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austin357
02-17-2016, 10:52 AM
just wondeing what yall are thinking. im in st clair county was thinking i would tap today but now im having second thoughts. now im kicking around waiting till the second week of march after looking at the extended forcast. just curious what others are thinking.

TrapperX
02-17-2016, 11:11 AM
Only my second year and with only 10-15 trees I will have mine all in tonight for this weekend run :D

claystroup
02-17-2016, 01:11 PM
This is my 1st year so I am a newbie. Put 10 taps in on buckets last night and my last 10 taps go in tonight for a total of 20. Weather looks like we might have 3-4 days next week that might produce. Hoping to get enough to do my 1st boil on next Saturday (Feb 27th). After that I leave on a UP snowmobiling trip Feb 28th through March 5th. Hopefully we will have a good March this year as I would consider 3 to 4 gallons of syrup my 1st year a tremendous success. It would also help convince my wife of the improvements I want to make for next year (i.e., a new 2 x 4 or 2 x 5 arch/evaporator) as I want to expand to 35-40 taps next year. Clay in Almont, MI

docsmaple
02-17-2016, 02:26 PM
I've got all 150 taps out, wrapped up this week. This Friday is supposed to be 52 degrees here north of Battle Creek and will have the sap flowing. I had some buckets in 2 weeks ago when we had that big thaw for about a week and had a few 5 gallon pails fill up. Friday is supposed to be followed by 2 days in the 40s. Friday nights low here is projected to be 40. No sense in waiting any longer.

Lethalbowman
02-17-2016, 02:55 PM
I probably won't get my bag holders out until early March here in the Traverse City area. The early sap I collected last year after tapping in late February had a rather low sugar content as my 1 st boil ended up being 55-60/1! The end result was still really good syrup but just took a lot more work to get to the finished product. I am trying real hard to get my new Sugar Shack finished so I can move the "New to Me" evaporator in it so I can be out of the elements this year while boiling. Good luck everyone.


Dan W.

Shirlsaw63
02-17-2016, 03:06 PM
I intend to tap tomorrow - don't want to miss flow during the brief heat wave. Don't mind if its full on flow yet since I have repairs to make to my evaporator yet. Update - I tapped on 2/17 and 2/18. Will see when I get home today if this 56 degree weather resulted in any!

Tweegs
02-17-2016, 03:07 PM
I would be going in this weekend, but a minor injury knocked me off my game a few weeks back.
Good health wise, just way behind the 8-ball now.

Taking a couple of vacation days in conjunction with this weekend to do a final push.
Tanks need to be cleaned, set and plumbed yet and a couple of little projects need to wrap up in the shack before I can pull the trigger.
Probably start setting buckets early next week after work and be all in by the weekend.

OGDENS SUGAR BUSH
02-17-2016, 07:33 PM
I am in western ST Clair county, put all my vacuum taps in today, will wait until the 1st of march for the buckets and bags

Cedar Eater
02-17-2016, 07:36 PM
just wondeing what yall are thinking. im in st clair county was thinking i would tap today but now im having second thoughts. now im kicking around waiting till the second week of march after looking at the extended forcast. just curious what others are thinking.

I wouldn't wait that long. You're much further south than me and even though the ground was much more frozen last year, I was making syrup by the second week of March. A warm winter might mean a short season, so you could miss some of it.

Don(MI)
02-17-2016, 08:04 PM
Just put most of our 300 taps in tonight. Have a few stragglers out back to finish tapping later.

We have almost no firewood, pans are not ready, and haven't even had the tractor running yet. YIKES....

But no turning back now. Lol.....won't take long and we will be completely up and going. Cutting firewood Saturday.

austin357
02-18-2016, 09:31 AM
thanks guys after reading all the input i think im goina go put most of mine in tonight after work of first chance i get tomorrow my youngest son is having surgery tomorrow morning so it all depends on how that goes

MidMichMaple
02-18-2016, 03:04 PM
I put my four taps in around Feb 1st (yes I know, small potatoes). Actually had a few decent sap runs already.

billdean
02-18-2016, 04:38 PM
15 taps in waiting for tomorrows start. Thats all this retired guy has to do. Tap Tap Tap Wait Wait Wait

arics
02-18-2016, 08:52 PM
The game has started! 40 taps in after work with a majority producing. Next week should be a good run with a good freeze/thaw cycle predicted. Good luck everyone for a productive season.

austin357
02-19-2016, 07:34 AM
didnt get mine in last night going to get em in as soon as i have a chance today

JBIV
02-19-2016, 08:21 AM
I got my yard trees tapped after work last night. 33 of my 70ish taps. I will get my woodlot trees done tomorrow.

