sugar content

[doop]

Just wondering what everyone else's sugar content has been. I don't have a sap hydrometer, but it seems a little low. I've ran 900 gallons through my 3x8 and have only drawn off 9 gallons. I have been running it a little deep though.

[Islander]

I've been getting anywhere just under 2% to as much as 4%. All yard trees, various types of maples from a number of different locations around western Hennepin county.

[Birddog]

Just wondering what everyone else's sugar content has been. I don't have a sap hydrometer, but it seems a little low. I've ran 900 gallons through my 3x8 and have only drawn off 9 gallons. I have been running it a little deep though. Sugar has been low for me this season. It's been running from 1.8 - 2%.

[chad]

my sap has had a low sugar content also this year, I wonder if the no snow and no frost are making a difference

[adk1]

Yup same here haven't had 2 yet. Wish I had an ro

[Baker]

Same here also.low sugar content this yr.it's bin 2 to 2.5 for me.and today had 1.9

[doop]

I ordered a refractometer last night, it will be here tomorrow. It will be nice to know a ball park of what I should expect, instead of boiling for three hours with no draw and wondering what the heck is going on. I'll report back with sugar content.

[Baker]

Just collected my sap for the day.sugar content was only 1.6 and that's on sugar maples.what's going on this yr.what could be the cause for the super low sugar content this yr?

[seclark]

my sap has been 2% or a little less.We have had hardly any snow here this year and wonder if that has and effect on the sugar content.Also this is the first year that I have only made very dark syrup that has a funny taste, kind of a slightly moldy after taste. Has anyone else had this problem or is it just me.I have done it the same way every year and this is a first for me.I have had dark syrup in the past but no off flavor's.Is over boiling any factor for this taste or maybe it is to much over cooked.Maybe I need a new hydrometer.Thanks for any help in this matter as I hate to waste all my efforts and chuck it all.

[mnguy]

I don't have a way to check the sugar level but this has been one of our best years. So far we have made 18 gallons of syrup from 527 gallons of sap. That comes to 1 gallons of syrup for every 29.27 gallons of sap. Syrup was tested with a hydrometer. Our first batch was light syrup. The second batch was medium and the rest have been all dark. We tap out trees in east central Minnesota.

[Russell Lampron]

I was attributing the low sugar here to the fact that we had a very dry summer. The drought kicked in just about when the trees should have been making the most sugar and lasted all summer after that. A report by UVM a few years ago stated that trees are stressed less by limb damage from ice storms than by drought.

[madmapler]

I attribute the low sugar to all the above freezing days we had before the season began. The sap already ran extensively even in the fall. We basically caught the tail end of things.

[Jolly Acres Farm]

We started off with a 0.75% average, with several buckets of 0.00% in that batch. I boiled it anyways as I needed the volume to fire up the evaporator. We had a high of 3.1% and have averaged around 2% for the last couple collections.

[doop]

Just got my refractometer calibrated it, and the sap I have in tank now is at 2%. See if tomorrow's boil will be better.

[doop]

Today's sap was 2.4. It's getting better.

[Johnny t]

Early in the season Feb. 19. the sap was extremely low in sugar. No low range refractometer at that time, but I had a 55:1 first 225 gallons. Been between 2.1 and 2.6 ever since. I bought a low range refractometer after first week. Ended up collecting roughly 2600 gallons of sap and estimating 270 qt's of finished product once I'm done finishing the last batch. That's a 2.25 average. I've seen better sap, but I had a solid 5 week season with 4 or 5 good runs. I'm happy, tired, but happy.

[Lethalbowman]

14043
I have been getting 2% +-.2 now for the last week. My finished product has been super sweet but on the dark side as compared to previous years.

[maple flats]

My very early sap was only 1.2%, then it went to 2.4% and has fallen ever since. Yesterday it was 1.5%. Mine usually runs 2.2-2.5 early and then falls late season to 1.9 or 1.8. This year I only had 1 day 2.4 and the next went to 2.0, all the rest were under 2.0.

[doop]

My last batch was2.6 hopefully it stays up to make up for all the wood I burned up on first couple. Looks like maybe another week or so of sapping weather.

[supersapper]

Last year I was getting 4-4.5%. This year they are at 3%. The box elder was running at 2%.

[lastwoodsman]

It was 2% all season this year for us. Muddy footprint in Moose lake had the same .
Last year it was all 3 and 3 1/2%.

[supersapper]

Late season has been 3% this year on sugars. 1-1/2% on boxy.