Is it over?

[Dale Sparrow]

I think it might be all done. Forecast says Saturday night freeze, but it was supposed to go below freezing last night last night and it didn't so I'm not so sure about Saturday.

[Revi]

We're pulling our taps on Saturday, so it's over for us! We'll see, but next week looks really warm, so I think it's over, unless you are up in Jackman!

[awpoolco]

Less than 1 gallon of sap in Hampden this year…. Sucky season for me, and I tried so hard

[awpoolco]

sorry, per tap that is

[Revi]

We had a fun season and made some syrup. Overall, thanks to God for all of it!

[abbott]

I see no reason not to hold on and see what happens Sat. night. You never know. But after that, unless the forecasters start changing their prognostications pretty soon, I think I'll be prepared to say it's over.

Last night, even though they said it would freeze, I ran the vacuum all night and didn't even think about getting up to check it. It just had the feel of a night that wasn't going to get cold enough. But Saturday night is supposed to be clear, so there's hope, especially if you're in a valley. I'm on a hill, so I'm skeptical, but willing to wait and see.

[bees1st]

Running pretty good here right now on vacuum. Atmospheric pressure has dropped with this low coming in. I suspect that has helped. Probably my last boil tomorrow.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Still plugged in but not very excited about more sap. Nothing the past 2 days to speak of. Even if we get 1 more run, still will be 1/3 last year's total. Terrible.

[Jal-Bear]

I'm waiting to see if it freezes up Saturday night. Hoping for one more run on Sunday. No matter what I'll be pulling taps out on Monday/Tuesday.

[West Sumner Sugar]

We are calling it quits after this weekend. We have had a great season, beat last years numbers which is always the goal. After cleanup we will be tearing down the old sugarhouse and prepping for a new one. Its time to upgrade!

[Atgreene]

Vacuum has been pulling sap, and the 3/16 is still trickling, but everything else didn't do much today. We'll hold on and see what happens, but Saturday freeze seems less likely, and after that it doesn't look good at all. One last boil tomorrow.

[Dale Sparrow]

I'm getting a run today. Cooking as it comes, wouldn't want to let this stuff sit. :)

[bees1st]

This is a picture of what ran last night at one set of 85 taps on 3/16th tubing. A tad over 200 gallons. My 5/16th didn't even come close. [ATTACH=CONFIG]16356

[Dale Sparrow]

How much elevation from tank to first tap do you have?

[bees1st]

I'll have to walk it with my GPS. I'm thinking some of them are over 100' of drop

[wurmdert]

Had a descent run last nite. Sap is still clear with 2.7 sugar. Syrup tasted great. Still have couple feet of snow in the woods, hopefully it will hold things at bay until if and when it freezes again.

[Dale Sparrow]

7 gallons of syrup today, was getting dark robust but now has gone back to light and delicate, go figure.

[Dale Sparrow]

Nice run going here this morning. :)

[abbott]

Nice run going here this morning. :)

That's great! I probably would have run the vacuum today without the freeze, but definitely got a boost. Looks like I'm going to run out of 5-gallon jugs. Then wood. And energy.

[wurmdert]

Still running here. Looks like ano5her freeze thurs or fridqy if the buds and holes hold tight.

[Atgreene]

Changed back from extra dark to dark today, gathered 375 today, my 3/16 on the north slope is running good as well as my vacuum stuff. I'm worried about this 70° stuff coming. Might be the end.

[BRL]

We did our last boil yesterday. We have 21 gallons bottled, 4.5 gallons to finish and filter and whatever is in the evaporator, so we should be close to 30 after everything is said and done. So a normal year for us just a pain in the a%% getting there!

[abbott]

Yup, it's over. Below is a picture of a "normal" bud next to a bud from my yard tree. Granted, the yard tree had big buds all winter, but they are also clearly swelling now. The woods trees can't be far behind. I will boil off the sap I have today, assuming no off flavor, then call it quits.

16367

[extracto]

Yeah it's getting close to over. really hot today. will get ropey at this temp.
By the way have you heard about the poisonous spouts that got sold. The sugarmakers that bought them are really done, like forever done. In fact we should boycott CDL the purveyors of these poisonous spouts. The sugarmakers that bought them are all facing bankruptcy as they can't sell their syrup and have to replace all their tubing. Just think this could be you next time. CDL used regrind plastic to make them which is a huge no no for food grade plastic. Benzene, a highly cancerous chemical is leaching out of the plastic as a result. Once it impregnates the plastic it cannot be removed. Apparently CDL helped replace the spouts but never offered to reimburse the sugarmakers for their costs associated with replacing all their spouts. To date they have not reimbursed any one or fessed up to their wrong doing. The state of VT has threatened to close them down but do you really think they have the teeth to make CDL fess up. I think we as sugarmakers should boycott cdl until they own up to their wrongdoing. You or I could be next. We need to show these companies that we demand safe products and that there will be a price to pay if they keep dumping toxic stuff on us. So we as as sugarmakers should do the following until CDL reimburses our fellow sugarmakers completely and take responsiblity for their actions: 1.) DON'T BUY ANY MORE PRODUCTS FROM CDL. 2.)CANCEL ANY ORDERS YOU HAVE WITH CDL. 3.) DON'T PAY CDL IF YOU OWE CDL MONEY. 4.) CDL NEEDS TO MAKE A PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR THEIR CROOKED ACTIONS.
If we band together we can make sure that this doesn't happen again.
IT COULD BE YOU NEXT TIME