Spartazoo
02-19-2016, 08:52 AM
I am probably going to tap trees on Sunday. Next week looks like perfect sap running weather here outside Kalamazoo.

Wickware Acer
02-19-2016, 12:52 PM
Put in 30 taps last night after work and will put in another 30 today. Amish neighbor filled sugar shack full of wood about 3 months ago, so that's taken care of. Pan is clean and ready to be put on cooker but our chimney pipe broke at the elbow (rusted out) so that'll get replaced today, too. Oh, and I can't find the hydrometer! it's 'always' somethin'!!

gbwaterski
02-19-2016, 05:44 PM
I have 141 of my 188 taps in. Today i had 40-45 gallons of sap.

Too Tall
02-19-2016, 06:15 PM
It's running good today in Sand Lake. Was a little worried my barrels would blow over in this wind but luckily they were already 1/3 full.

JBIV
02-19-2016, 07:12 PM
It's running good today in Sand Lake. Was a little worried my barrels would blow over in this wind but luckily they were already 1/3 full.

Same here!!

odave
02-19-2016, 10:47 PM
Put in 11 taps & buckets in my yard trees this afternoon, ended up with 7 gallons. All are running well except my red maple, which only gave a little yellowish cloudy sap. The wood shavings were nice and white when I drilled the hole - sap just looks a little strange. I've quarantined that tree and will keep an eye on it.

dugit
02-19-2016, 10:58 PM
Tapped today,165 taps. Running so fast we had to put valves on some of the spiles. One tree we had to drill a vent hole, the sides of the tree was sucking in.

Cedar Eater
02-20-2016, 09:59 AM
One tree we had to drill a vent hole, the sides of the tree was sucking in.

:lol::lol::lol: Wishing I had more than a trickle.

dugit
02-20-2016, 11:53 AM
Haven't collected yet. The tree in our yard the buckets are 3/4 full. Had 2 landowners call to tell us we had full pails at their house. Going to collect shortly, then set the pans on the arch and get to boiling this afternoon. Going to be behind before we start.

billdean
02-20-2016, 01:41 PM
I thought we were in for a good run around here. Boy was I disappointed. It's just a trickle here. Out of 25 taps maybe I will have 5 gallons when I collect it. Some trees when I tapped them yesterday were running fairly well but when I checked them this morning they had shut right down and have not re-started today at all. Low last night was 39*. Right now 48*. I don't understand? My buckets should be running over!

MISugarDaddy
02-20-2016, 03:54 PM
Billy,

It didn't get cold enough last night...if it had gotten down to around 25 and then was now up to 48 your sap would be flowing. It will start up again once you have an overnight low in the mid 20's and the above freezing the next day.

Gary

odave
02-20-2016, 04:53 PM
I'm at about the 15 gallon mark since tapping around 1pm yesterday - the trees have all slowed down. My red maple's sap has cleared up but I'm still keeping an eye on it. We call that tree "Lazy Suzan" since she's always the last one to drop her leaves in the fall. Makes sense she'd take a while to get her sap going :) I took Monday off work and will do my first boil.

billdean
02-20-2016, 06:46 PM
Billy,

It didn't get cold enough last night...if it had gotten down to around 25 and then was now up to 48 your sap would be flowing. It will start up again once you have an overnight low in the mid 20's and the above freezing the next day.

Gary

Ya.......I guess your right. I did my collection tonight and had 8 gallons total. I guess I expected better. Low tonight they say will be 29*. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Or the next day. It was fun just to get out into the woods again after being cooped up all winter. I really don't need the syrup as I still have some left from last year. I would give most of it away anyways. It's my first year of retirement and dang I need something to do.

dugit
02-20-2016, 09:30 PM
Tapped yesterday, got done about 4pm. , 165 taps. Collected today from noon to 2pm, got 300 gallon of sap. Sugar content was only 2.2 . Good run, poor sugar. Boiled 200 gallons away, get up early tomarrow and get to boiling. Still running but slowed way down.

austin357
02-20-2016, 09:30 PM
got 5 gallons from the 9 i put in yesterday around 1pm

Tweegs
02-21-2016, 08:04 AM
Changed my mind.
Tapped everything on vacuum Friday, chased leaks yesterday.
Squirrels had gotten more than I feared; healthy winds didn’t make the job any easier.

