tommorrow evening and get another 300 to 400 gallons tommorrow and then I will sanitize all the tanks in the woods and buckets as I did last Sat and pull the lines out of the tanks and the buckets this time and let it dribble on the ground. Supposed to get cold next Friday and Sat, so hopefully it will fire it up again and will let what little bit runs after tommorrow night run onto the ground until the next cold spell. Hopefully this warm weather won't kill it, I still have enough wood for another 1200 to 1500 gallons of sap after tommorrow, but if it ends tommorrow, I should be close to 4,000 gallons of sap in just over 2.5 weeks on 500 taps!

Boiled off aprox 675 gallons today with my dad boiling off the majority of it and about 250 in milk tank to fire up with in the morning.

[Parker]

That sounds like the best runs you have had scince I have been reading your posts 4? years.......How many gallons have you made,,what has been the grade,,what is the sugar content like?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Finished boiling off close to 600 gallon more yesterday that ran Fri and Sat. Sap pretty much stopped running by yesterday evening, so I pulled all the lines out of the tanks and sanitized all the tanks and buckets. Hoping for another cold spurt this coming week, but awful warm between now and then. It has only been 3 weeks since I tapped, so hopefully the holes won't dry up before it gets cold again if it does. It is getting late in the season here as it normally ends around the 15 to 20th of March. So far, I have boiled off 3,960 gallons of sap in the last 15 days with a 2x8 and only boiling 7 times, with close to 3,300 of it coming in the last 2 weeks which is a lot of sap for a 2 week period for 500 taps. I would guess I am somewhere around 70 gallons of syrup as the sugar has been low again this year. Be nice to get another 800 to 1000 gallons of sap to finish off the year as I need as much dark syrup and B as possible.

Everything is cleaned and sanitized except evaporator, so we'll wait and see. If it doesn't happen, then that is fine as it has been a pretty good year. I have about 200 more taps than I need, but since vaccum is not practical for me with taps scattered in 3 different locations, I added more taps to compensation.

It appears that most of the syrup has been med and dark. I had some light, but when I reheated and canned, I just dumped it all together as most people here don't want any light. Should know a better total when I can later this week as I have only canned 29.5 gallons so far.

[3% Solution]

Hammer on Brandon, hammer on.
Made a quart and a half for the first boil this afternoon, had 45 gallons of sap.
Made nice tasting medium.
Hopefully you will get that last run.
Keep making syrup!!!!!

Dave

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Boiled off around 210 gallon of sap on Wed and bottled everything that I hadn't bottled last night which amounted to 46.5 more gallons and gave me 76 gallons for the year. Hoping for another run the first of next week if most of the holes haven't dried up from all the warm weather over the past week. Might get to 90 gallons or more if we get a decent run.

Either way, if we don't get any more sap, I am happy. I have made 76 gallons off of 4170 gallon of sap and there is probably 2 more gallons in the evaporator because it didn't look good about 4 weeks ago.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It got down to low 20's on Fri night and never got out of 20's on Sat and down to 15 Sat night and again last night and never got above freezing yesterday and into the 50's today, but no sap. Guess all the warm weather has about dried up the holes. I was really suprised as it will be 4 weeks tommorrow since I tapped the north bush and I expected for it to run some more sap since it had frost in the ground until about a week ago.

Sap was dribbling a little, so I will let it dribble until Wed and then pull lines out of the tanks as it is over as no more freezing in sight and 50's and 60's. Checked holes in several different locations and they all looked nice and clean and wet, so I am really suprised it has quit. It is the normal end of the season here, it just started a week+ late, but it was good while it lasted for 2.5 weeks.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Picked up 370 gallons this evening and hope to be able to make some B. Sap quality is still pretty good and hope to get about that much more again tommorrow and that will be it and will pull the lines out of tanks as it will probably be about finished running by tommorrow evening.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Picked up another 230 gallons today and sap quality is still fairly good. Imagine everything this week will likely be a B grade, but that is good as I have a lot of demand for it and haven't even come close to making any so far. Temps in upper 60's tommorrow and about the same for the next 10 days. Normal end of season here is March 15th to 20th, so any sap this week is a blessing. Will probably get another 50 to 100 gallon tommorrow evening from the two bushes that I didn't pull the lines out of the tanks and it is over. Probably be somewhere around 4900 gallon of sap for the year from 500 gravity taps and probably around 90 to 92 gallon of syrup. Not the best syrup to tap ratio, but a great year in my book any year and especially considering what it looked like this time last month and I thank God for all the blessings.

[Homestead Maple]

That's an excellent way to look at your season, being thankful for what you have been blessed with. We don't have much control over the weather. The ratio is a little off.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Thanks a bunch and the water meter sure worked great and seemed very accurate.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Picked up another 120 gallon of sap yesterday and boiled off 350 from the 120 and the 230 from the prior day. Ended up with 4890 gallons of sap from 500 gravity taps with aproximately 85% of the sap coming in a 2.5 week period.

Will likely end up around 91 to 92 gallons of syrup and a great season. Good luck to all the maple syrup brothers north of me for a great season also.

[royalmaple]

Brandon sounds like a good season indeed. Did you end up making commercial?

I got a watermeter but never hooked it up this year. Will be nice in the feed line to just keep a more accurate guess-ta-mit.

You calling it quits now?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Matt,

I am done and it was all Med and Med/Dark except the last 15 or 16 and they will be dark or B. I haven't finished them yet, so will have to wait and see but hopefully they are all B. Don't ever have to worry about making any C down here, the weather always shuts it down and the trees dry up.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I am finally done with everything except the evaporator and I will likely put it off until I get a bigger blower and duct installed to try it out when I clean it. All lines are flushed, tanks wash and put away for next year and I finished off the rest of the syrup last night and canned it. Ended up season at 92.5 gallons which was a touch higher than I had guessed. This was from 4,890 gallon of sap or a 52.86 gallon of sap to syrup ratio which was a little better than expected. That last 7 gallons I finished last night was extremely dark, but had a much lighter flavor than color. Either way, my helpers and myself like the very dark stuff the best, so they will be happy with the syrup I give them for helping. I usually can't get it dark enough for them.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

Brandon, i dont think it is over yet is it... Weather channel says its going to be a cold March here..

i know im a bit north of you, but i didnt think you would stop yet. unless you got what you where looking to get in syrup??

Tree's ran so so yesterday after all this rain stopped they kicked in a bit. Looks like i will collect about 20-25 gallons sap today off the 60 taps.

i still want one or two more gallons of finished...i made appox 2-3/4 gallons so far.

charlie

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Charlie,

This is the post for 2007, I am still going so far this year.