[BAP]

Yeah it's getting close to over. really hot today. will get ropey at this temp.
By the way have you heard about the poisonous spouts that got sold. The sugarmakers that bought them are really done, like forever done. In fact we should boycott CDL the purveyors of these poisonous spouts. The sugarmakers that bought them are all facing bankruptcy as they can't sell their syrup and have to replace all their tubing. Just think this could be you next time. CDL used regrind plastic to make them which is a huge no no for food grade plastic. Benzene, a highly cancerous chemical is leaching out of the plastic as a result. Once it impregnates the plastic it cannot be removed. Apparently CDL helped replace the spouts but never offered to reimburse the sugarmakers for their costs associated with replacing all their spouts. To date they have not reimbursed any one or fessed up to their wrong doing. The state of VT has threatened to close them down but do you really think they have the teeth to make CDL fess up. I think we as sugarmakers should boycott cdl until they own up to their wrongdoing. You or I could be next. We need to show these companies that we demand safe products and that there will be a price to pay if they keep dumping toxic stuff on us. So we as as sugarmakers should do the following until CDL reimburses our fellow sugarmakers completely and take responsiblity for their actions: 1.) DON'T BUY ANY MORE PRODUCTS FROM CDL. 2.)CANCEL ANY ORDERS YOU HAVE WITH CDL. 3.) DON'T PAY CDL IF YOU OWE CDL MONEY. 4.) CDL NEEDS TO MAKE A PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR THEIR CROOKED ACTIONS.
If we band together we can make sure that this doesn't happen again.
IT COULD BE YOU NEXT TIME
Where did you get this information? and you should post this in a new thread.

[extracto]

Good source. Know a couple of the guys it happened too. Horrible. Should never happen again. We all need to ensure it doesn't.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

A sad 10 gallons in our tank after we collected last night. Probably over here too. Worst part is early next week looks great if you believe a 7 day forecast but I'm afraid the trees won't make it. Hoping they don't bud a little further north.

[West Sumner Sugar]

We are done, pulled out and washed as of Sunday night. Currently sitting at 54 gallons all bottled. We have about 25 gallons of concentrate from the evaporator to finish boil which should put us just south of 60 gallons. Record year for us, looking for more next year. Glad we tapped early and didn't miss the mass of the sap runs!

[Dale Sparrow]

I think I hear the fat lady singing.

[eagle lake sugar]

It's really just getting going in northern Maine. The weather looks good until the end of April as long as the trees don't bud.

[Jal-Bear]

Finished final batch last night. Ended up with 17 1/2 gallons for the season. All amber except last nights batch of 2 gallons was dark. Time to get cleaning. Got quite the sunburn this afternoon while cleaning buckets.

[gmcooper]

Looks like I may be done. kind of an unusual end to season with snow still in the colder spots and ice just went out of the farm pond yesterday. Peepers just came out Monday. Trees have not been running with vacuum.

[Dale Sparrow]

Got a frost last night and trees are running a little but sugar content 1.2% on the sugar maples I didn't bother to test the reds or the norways, all done. Whipple Lock Sugar Shack ends it's first season with 155 gallons from 428 on vac. 68 Norway taps, 80 red taps and 280 sugar taps.

[gmcooper]

Had a better freeze last night. Going to turn on vacuum at our coldest woods and see what happens.

[Atgreene]

Our north stuff on Douglas mountain is running a river on 3/16. I'm sold. Sugar content is 1.8 or so, pretty disappointing, but I'm ro'ing 225 gallons and doing our final boil (for the 5th time). I promise, this is it......unless the tank is full again tomorrow.....

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Just got back from Byron and pulled the plug in the big woods. Sap coming in good but with a ton of yeast in the afternoon. Last 2 barrels were off flavor because of the yeast. Time to pull taps!

[Dale Sparrow]

Pulling taps and cleaning tubing yesterday. Trees were budding and running like crazy at the same time, sugar tested at 1.2%.

[wurmdert]

Last day for me today.

[eagle lake sugar]

I'm still at it up here, trying to salvage this strange season. We had an inch of snow last night and the trees aren't budded yet, so maybe we have another few days.

[Mitchman]

Way to go Eagle Lake!! Give it a couple more for the Gipper!!!!!

[eagle lake sugar]

Way to go Eagle Lake!! Give it a couple more for the Gipper!!!!!

I had to call it quits last night. As usual, we get no sap until April, then it warms too fast and the sap turns. We pulled in at least 3500 gallons yesterday, but it's becoming metabolic and slightly off flavored. I have yet to have my trees stop running, up here the trees start to bud and shut us down.

[Revi]

I guess they are still going up by the border in Jackman. They are really high up, and are not getting the really warm temps we get down here, so they think they will go for another week or two.