Lines are all flushed, setting the releaser tank today and will start collecting.
Hoping to get in the first boil tomorrow. Plenty to get done today to make that happen.

Ice on the puddles this morning, I assume we went below freezing last night, but already 36* here at 8 A.M.

MartinP
02-21-2016, 11:39 AM
All 83 in Saturday, sap was dripping before the taps could get placed. Looks like an early year in Luther.

Too Tall
02-21-2016, 11:59 AM
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First boil yesterday. Perfect day for it!

Cedar Eater
02-21-2016, 04:29 PM
Tapped 13 more reds today. Decided to reuse some plastic taps from last year that we bleached and rinsed at the end of the season.

claystroup
02-21-2016, 09:56 PM
Collected 40 gallons today out of 20 taps (17 sugars, 1 red, 1 silver, and 2 Norways). This is sap that ran over the weekend. Boiled it down to 3-1/2 gallons this afternoon and put in refrigerator to finish some night this week after work. Got my new refractometer Saturday and checked Sugars were running 2-1/2 % and a bucket of the Silver/Red and Norways all mixed together was 2-1/2 % also which really suprised me. As a newbie, this was my 1st boil and everything went great. Clay in Almont, MI

ronintank
02-22-2016, 07:38 AM
I went all in Friday 2/19/16 40 deg. weather tapping 125 trees they are all on 3/16 gravity and most have 20-25 foot drop in elevation to the collection drums.
Collected this weekend close to 200 gallons sap and have to do the finish boil should end with a little over 2 gallons syrup. the sap was measuring with a hyd. 1.2 percent, low but I could not just dump it. February 19th 2015 it was 37 degrees below zero here.

toquin
02-22-2016, 07:56 AM
Made 30 gals of syrup since Friday. Weather says were done for a while

Wickware Acer
02-22-2016, 08:51 AM
Yesterday we gathered 65 gallons of sap off 30 taps, but started cooking around 2pm. Will finish off the syrup today and start tapping more trees this week. Outside of Cass City.

Michigan Maples
02-22-2016, 02:20 PM
We tapped Feb. 17th, and we've collected 54 gallons of sap.

gbwaterski
02-23-2016, 08:31 PM
Collected 76 gallons today form 141 taps.

claystroup
02-23-2016, 11:07 PM
Boiled 38 gallons of sap Sunday down to 14 qts of concentrate and put in fridge until tonight. Nitre all settled to bottom of jars in fridge. Finished 14 qts tonight and ended up with 5 pints of beautiful medium amber for my 1st syrup ever as I am a newbie. Finishing went easier than I thought it would and my new Smoky Lake Murphy Cup made things easy. Clay Stroup in Almont, MI. Collecting sap tomorrow night for Saturdays boil!

Cedar Eater
02-24-2016, 12:51 AM
Boiled 38 gallons of sap Sunday down to 14 qts of concentrate and put in fridge until tonight. Nitre all settled to bottom of jars in fridge. Finished 14 qts tonight and ended up with 5 pints of beautiful medium amber for my 1st syrup ever as I am a newbie. Finishing went easier than I thought it would and my new Smoky Lake Murphy Cup made things easy. Clay Stroup in Almont, MI. Collecting sap tomorrow night for Saturdays boil!

Congrats on your first ever boil!

odave
02-24-2016, 07:24 AM
Boiled 21 gallons on Monday, finished inside to almost 2 quarts, and bottled yesterday. My converted campfire pit arch with hotel pans did about 3 GPH which was slower than I'd like. I have some ideas for improvements next year.

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Woody77
02-24-2016, 08:57 PM
Tapped on friday the 19th .have 134 taps in have collected 430 gallons. have 11 gallons finnished .off to a good start , but thank god for this **** snow storm.at 15 gph we need a break.

