Checking into what other Maine sugarmakers are doing

[bees1st]

Long range weather guess is for a warmup starting Monday . Temperatures look favorable for sap runs in my neck of the woods for at least a week. Going to start drilling holes in trees Monday .
As Jackie Gleason used to say " and away we go !"

[bagpiper]

Hi Sparky - I'm down here in Berwick on the NH border. I just set up 5/16 lines with 85 taps on vacuum and I'll have 50 buckets. I'm tapping all reds which I've been told do well on vacuum. I've read posts that state that sugar content is usually very low if tapping this early. Has that been your experience?

[coastie]

I am tempted to throw some taps in this week and see what happens. Guy at work told me that he is seeing buckets in North Berwick already. It is just so early!!

[Dale Sparrow]

I think it is too early. Might get some good runs next week but then several weeks of cold, holes will dry and will hinder best runs later on in March. Just my opinion.

[bees1st]

All the big sugarbushes in Somerset county start tapping in at the beginning of January and their season runs a month later than mine , most don't even use check valves. I have been using them , this is supposed to be the benefit of using them . It's a calculated risk.
I've seen red maples that have a sugar content of over 2 % . They do run like crazy on vacuum !

[western mainer]

Too early here I don't tap in till Feb. 13 then I don't get runs in till the end of Feb.
Brian

[gmcooper]

Just started clearing lines and trimming out some brush. Mainlines back up where I have to take them down each summer. Won't start tapping till at least Early Feb and then will be watching the weather.

[wurmdert]

Im ramping up installing 350 new taps on 3/16 and 1000 feet of main line. I will probably tap these trees as I cut in the drops as I go. Then replace taps on my other 350 existing taps for a total of 700 on 3/16 this year. Hoping to be ready to go by the end of the month.

[bees1st]

I ended up running another main line today to pick up an additional 60 or so taps . Of course the projected high temps for Wednesday are already lower than they were a day ago . Gonna wait a couple days and reassess before I start drilling at this point. They're still saying a warm stretch is in the cards .

[Sterling Maple]

I'm tapping up here, not to get sap, but to get it done. I have 14,000 trees and looking to add on 4,000 more. Doubt we will thaw out anytime soon now.

[bees1st]

Sterling, I was up in Sandy Bay Twp . on Monday visiting a friend who has a bush there . It had just rained and I pitied the poor soul who found himself on a back road without tire chains ! You guys have a jag of snow up there! I'm jealous. My wife tells me if we keep having these non snow winters that we're moving north. Good luck with your expansion .

[bees1st]

I ended up only tapping my trees on vacuum last week (435). Had a small run on Saturday and a bigger one Sunday, let most of it run onto the ground as there was a fair amount of crud in the lines . By noon yesterday it was coming in clear . Sugar content at 2.5 Brix. It was great to get most of my leaks fixed . Vac at 27 . May get a couple more days in before it freezes again .

[McAllister farm]

We been busy replacing old 5/16 line with new 3/16 line. We now have about 500 on 3/16 now! And replacing taps and drops on the rest of the bush. Went up Saturday and worked on one of the main lines that had a couple of trees on it. Finding it hard to get much done with having these chemo treatments this year it's taking a lot out of me! But we will get it done. We are planning on tapping by the end of February.

[Sterling Maple]

Bees1st,
Yes, we still have plenty of snow, more on the way. Roads have been glare ice for 10 days now. Still smoother than 201. I'm in the next Township over to the East.

[gmcooper]

Got some tubing repaired over the weekend. Getting closer to tapping but not in a rush.

[bees1st]

Sap was coming in nicely on vacuum yesterday. About a gallon/tap . Above freezing temps today but wind is in the forecast . Not sure what the day will bring. I'm not liking this warm weather so early. Felt like spring yesterday.

[Atgreene]

We're still holding out a bit longer. Adding 2-300 taps this year so we have a couple miles of pipeline and tubing yet to run. I have no doubt it will be an early year, but if I recall correctly we've never tapped earlier than Feb 23 in roughly 7 generations. We may this year if things continue.

[dadsmaplesugarshack]

just checking in on maple trader , been real busy upgrading the sugar house and adding more trees to the sugar bush that's on vacuum ,thinking about taping we use cv's the snow isn't too deep and were not looking at a thaw anytime soon would be two weeks sooner than we ever tapped before ,we will wait on the gravity and buckets its that time of year I watch the weather forecast three times a day :o if only we could believe what they predict :confused:good luck to all ,might be the best season ever .

[wurmdert]

The plan is to string out 10 or 15 rolls of. 3/16 this weekend for the new expansion and put collection tank in place. Try and cut in most of the drops next weekend. Probably tap them as I install to save time.I don't have a solid number on tap count for the expansion, bulthinking 350ish.

[wurmdert]

15326. Here we GO!!!

[Finest Kind]

Wow wurmdert - that is serious tubage - have fun!

[bees1st]

I'm loving the fact that we're finally getting some real winter! It's just not any fun unless you're tapping with snow shoes on !

[Atgreene]

All the snow put us behind. Holding out for the long game. It may not pan out, but with no freeze in the last 3 nights we opted to wash and get setup rather than rush tapping. Plenty of downed lines and deep snow to move. Longterm forecast seems to shift back to more seasonable.

