How Long Do We Collect?

[khuberpt]

The long term forecast does look pretty good but the nights not dropping below freezing is not a good sign. Is there a good equation for removal of the taps and clean up? Thanks and have a good week. Kevin

[lafite]

Weather looks promising for the end of the week. I'm always looking at the 10 day forecast.

[customspenc21]

Keep an eye on the 10 day, everyday. The weathermen change the forecast like crazy!

[Sugarmaker]

Several factors could be noted;
You run out of motivation,
You run out of wood
The sap turns buddy
You run out of time.
Weather warms and sap stops flowing.
you have met your goal for the year?
If we see a week of 70 degree temps in March we are usually done.
I'm sure there are several others?
Regards,
Chris

[sugarridge48]

Until our wives are fed up with it.

[Sugarmaker]

Forgot that one!:)
Regards,
Chris

[Woodsrover]

I'll boil this coming weekend and then the weekend after that and probably call it quits. Should have between 15 and 20 gallons of syrup by then...That's enough for me!

[hodorskib]

Every year is different last year I tapped out on March 8th and this year we may be all done with our season goal of 20 gallons by then. Even the wife can't complain about a 3 week season.

[valleyman]

Sugarridge48-

LMAO! I hear ya brother!

[khuberpt]

thanks for the responses. I am going to switch from a 55 gallon drum evaporator to a 275 gallon drum evaporator for next wear with a home made sugar shack. Once I can evaporate more GPH then I will be more productive and with more bang for my buck..It always is hard to pull the taps at the end of the season but I am getting tired!

[Mike Van]

Hate to be the grim reaper here, it's looking like the end after March 7, the last frost showing. Starts raining on the 10th, lasting through the 15th, no frost then either. Some of my buckets have stopped already [tapped Jan 25] Funny, last year I had no sap until mid March, this year could end then.

[lafite]

the temps for next week look like April...peepers, sugar moths and ants will be rampant!

[ash10383]

or husbands are tired of it...some of us driving the operation is the wife ;) ....well maybe leading, I maybe gathering the sap most days but he's the manning the fire on Sundays

[DaveB]

Hate to be the grim reaper here, it's looking like the end after March 7, the last frost showing. Starts raining on the 10th, lasting through the 15th, no frost then either. Some of my buckets have stopped already [tapped Jan 25] Funny, last year I had no sap until mid March, this year could end then.

Mid-March on looks cooler. I didn't tap until a couple of weeks ago due to work and other obligations so I'll just wait and see. I know some of you guys have been at it since January. I'm sure we'll have some freezing weather after 3/15.

[Pauly V]

the temps for next week look like April...peepers, sugar moths and ants will be rampant!

My Buckets in Cheshire..LOADED with sugar moths 3-6 in 30 out of 40 buckets..little sap in 2 days.

[lafite]

I'm hoping for a last hurrah over the next 5 days.

[sugarridge48]

Let's all hold hands and pray to the sugar gods for high sugar content and heavy flow this weekend.One good thing being up north is my trees always pop about a week later then the middle of the state.

[jamesd14]

Hoping here in South eastern CT for a great flow the next few days, I only see good weather until monday, right now I plan on pulling all taps on Tuesday.

[DaveB]

Let's all hold hands and pray to the sugar gods for high sugar content and heavy flow this weekend.One good thing being up north is my trees always pop about a week later then the middle of the state.

I'm about as close to Massachusetts as you can get and up around 1,000' so I'm about a week behind the valley and a couple of weeks behind the SW corner of the state. It's really hard to tell what's going to happen after this week. One tool I use is the GFS Ensembles which is a collection of the GFS weather model with different permutations so you get a range of results. Here's a graph at Hartford which is about central to the state:

http://www.weather.us/newWindow.php?x=CT_HARTFORD

The little grey lines are each model and the black line is the average reading. The bottom line is that after next week it turns cooler again, but just not as cold as the next few days but it's so far out, who knows.

[khuberpt]

Looking at next week here in western CT, 65 Tuesday, 71 Wed with nighttime in the mid 30's, would that be enough to put a stop to the season? I would not be too sad as it has been a long season.