Greenthumb
02-27-2016, 09:28 PM
Probably a week late but got 65 taps in livingston county today. Some dripping hoping won't have to boil till mid week because I'm not ready yet in the shack.

Cedar Eater
02-27-2016, 10:26 PM
Collected one gallon from 28 taps today. The temp hit 49F. Just waiting for the trees to wake up. Supposed to get two more days in the forties then a drop and maybe back up by next Saturday.

firetech
02-28-2016, 04:20 AM
Not to be a downer but watch your tree tops. We came across 2 trees in the wood lot yesterday that I will not top due to it's budded out. 500 roadsides in, 300 on vacuum today, 400 on vacuum by Tues. sweet sap to all

gbwaterski
02-29-2016, 07:31 AM
Sunday was my best run of the season. I collected 224 gallons from 168 taps.

Cedar Eater
02-29-2016, 09:50 AM
My trees woke up yesterday, yawned, took a little leak, and went back to sleep. I got 5.5 gallons of sap out of 28 taps so far this year, but it was enough to do a test boil on my new electrified buffet pan. I'm hoping today will run again. It's sunny and warming up, but it's also windy.

Ed R
02-29-2016, 01:33 PM
Just under 3000 gallons of 2.3 sap from just over a 1000 taps. One of our best daily collections ever for volume yesterday.

homelite770g
03-02-2016, 09:23 AM
No tapping for me this year. Got my new equipment too late in the season. But it's going to be an improvement for sure. Instead of a 2x4 evap I will have a 3x11 with drop flue continous flow pans. With new elevated storage tanks and a float controlled constant feed

Woody77
03-02-2016, 05:38 PM
Well as of today 3-2-16 I have finnised 17 gallons of light medium amber 240 gallons in the head tank on 134 taps all roadside trees.
Just hoaping that the next week isn't the end I'm going to plug my hoses sunday n hope the holes don't heal up.

Jolly Acres Farm
03-02-2016, 08:29 PM
Finally put the first 35 taps in today. Plan on putting the rest of them in tomorrow, weather forecast for here in the U.P. is finally looking like the sap might start flowing Sunday. It looks good for the next 2 weeks according to accuweather.

Snowmad
03-02-2016, 08:33 PM
I tapped Jan 31st here in Central NY. Earliest we've ever tapped but I'm glad I did it since next week we are looking at temps in the 60's with no frost. Our season may be ending when it's usually just beginning.

billdean
03-03-2016, 10:09 AM
I tapped Jan 31st here in Central NY. Earliest we've ever tapped but I'm glad I did it since next week we are looking at temps in the 60's with no frost. Our season may be ending when it's usually just beginning.


Extended forecast pretty much looks like that in Michigan too. Trees may start to bud soon. Glad I started early.

CWebster
03-04-2016, 06:46 AM
No tapping for me this year.....don't you guys know its a shemitah year?? No planting, pruning, or harvesting until the end of the "year", around mid-September. Or, I'm currently building my house, take your pick.

Good luck to all, I have a few reserves from last year that I hope carries the family till next spring....if not, I know where to get some ;^)

Snappyssweets
03-04-2016, 10:04 AM
CW with the year we are experiencing. We may all be looking for more. (for us smaller hobby tappers) I am not sure the six I have finished is enough for me. I may need more. I went through eight last year and gave away four gallons. I may be forced to go to the neighbors and beg for permission to tap at this rate.

Lethalbowman
03-06-2016, 09:00 AM
13543
It was a balmy "10" degrees when I headed out to tap some of my maples and hang my 50 bag holders. Never mind a Daniel Boone cap, I have Roary to keep my head warm. Go Lions.

Lethalbowman
03-09-2016, 02:45 PM
I collected 25 gallons from my 50 taps last night but I believe the trees have shut down with the rather warm temps we have been having. Forecast is for temps right at or below freezing for the next couple of nights so I look forward to a real gusher if the temp drops early in the evening and stays that way all night. I have 50 gallons saved up that I plan to boil on Friday. Doing my best to keep it nice and cold till then.

Snappyssweets
03-09-2016, 03:37 PM
Trees pretty much turned off on me here in Mid Michigan now.
Calling for cool night tomorrow night but its not going to change things here for a three hours of 30 degrees.