[RollinsOrchards]

All the snow put us behind. Holding out for the long game. It may not pan out, but with no freeze in the last 3 nights we opted to wash and get setup rather than rush tapping. Plenty of downed lines and deep snow to move. Longterm forecast seems to shift back to more seasonable.

Right or wrong we are using the same outlook here. Only a few percent of our trees are roadside anyway, there is still a lot of snow around the trees in the woods here. The half inch of rain we are getting now should make that settle quick.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Right or wrong we are using the same outlook here. Only a few percent of our trees are roadside anyway, there is still a lot of snow around the trees in the woods here. The half inch of rain we are getting now should make that settle quick.

We're in the same boat. 3-4' of soft snow in the woods, was down right miserable today. More of the same tomorrow......Gotta love it��

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We're in the same boat. 3-4' of soft snow in the woods, down right miserable today. More of the same tomorrow, gotta love it:o

[gmcooper]

Still sloshing thru the woods tapping on snowshoes. Less than half trees tapped today were running. Was a good day to replace a vacuum pump. Not finding any frost under the snow.

[Atgreene]

Tapped a couple hundred today. Running 3%. Doing 3-400 tomorrow. Still a long way from being all tapped.

[abbott]

Took a while for the flow to pick up today, but it ran hard. Still going. Should be a great day for sap tomorrow!

[Revi]

I went out and saw that the trees ran today big time! We might be able to sweeten the pan tomorrow.

I think it's going to freeze tonight, so tomorrow it will run again.

Then a warm up and freeze up into the weekend.

[hambone]

Revi, How much sap do you like to sweeten the pans?

[Revi]

Hi Hambone,

I like to have at least 60 gallons, and 100 is better. It takes 30 to fill the evaporator and then it is nice to get some boiled off to at least have something sugary in there!

[hambone]

That's what I thought. Boy the sap is running great today! Yippee!

[Revi]

We are boiling today! I am running up there as quick as I can and start boiling! Thanks for the info!

[West Sumner Sugar]

Sap was running good this morning here in Lewiston but since the clouds rolled in someone shut the faucet off

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Sap was running good this morning here in Lewiston but since the clouds rolled in someone shut the faucet off

Have you guys been getting anything in Sumner? Sounds like abbott has been doing good the past couple days but he's on vac. Curious what we are missing on our gravity taps. Hopefully get them all in this weekend.

[bees1st]

Yesterday was a decent run for me . I installed some new 3/16" runs and they produced 2 gallons/tap . It never really got cold enough for a good reset . Vacuum did alright today but gravity tubing produced little. I'm at 54 gallons of finished syrup as of this evening.

[West Sumner Sugar]

Have you guys been getting anything in Sumner? Sounds like abbott has been doing good the past couple days but he's on vac. Curious what we are missing on our gravity taps. Hopefully get them all in this weekend.

I'm actually not sure. We live in Lewiston, but tap both L/A and in Sumner. We only get to Sumner on the weekends to collect there and boil. I'm hoping its been doing well up there this week. I'm sure you haven't missed much, but I hope you get them in this weekend.

We cannot compare to Abbott...he's like the Sumner Sap God!

[Revi]

We got 150 gallons yesterday, so we boiled it off. The pan is getting sweeter, but we probably won't pour off until next week some time. It looks like it will be chilly this weekend! We'll be tapping some bucket trees, so stop by on Saturday from 10-2 or so if you're in the area! Burrill Hill Road, Skowhegan. Take exit 132 off of 95, turn west on 139 for 12.2 mi., take a right on the Burrill Hill Road and we're 2.2 mi. on right.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I'm actually not sure. We live in Lewiston, but tap both L/A and in Sumner. We only get to Sumner on the weekends to collect there and boil. I'm hoping its been doing well up there this week. I'm sure you haven't missed much, but I hope you get them in this weekend.

We cannot compare to Abbott...he's like the Sumner Sap God!

They're going in tomorrow so we won't miss any more. Figure we missed 4-5 gallons of syrup at most but we did get the big bush we work in finished just in time. Everything started Monday up there (Byron).

[abbott]

We cannot compare to Abbott...he's like the Sumner Sap God!

Goodness. I'll try to not let that go to my head.

Yes, vacuum helps a lot, especially when you don't get a freeze at night. The pump is still humming away now. I can tell you that the sap was running well when I was tapping last Mon/Tues. And on Wednesday before I got the vacuum hooked up it was pouring in through the line. Sugar was up to 2.5% yesterday, which is on the high side for me. I'm now at about 6 gal. sap/tap for the season and would like to triple that before we're done. Certainly a promising start and I'll be glad to have a couple days off this weekend.

[bees1st]

Finally cleared the 200 gallon mark today. Doesn't look like any more real freezes in the long range for me. Might get another run as there is still snow in the woods with frost underneath. I'll know soon enough.

[abbott]

Well surprise, surprise. Sap lines were iced up this am, though not solid. We'll see what that means for a run today, but it can't be a bad thing! How did everyone else make out?

I'm currently at 380 gallons of syrup made, or 110% of average yield. Plus 350 gallons of sap in the tank and the sweet in the evap. Still not expecting to match last year's incredible total of 440 gallons, but expecting to hit the 400 gallon mark at least.

[gmcooper]

We are still going here in Windham. Lines frozen this Morin but thawed quickly. Wish it had been a lot colder. Had a decent run today. Have not heard any spring peepers yet this year. I don't remember ending a year without hearing them for at least a few days before we are done.