West Sumner Sugar House - 2017

[West Sumner Sugar]

I must say the 2017 season started quick, but has started well. 3 weeks ago our evaporator wasn't even in the sugar house after getting a new front built this fall. Yesterday we hauled up 300 gallons of 2.5% to sweeten the pans, ended up pulling off almost 4 gallons of syrup. We should get a few decent runs this week so the 325 or so taps should produce enough to have a good boil next weekend. Should start getting our feet wet with some 3/16 tubing next weekend as well.

[West Sumner Sugar]

Well here we are going into our 4th week of the season. So far things have gone well. Upgraded out feed line in the sugar house with filtration, also 3 unions so it could be broken down and drained well to prevent freeze ups. We are adding 100 taps on 3/16 to see how that works out. Just under 800 gallons of sap so far has given us 16.5 gallons of syrup bottled to this point. Been battling frozen tins and tanks these past few weeks. Went to check collection tanks today and not a drip in them since last Thursday! Might be a slow weekend sap wise but it will give us a chance to get more 3/16" put up.

[abbott]

Good call. More taps is always a good call, right? I drained the evaporator a week ago so I wouldn't have to worry about it.

I'm still pretty optimistic about the season. I'm at 40% expected production and there's plenty of spring left. A quick warm-up could still derail us, but isn't that always the case?

[West Sumner Sugar]

Yes for sure...the more the better. The 3/16 were flowing nicely today. Just nice to try something new. We had planned on a slow weekend, drain and clean the pans etc. Turned out to be a full boil all day today, got all of our 55 gallon drums that were frozen solid all emptied and sap boiled.

We are right about the same, 40% of a typical season. Despite the challenges its been a good season so far. Just been a battle with everything freezing up. It would certainly be easier if we were in Sumner daily to boil as it came in. But we accept the challenges presented to us and get it done just the same. We didn't pull out of there till 7pm tonight.

[maineboiler]

Sounds right. Our trees got a chance to thaw yesterday. I collected 60 gallons, first I have done in about a week and 1/2. Should run hard today, I expect a late night. So far we have collected about 800 gallons of sap and have bottled 13 gallons of GD. So far, so good. Looks good for Maine Maple Sunday, even if it chills down

[West Sumner Sugar]

Another good weekend at West Sumner Sugar House. Despite the snow, we boiled off over 400 gallons of sap, added another 8 gallons to the season total which puts us about dead even with last season if you include the cooking syrup from last year. Sap in the L/A area is beginning to fall off because we aren't seeing the freeze at night. BUT...the 3/16 is really making a difference in Sumner. 42 taps on 2 runs had a 55g drum over flowing in a few days. We've since put each line in its own collection barrel. For having no power and no way to run a vacuum system...you cannot complain with 23" of free sap sucking power!
16318

[Lukie]

Good run Friday and Sunday collected 275 gallons and been running 2.5% sugar and tested 40 gallon I collected yesterday and was 3% tapped all sugars this year and left the reds along so far 20 gallons