Lake and Geauga Counties

[CrossBroMaple]

Anyone out there tapping yet? I hear some people have started already...

[johnallin]

I'm sure thinking about it - but then thought is cheap...
Seriously considering going at it next week or week-end.

[Jacob]

I got my tapping supplies today with the mild weather I am thinking of tapping tomorrow this is my third year what are the negatives to tapping early besides hole drying up and if it does can u just Tap new hole or just go deeper

[CrossBroMaple]

I'm not a fan of tapping two holes in a season or deep tap holes either, at least for my woods. if you're on tubing the holes will last longer opposed to buckets. I'm going to use this weekend to fix tubing and set up my releaser...really want to start tapping first of the week if the weather pattern holds

[WoodButcher]

no go for me until the end of the month or later.

[mapleguy]

I,m with you woodbutcher, this week looks good for maybe a run or two but long range temp trends indicates cold and snowy on its way. Hope that holds true. I did do a test tap, was running great with2.!% sugar Plan on tapping around valentines day

[woodburner]

We are about ready here, but will wait until at least Feb. New drops, ts and spiles . Looking forward to a good sweet year. Putting out test taps Monday . It will be interesting to see how much runs next week. I agree Feb is trending colder. Ground is still frozen here with a lot of frost heave.

[Jacob]

I only have 6 trees I tap and only one of my own but after reading this article and the recent warm weather I decided to tap my tree and second day I had 4 gallons from my one tree it is very old 74 inch diameter here is article
http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/when-is-the-best-time-for-sugarmakers-to-tap-their-maple-trees

[heus]

Over here in Ashtabula county, I really am not ready. Still setting up my new oil fired evaporator and new to me reverse osmosis. I could probably start tapping tomorrow but I am not sure if I will. I think we will be back down into single digit temps after next week. Seems weird making syrup when some still have their Christmas decorations up.

[johnallin]

Ten day forecast calls for warm temps - all above freezing - so the ground should thaw out. A freeze-thaw cycle after that may be perfect. If I can finish up what I need to do; I'm tapping next weekend.

[fred]

Too early. Early to mid February is when I'm tapping

[woodburner]

Just made some calculations. Test buckets put out Monday , Average 2.5gal per tap as of today. Sap tested at 2.25 or 38.22 to one all hard maples. I will have 360 taps out this year, so that is 20 gal of syrup conservative for this run, vacuum would have pulled more. Wonder if we should't reconsider these warming trends and stop looking at the calender? What are your thoughts?

[Jacob]

I am still new and and less than 10 trees but I have tapped early and I know Lake Farm Park tapped early last year. The tree in my back yard yesterday I had to empty twice and it is a 5 gallon container it has 3 taps and is 74 inch diameter I will not know if it was a bad idea to tap early until season is over and I did post a good article earlier about tapping early in the season let me know what u think but loving no snow and warmer weather

[Jacob]

Suppose to be in the 60s this Saterday sap will be flowing like water

[CrossBroMaple]

I tapped in on Sunday and the sap hasn't stop running since Monday evening. Vacuumed has pulled in around 1300 gallons of 2% sap. Making medium amber. Unfortunately, due to my real job I'm playing catch up boiling it in. Glad I took the risk and tapped, well so far anyway.

[WoodButcher]

Still holding off. In the past, when I've tapped in mid-January, my holes had dried up earlier than others who tapped later on in Feb.
To each his own :)

[woodburner]

I am waiting also, to warm to early. Feb looks more like my kind of sugaring temps . Hope some of the temps go up a couple degrees. Going to tap in around Feb. 1 or just before a warm day.

[christopherh]

Most likely early February for me to.

[Pete Cerup]

I tapped today, flowing nice. Will let my lines clear out today/tonight and I'll be ready to go! 2017 added another 25-30 taps on tubing (Thanks to Jason Grossman @ Grossman Brothers) All told I total 185.
Looking forward to spending a little more time in the sugar house this season.

[CrossBroMaple]

cleaned up the sugarhouse and storage tanks yesterday, made 28 gallons of syrup over the last couple days. Hoping for a good freeze to reset the trees. all in all glad I tapped in...well so far

[maplehick]

I have to agree with wood burner. We taped on the 6,7,and finished on the 8th but the return i think was worth the risk with the weather pattern that we had as of yesterday we made 30% of are normal crop. I dont think tapping that early every year is the way to go but when i see a trend of more than 10 days i just can't help my self lol

[woodburner]

Finished tapping today, 360 on line. Just started running here about 2:00. Should be a good run coming . We have about 6to 8inches of packed snow in the woods. Tired but good tired, got a lot done in the last few days. Trees are dropped for next years firewood and we are ready to go in the sugarhouse and bush. Now for some sweet sap.

[WoodButcher]

I'll be fully tapped in by tomorrow.

[christopherh]

Mine are all in as of yesterday, ready to go!

[johnallin]

I'm planning on this weekend and trying to figure out where January went!

[Jacob]

What a great day a lot if sap collected its now 11pm and still 60 out unbelievable weather and love it

[WoodButcher]

Boy what a run yesterday. Averaged 2gal per tap.