[scottdevine]

i'm in Oxford, and its my first year. I've been at in since Jan 25th, and have had great success this season. I am sad to see the sea of red tree buds on my drive into work on I-84 these last few mornings. Like everyone else sugaring, i too am hoping for a good last 3 day run, but as others have suggested, i will stay tapped until at least the 18th, to get through the warm days and see what happens. Regardless of another run or not, it has been a fabulous experience and i look forward to next season. Thus far i have processed 725 gallons of sap yielding close to 13 gallons of syrup, and i've dropped 25 lbs, so yea, it was work, but the benefits and appreciations i have picked up along the way have made it all worth while.

[Sugarmaker]

Holy Cr^p, dropped 25 lb's! Wow I need to start making more and eating less syrup!
Regards,
Chris

[scottdevine]

yea, tell me about it...i started this journey in November building the fire pit, and sugar shack from pallets, then used the pallets as fuel...was bringing home 8-9 a night in my van and burned them as fast as i could cut them...decided to step on the scale the other day and was shocked...i was a runner before and couldn't drop weight...this did it for me...manual labor (i'm an IT guy)...going to start running again (after 3 months off) so with the lost weight, i'm hoping for faster 5k and 10k times! hahahahahah. trees ran a bit today...im hoping for a lot more tomorrow and sunday into monday...then probably pulling taps as we are getting into beekeeping in March, so that will fill this void (somewhat)...gardening will start too...doing raised beds this year, so i have more to build with the pallets.

[Helicopter Seeds]

I was backed up myself before now have about25 gallons to boil, expecting good flow still this weekend.

Ran out of the first pile of firewood, neighbor is moving so I can have his. If I get another good day, I am satisfied, already made over 8 gallons which was my season goal. If another two boiling days, even better. I understand that by tapping early, they may finish early, so we shall see..... Bascom bottle order is on backlog.. another week before I get them.

[khuberpt]

yea, tell me about it...i started this journey in November building the fire pit, and sugar shack from pallets, then used the pallets as fuel...was bringing home 8-9 a night in my van and burned them as fast as i could cut them...decided to step on the scale the other day and was shocked...i was a runner before and couldn't drop weight...this did it for me...manual labor (i'm an IT guy)...going to start running again (after 3 months off) so with the lost weight, i'm hoping for faster 5k and 10k times! hahahahahah. trees ran a bit today...im hoping for a lot more tomorrow and sunday into monday...then probably pulling taps as we are getting into beekeeping in March, so that will fill this void (somewhat)...gardening will start too...doing raised beds this year, so i have more to build with the pallets.


Could you send me a pic of the pallet shack? I want to do that for next season.

[Samuelvw1]

Lafite please contact me I cAnt message u your mailbox is to full I need information about your shed did u build it or was it pre built how big is your evaporator I'm getting a 2x6 next year how much did it cost can u send some pictures of your set up

Sam
Shelton
60 ish taps
Over 3 gAllons my second season

[lafite]

scg@cox.net is my email. I was going to build my shed but decided on a prefab option. I have a 2x4 hybrid pan by smokey lake. you can see my shed by my signature with the youtube video.

[Sugarmaker]

yea, tell me about it...i started this journey in November building the fire pit, and sugar shack from pallets, then used the pallets as fuel...was bringing home 8-9 a night in my van and burned them as fast as i could cut them...decided to step on the scale the other day and was shocked...i was a runner before and couldn't drop weight...this did it for me...manual labor (i'm an IT guy)...going to start running again (after 3 months off) so with the lost weight, i'm hoping for faster 5k and 10k times! hahahahahah. trees ran a bit today...im hoping for a lot more tomorrow and sunday into monday...then probably pulling taps as we are getting into beekeeping in March, so that will fill this void (somewhat)...gardening will start too...doing raised beds this year, so i have more to build with the pallets.


:) You might not get pictures, sounds like he burnt his shed down for fuel! I haven't resorted to that yet! YET!
Regards,
Chris

[scottdevine]

many photos posted in my profile under pictures

first season processed 825 gallons and counting...this week should get me close to 1k gallons...incredible journey


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[pyro]

I had the most sap today of any day so far this season. 1.5 gallons per tap on the sugars and maybe 0.5-1.0 on the reds (although my reds are underperforming). I boiled yesterday and then I'll do the final boil on Wednesday morning. Not a single low below freezing in the next 10 day forecast. I think its safe to call it over in SW CT.

[lafite]

great to hear Pyro!