Finger lakes 2016

[backyardsugarer]

Going to start tapping this week. Could get a decent run by next weekend if the forecast holds. Should have around 1,100 taps of Vacuum and another 100 on gravity this year. The ultimate goal is 500 gallons but would be happy with 450. Good luck to fellow producers in the area. Will start running ads in the local paper to promote maple month of March next week.


Chris

[Maplemonkey]

good luck out there, be safe!, Have you ever sold sap to a microbrewery?

[backyardsugarer]

I have had a few breweries inquire about syrup for making a brew. I make my own maple beer and it is pretty good. Going to start a maple IPA this weekend since it is too cold to work until tomorrow afternoon.

[backyardsugarer]

Big run on Saturday, not much on Sunday, got enough sap to sugar the pans and pull of the first 18 gallons of Golden. New RO tower is a huge time saver and I love boiling off 10% concentrate on one pass. Lets hope for a run Tuesday and Wednesday as after that it looks cold again for 10 days.

[backyardsugarer]

Another 600 gallons of sap yesterday, gravity is not doing much, vacuum is slow but steady. Will have another 500 - 600 gallons to concentrate and boil tonight, then clean up the RO and tanks for the big run coming this weekend. Should loosen up Saturday and roar on Sunday.

Chris

[Maplemonkey]

no freezing going to come for a while, is it time to pull them?????

[Noseguard76]

I'm wondering the same thing in Fabius, NY. Will have some below freezing weather in about 10 days but it seems like the trees will have budded out by then, especially with this warm weather.

[backyardsugarer]

NO don't pull them. Got 25 last night and today will be the biggest run of the year. Next weekend looks like prime conditions, just hand in there. Today will be huge.

[Maplemonkey]

NO don't pull them. Got 25 last night and today will be the biggest run of the year. Next weekend looks like prime conditions, just hand in there. Today will be huge.

starting to see some slightly cloudy sap up here in our small sugarbush
Saturday great, Sunday not great, think i'm toast for the year

[backyardsugarer]

Managed to scrape up 500 gallons of cloudy sap to boil for maple weekend. We might get one more run but we have had a very disappointing season here. Without vacuum I don't think we would have made hardly any syrup. Going to finish up with about 250 gallons, down over 100 gallons from last year.

[bowtie]

My few yard trees were not running as of 4:00 pm this afternoon not sure about my woods taps. I have not boiled in well over a week and was hoping for a decent run this weekend and early next week but it might not get warm enough until Tuesday to get a run . I am going tomorrow to check my woods taps. I have found the same thing, I have buckets and have had very few runs, made about 13 gallons out of 210ish buckets, I have dumped about 200 gallons of cloudy sap, but still not very much in the way of sap this year. Thursday a couple of my Reds were starting to push buds in the woods, will probably dump those buckets, but what a strange year,to cold then to warm and now it is to cold. Kind of glad I did not purchase a bigger evaporator for this season I doubt I would have been able to fire it more 2 or 3 times. I hope at least the fruit and oak trees do not bud to early and get "frosted off" this year hoping for a big apple year and lots of acorns. On the bright side I should be able to get my spring food plots in early this year.

[sapman]

Managed to scrape up 500 gallons of cloudy sap to boil for maple weekend. We might get one more run but we have had a very disappointing season here. Without vacuum I don't think we would have made hardly any syrup. Going to finish up with about 250 gallons, down over 100 gallons from last year.

I am also down over 100 gallons from last year. Think I could have beaten last year this week, but small sample boil indicates buddy. Sugar is way down to .7%, too. Too bad, as sap was running quite well for me yesterday.

[Maplemonkey]

this is it either way. collected about a quart of sap per tap yesterday, going to take what I get today and call it a season. The sap looked clear yesterday so hopefully this small batch will be nice and dark for a little variety.

Last year there was waist deep snow in the sugar bush, this year all mud.

The syrup this year has tasted quite good, buttery yet light. Well received by family and friends:o:o

[backyardsugarer]

I would stay tapped until Wednesday. The sap was running hard around noon today despite the snow.

[sapman]

I'm actually still going. Turned off the soft maples last week, in hopes of avoiding bud, but even my sugar maples have turned. Ran about 2 gpt yesterday. Was going to quit, but Bascom is still paying $1.25lb for buddy, so I figure I can make a little money. Not going to push it, though.

[Maplemonkey]

Decided I had nothing to lose so I left them all in. will check and probably pull them today at dusk

[backyardsugarer]

Best run of the year, Have over 1,000 gallons of sap to start tonight. The clarity is excellent and it was still hitting hard at 5:30 this morning. Getting colder as the day goes on so we might even get another big run Friday into Saturday if the trees can hold on.

[sapman]

That's awesome, Chris! My bush has been steady, slowed way down overnight. But the syrup tasted decent yesterday! Hopefully it lasts awhile

[backyardsugarer]

Tim,

Same here, went from commercial back to dark. The yellow sap I boiled over maple weekend is all gone now so I am hoping the syrup continues to lighten up. They are backing off the 60 degree call for tomorrow so I am going to be greedy and hope for a big weekend. If not at least the season is something we can salvage now with this nice run. Need to make more syrup for maple weekend #2 as the first one was insanely busy here. Good luck.

[Burnt sap]

Still going strong here.

[Maplemonkey]

got the BEST run of the year last night, over 1gpt yesterday. boiled up 30 gallons, got 1 gallon of syrup, nice taste and not as dark as expected.:cool:

2 pm update: It is sunny and 62 out. I am going to have to go get sap tonight! Thought I was done, gotta get my head back in the game!

[Maplemonkey]

Great clear sap, making dark, almost 1gpt and cold last night. If I had pulled all my taps as planned , would have missed out on a great run!

[Maplemonkey]

19 full season taps
112 gallons of sap
3.25 gallons of syrup
1.5 light
1.75 dark
$72 of propane burned through

:o:lol::mrgreen:8-O:

[Maplemonkey]

compared this years syrup to last years from the late season, this year's quality is excellent! Pancakes, Waffles, and in my breakfast sausage recipe. Oatmeal, yogurt, and even on hot dogs. I'm going to run out this year.

[Maplemonkey]

How is it looking in the Finger Lakes for a Tapping Date? Right now I am thinking Feb 15 start for me as it coincides with some time off work

[wnybassman]

How is it looking in the Finger Lakes for a Tapping Date? Right now I am thinking Feb 15 start for me as it coincides with some time off work

At this point I am looking at Feb 4th, or the next warm-up after that date. Tough to wait with many around me already tapped, but they are mostly on vac. Will miss a couple more runs before that time, but hoping the waiting will work out favorably.

[Maplemonkey]

its coooold outside, doesn't look like a warm up
for a while. time to do my prep work!

[wnybassman]

its coooold outside, doesn't look like a warm up
for a while. time to do my prep work!

Yeah, I won't be tapping on the 4th like I posted above. Looks like a couple more weeks anyway.

[Richmaple1]

In Monroe county here near Rochester, looks like temperatures starting next Sunday the 11th will be upper 30's 40's thruThursday, and maybe even a bunch of sun. This is my first year, so I have no idea what I am doing. just going to put in about 10 taps, thinking I will do it this weekend.

Is there any downside to tapping too early?

[YBSean]

Planning to tap Saturday in Tompkins County. About 100 with buckets.


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