Check out the drip rate I took a vid of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxxjQG0BceE

[woodburner]

BIG RUN, I figure it has run since 12 noon Monday and just slowed around noon today. Sap started at 2.4 and the last was 2.3. One of the best runs I have seen in a long time. This hot spot at the sugarhouse is great. Long day yesterday and today, should be done on the morrow. Hope everyone is enjoying this.

[johnallin]

You guys are killing me with all the great run reports...I need to get going. Too much to do and not enough time.

[CrossBroMaple]

this was a good run, though I wish I was seeing that 2.3% sap. finished boiling it all in last night. now I need to prep for the deep freeze and reset for the weekend. hard to believe I have almost 50 gallons of syrup made in early feb.

[woodburner]

Just finished up , wow , nice run, made 36gal. Great start. Now a day of rest then hit it again this weekend. Very light first run,sap dropped a little to 2.2 at the end of the run.

[christopherh]

Nice run! Looking forward to the weekend! My red maples were at 1.5, and the sugars 2.5.

[johnallin]

Anyone boil this past weekend? I was sure trees were running on Saturday. Spent the day finishing replacing the 3/16 tube taps and made repairs/improvements in that section of woods. And yesterday in the sugar house getting everything ready. Kids are all coming over and we're tapping this weekend.

[christopherh]

Made some nice syrup Sunday, we'll see what tomorrow will bring and the weekend as well.

[WoodButcher]

so..... much... sap.... :o

Im sure glad I built an RO before the season (no...that's not the robot from Lost in Space in the corner of the shack :) )

[woodburner]

Just finish up 3 days of boiling. Up to 96 gal. Sap turned cloudy yesterday and the syrup is dark. Sap is still 2% quality is still good but dark. Sure looks bad this week, hope the buds hold through this warm up , rain even makes it worse. Only three weeks in and a great start but looks bad from here.

[johnallin]

I pulled in 165 gallons off 93 taps on the 3/16" tube Sunday - the 165 gallon tank was running over by the time we pumped it out so I really don't know how much we missed.
And came home to another 125 off the tubing tonight. Boiled it all off yesterday and tonight and made some really nice light syrup. I still have 150 bags to hang but I'm going to wait until the warmup is over. It felt good to be boiling again, we've got great wood this year and the I'm getting used to the Revolution Pan I put in last year.

Sure hope it gets cold after this week, I'd hate to think I was late to tap on Feb 18th! By the looks of it, most of the NE Ohio guys have been at it for weeks now and are already into record numbers for gallons made.

[christopherh]

Really nice run last weekend, sugar here was low to. 1.2 on the Reds and 2.2 on the sugars. Tapped February 1st. Started making light and now all medium. 99 gallons so far.

[WoodButcher]

i hear the peepers, but the sugars here are nowhere near budding.

[Craig M]

i hear the peepers, but the sugars here are nowhere near budding.

Do you tap any softs? How are they looking by you?

[WoodButcher]

i have all sugars so im not sure. im banking we have at least another 2 weeks... i hope

[WoodButcher]

collected 190 gallons today, all clear and 1.8% too.

[CrossBroMaple]

anyone still making good syrup? my trees have bowed down to the warm temps...

[johnallin]

I boiled off 120 gal last night - clear and it's still tasting good. From the looks of things this morning there's another couple hundred gallons out there to cook tonight.

[heus]

Still making good syrup next door in Ashtabula County.

[woodburner]

Boiled all day here, sap filter boot getting slime, sap cloudy. Syrup dark but still ok. Going to pack it in for this year, at 50 to 1 I will save the wood. Made 113gal on 360 taps , to many very warm days. Three big runs early made the whole season.

[christopherh]

Very poor run here, pulled the plug! Have to say February was great!!

[WoodButcher]

Boiled down 240 gallons today. I have a paint strainer bag at the inlet of my tubing collection tank and it had about 1 pound of ropey snot in it, which is a good amount for early march. The syrup tastes great though and is closer to grade a extra dark than a bitter B.

I'm gonna chill until the cold snaps in a few days, my buds are tight still.

[johnallin]

Collected and boiled off 165 gallons Tuesday night. For the most part it was still clear, made 4 gallons of syrup that tasted great.
For what ever reason the rig was smokin' as we hit 40+ gph, a record for us. Still behind last year for syrup made though.

[johnallin]

Any one still going? Big run yesterday up here on Lt Mountain...still clear. I've got over 150 gal to boil off and it's still going

[heus]

Yesterday was it for us in Ashtabula County. Most of my trees have dried up, even though I used cv spouts. Same for some others around me. Syrup still tastes good just not enough sap to run ro. Being on oil, it hurts to boil raw sap. First time we havent made over 300 gallons in 4 or 5 years. Will end up at around 255-260 gallons.

[kjc]

collected 110 gallons of sap last 2 days. Still running clear. Will be cooking tomorrow. Montville, oh

[johnallin]

Boiled 120 gallons off today with another 150 in the 3/16 line tank. Will finish it all tomorrow.