Still going

[maple flats]

This has been a fairly long season so far and it is still going. The trees around my sugarhouse, tapped between 1/15-1/20 are only giving up a little at this point, but my bigger bush which was tapped 1/21-2/16 is still doing well. Both woods are on vacuum, 25-27" at sugarhouse, 16-29" at other woods. (there the pump is doing 16-18" but about 40% of the taps there are on good slope with 3/16 tubing). There, in the last 2 days I have gotten 1200 gal of sap off 630 taps. At the sugarhouse I've only gotten about 60 gal off the remaining 130 taps (had to pull 41 taps on soft maples). All taps are CV2, even the 3/16, because I either used a 3/16 x 3/16 x 5/16 tee for the drop, or on some I cut the old drop a few inches off the 1 yr. old 3/16 tee, used a 3/16-5/16 connector then ran a 5/16 drop for the tap.
If only the sap had more sugar. All this long season, I've had few freeze thaw cycles. We seem to keep getting long freezes (3-5 or more days) followed by long periods with no freeze (up to 5 days). Every time the long forecast calls for a period of a few freeze thaw cycles daily, it changes before it happens and we again get the long cycles. As a result, my usual 2.1-2.4% sugar have been averaging 1.5 or 1.6%. I've never even boiled sap that low in years past. I generally stop collecting when it goes down below 1.8%. If I did that this year I'd have made no syrup.

[Ghs57]

My 50 taps at the shack have slowed (tapped 2/19). My other bush on 3/16 has also slowed (tapped 2/21). I suspect my sanitation measures were not thorough enough. Between the uncooperative weather and equipment breakdowns, I'm behind last year, and the syrup has all been very dark. I never measured the sugar %. If I did I would probably be too discouraged to boil it.

I agree on the forecasts. They are like a mirage; looking favorable from a distance, but up close, not so much.

I have enough sap for a boil today. The first in almost two weeks.

[Daveg]

I've had to switch from snowmobile gathering to tractor gathering, back to snowmobile gathering and if it rains as predicted, it will be back to the tractor again. Lot's of trees are at 1.1% sap, full of niter. 13 gallons of syrup from 175 taps. This week looks like the end, with above 32°F predicted for a week straight after tomorrows' thaw.

[Snappyssweets]

I have stuck it out now and will be calling it on Friday here.

Lower sugar is obvious as I am about 100/1 ratio this year. No idea of actual content.
Darker and yes much more niter. I am actually doing a multi stage filter. One at collection through cotton fabric tight weave simply to collect dirt and such that may have been in buckets. Then I boil and filter before bringing it inside to boil. Then filter again before hitting finish pan and then final filter before bottling.

Weather has been strange that is for sure.

[Cedar Eater]

This is why I don't bother testing the sap sugar level. I'm going to boil until I reach my goal or until the sap turns buddy. I have seen the same weather pattern here in the NELP of Michigan and it has been frustrating, but I've had some good runs on natural vacuum. I should reach my goal in the next day or so and it looks like we might still have a few weeks to the season.