Started Tapping Today--Sap Ran

[vermontkyle]

Tapped my first tree at lunch today. It's my favorite tree and the first I tap and last I take down. Hung 2 buckets at noon and by 5 the bottoms of the buckets were about half covered. Can't really say the sap was building in the hole after drilling before pounding in the tap but it did eventually come.
Plan on doing the rest in the next few days or this weekend.

Saw in the buyers digest a 1600 tap orchard for lease-he will even supply the buckets-tempting but no way to handle it and get set up at the last minute. A little much for the 2 x 6 I would say ;) It is nice to think about though.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

do you happen to know what town that 1600 taps would be in?

[Rob Harvey]

The ad says-Rollin Irish Road, Westford.

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

thanks, i guess it's a little to far for me too.

[steve J]

I hope to head up to camp Thursday morning and tap my trees this year I will have 110 taps. I love to tap more but until I can get a bigger rig that is not possible. I am not looking forward to tapping the steep hill in back of the camp as there is over 3 ft of snow and its a bugger to do on good footing let alone snow shoes. The hill section is all on lines were my flat area is buckets.

[vermontkyle]

Very little sap ran today. Less than yesterday-weatherman said it would break freezing but I don't think it did.

The guy with the 1600 taps was in Westford. He wanted $1.25 a tap and would supply all the buckets. No long term deal or tubing. Seemed a bit pricey for what you got but I don't have much experience in the going rate. We were thinking of trying to deal for 400 at the last minute closest to the road. Might still happen but I don't have the wood set aside for 500 + taps.

Snow seems to be crusting up a bit-bad for the deer but might help in tapping.

I will keep all posted and welcome visitors to the South Bulington sugar house durring boiling.

[vermontkyle]

Sap ran a bit today in the sun. About 1 inch in the bottom of the bucket. Not enough to do anything with but I feel encouraged.