Long range end of the month is calling cooler temps with 40s for highs and low 30s high 20s for highs. But again long range as we all know is just a stab in the dark really based on past weather patterns averaged out with a computer model. (Helps my buddy's son is in college for Meteorology too. he hates that we keep asking him these things. :D )

billdean
03-09-2016, 06:41 PM
They have quit given anything today. I collected 6 gallons this morning. Maybe we might get a little run Friday. Suppose to get down to 28* for a few hours Thursday night.

Snappyssweets
03-09-2016, 10:49 PM
I pulled 25 gallons this morning. I didn't check them this afternoon. I am behind on boil now and need to get what I have done before it goes bad. Figured if I catch up I will see what is out there and do it in a separate batch and maybe take it all the way to sugar. Downside of Propane and turkey fryers you just cant keep up when it comes on like it has the last several days.

Cedar Eater
03-09-2016, 11:46 PM
I pulled 25 gallons this morning. I didn't check them this afternoon. I am behind on boil now and need to get what I have done before it goes bad. Figured if I catch up I will see what is out there and do it in a separate batch and maybe take it all the way to sugar. Downside of Propane and turkey fryers you just cant keep up when it comes on like it has the last several days.

I tested with my electrified kitchen sink today. I set up a fan to blow the vapor away and turned on both elements combined at 11,000 Watts. It did better than 3 gph. With my other electric evaporator at 4000W, I could have added another 1.25 gph and then with my gas grill and a steam table pan, I could have been up another 1gph. It would have been expensive, but it would have been 5+ gph.

Woody77
03-11-2016, 10:44 PM
Well I think today was the end . not sure if the pails have any in them but as of this morning 3-11-16 we had 180 gallons left to cook. We have made 36 gallons on 136 taps in a 2×5 flat pan that runs around 15 gph. that being said good night see ya tomorrow.

austin357
03-11-2016, 10:53 PM
Leaving mine in a few more day don't know what's going on only at 30 gallons total from 22 taps since 2/19 none of the trees I have tapped look close to budding out hopein for a few more gallons it's 27°at my place right now with any luck they will run some tomorrow for me

Cedar Eater
03-12-2016, 01:53 AM
My reds really opened up today. Trees that hadn't given me a drop started weeping. Last night's freeze was enough to start them running. The 27 that I have on tubing gave up about 19 gallons and ran until it froze again tonight. I probably won't reach the goal that I set for much fewer taps, but at least I learned a lot of new stuff.

Tweegs
03-12-2016, 08:35 AM
Some of my silvers have flowered but the buds on my sugars are still tight.

Dropped to 26 last night, maybe some sap today, we’ll see.

Going to keep an eye on the silvers, pull and cap those as needed, but leaving the sugars tapped for now. If they make it to next Thursday, weatherman says we’re back to freeze/thaw.

Fingers crossed.

Tweegs
03-13-2016, 09:17 AM
Pulled in over 200 gallons yesterday, boiled last night.
Cloudy sap, dark syrup, but that’s fine.
Dark is the bulk of our sales.

Kicked a couple of buckets by the house this morning, doesn’t look like they did anything overnight.
Haven’t been down to the shack to check on the vacuum yet, let it run all night.
Maybe a short boil today, if not we’ll clean up and prep for the end of the week (pans, tanks etc.)

Wolfcreek Maple
03-13-2016, 10:59 AM
We pushed sweet out of evaperator last night cleaned tanks hoping for run next week but will take whatever mother nature hands us . Been a short but productive season we have all hard maples tapped n buds r tight. We are in wait n see mode.

Jolly Acres Farm
03-16-2016, 07:33 AM
Pulled the taps on all of our Silver and Reds, they have started to bud out here in the E. U.P.. All of the Sugars are still nice and tight. Down to 91 taps now. Hope that the Sugars hold out, weather forecast looks good starting Thursday. The last collections on 03-12 and 03-13 ran at 2.5% and 2.4%.

TrapperX
03-16-2016, 07:49 AM
I pulled most of my taps but still have 10 out there on my best trees with nicely closed buds.
Hoping for a nice little run this weekend with the temps dropping to 26deg - 28deg lows to get another gallon plus of syrup, last sap tested at 2.5% so still holding.