Tapped in Lackawanna County

[Z/MAN]

Most of my taps are now in. Collected about 75 gallons of sap tonight before the big freeze set in. Looks like we will be doing our first boil later tomorrow. Had tons of problems with the leader fittings bending and or coming apart on the 3/16 tubing. I have some DG fittings and they seem like they are built much heavier. I know I will not buy the leader fittings again.

[doocat]

Weather is crazy. Too many nights above freezing right out of the gate this year in northeast Pa. Only time will tell on the season. Good luck

[Z/MAN]

Doocat, like you said weather is crazy. What I have learned over the years is to NEVER plan your collecting or boiling by looking at the forecast. It just never works out that way.

[Z/MAN]

Wow what a run! My taps ran hard for almost 48 straight hours . Never seen that before. Mother Nature always wins though, see gave us huge amounts of sap but she kept most of the sugar. First time I have ever dealt with 1.5% sap. Sucks. Anyone else have trouble with low sugar? Still have about 80+ gallons of sap to collect in the AM and I am wondering if it is worth the long boil for so little syrup.

[doocat]

Yes lots and lots of sap no sugar!

[Z/MAN]

Well I guess I missed something. I didn't see any freezing temps in the last few days but as I drove past one of my white plastic drums today I noticed it had about 20 gallons of sap in it. After checking other tanks and pails it turns out I am sitting on about 170 gallons of sap. I have no idea when it got cold enough to reset my trees. I had to finish and bottle all the syrup I made this week so I couldn't start boiling today. I have my work cut out for me the next few days as some of the trees were still running today and we have a freeze coming Monday night. I am going to be spending a lot of time sitting there with my evaporator. I just bottled over 6 1/2 gallons of syrup from the first weeks run. What a start to my season!

[Z/MAN]

The sap is starting to run again after a 3 week+ shutdown. The taps are producing but not a large amount yet. I think they will let loose in the next couple of days with the warm temps coming. I boiled twice in the last few days and am happy to see that the sugar level has gone up to the highest levels we have seen this season.( 2%+) The syrup has also moved up to Amber, the first syrup we have made this year that wasn't Dark or Very Dark. I just hope that the holes stay open in the trees we have tapped with pails. Looking forward to a good week. Hopefully.

[Z/MAN]

Still making syrup here in the Northeast. Broke the 20 gallon mark tonight but it is getting harder. Temps are looking great for the next week but the taps are slowing down. Don't know how much more we will get but we will keep on trying. If the tap holes weren't drying up I think we would be buried in sap up to our eyeballs. This is our seventh week tapped so we are on overtime and grateful for what we are getting.

[Z/MAN]

Did our last boil today. 58 days tapped and some taps still flowing( we did ream). Most years we just barely make it into April but this year we made it to April 13th. Unbelievable. The craziest season I have seen. Big runs in February( without a freeze) froze up most of March and then April with some taps dried up and others running like there is no tomorrow. I don't usually ream but I was desperate this year and IT WORKED for some of the trees. Now time to wash and clean everything up and finish and bottle the last few gallons. It looks like we had our best year yet but we sure did work for it. Sugar content was lower then ever so we used more wood then ever before but we MADE LOTS OF GOOD TASTING SYRUP! That's all that counts.

[Z/MAN]

Finished and bottled the last of our syrup today. Finished the year with 25 gallons which made it our best year to date. Our sap to syrup ratio was 54 to 1 which although our worst ever was a lot better then some others around here. We are putting this season behind us but I doubt we will ever forget it.

[Maplewalnut]

Nice job Paul

[Z/MAN]

Have almost all our taps in. Sap ran well today and we will probably have a small boil this weekend. Now it looks like we won't have any sap weather till later next week.

[Maplewalnut]

Good Luck Z/Man. Weather is up and down again this year, time will tell how the season unfolds!

[doocat]

All drilled in as of today up here in Susquehanna county. Weird weather for sure. Good luck everyone in the the northeast Pa area!

[Z/MAN]

Good luck Doocat.

[doocat]

When we were drilling the temps looked real good but now as soon as we are done a week plus of below freezing. I just can’t figure it out this year. Thanks.

[Z/MAN]

Temps around 40 a few times but taps still running slow. Hope they just need more time to thaw. Weather not looking good for next 2 weeks. Maybe this time they will be wrong in our favor. Now we have the high winds.

[Z/MAN]

Do we dare say that the weather looks fantastic this week??

[doocat]

Better than this last week for sure:)

[iby]

Fingers crossed and prayers said for everyone!! Best wishes!

[doocat]

Finally, season is here!!!

[Z/MAN]

My taps are still running slow.

[doocat]

Ours are as well but running.

[Maplewalnut]

Same here...running out of time

[Z/MAN]

They are running much better today!

[doocat]

Finally opened up here as well. Have you looked at the forecast today! That doesn’t look good!

[Z/MAN]

After a few colder snowy days I expected a good sap run today. Not so. Some ran decent but most didn't give us much. How did they run for you?

[doocat]

This afternoon gave us a really strong run but the day did start slow. A more good days coming...

[Maplewalnut]

Same here, a good run for a few hours yesterday and then it slowed way down Ran a little overnight last night and it still flowing slowing this morning. Hard freezes next few nights should reset everything. I still see a couple nights below freezing early next week still. I may go from a concern over how much syrup we made (or didn't make) to a concern over how much wood is left...

[Z/MAN]

Well it's all over. All in all not too bad a season. We ended up with 22 gallons, a few less then last year but acceptable. Sap to syrup was 47 to 1. Much better then last year. Boiled 18 days and that along with the length of the season and the long boils kind of kicked my butt. I have to look into getting a bigger pan for next year to shorten the hours boiling. Arch needs a lot of work also as the high heat that I put through it is taking it's toll. I guess we will have to be bigger and better for next year. Also tried infusing some cinnamon into some syrup and it turned out excellent. By the end of tomorrow everything will be cleaned up and packed away with only washing out the lines left. Hope everyone had a great season.

[Z/MAN]

2020 here we come! Put in 89 taps today and another 10 to go tomorrow. Ran out of daylight and couldn't see last years tap holes. Spent the last week rebuilding my evaporator. The high heat we run it at has it eating itself up. They should run tomorrow and then shut down till Saturday so we should be boiling Wednesday. Good luck to all...

[Maplewalnut]

Good Luck Paul

[Z/MAN]

Great run the last 2 days. Boiled today and will boil again tomorrow. Taps should run dry tonight and I don't think it is going below freezing tomorrow night so we should be down for a while.

[Maplewalnut]

I am curious when they run dry also. Not sure ground was completely thawed yesterday although it should thaw quickly today with a little rain. Not much frost as you know this year so the next freeze thaw cycle should really open them up next week.

[Z/MAN]

Bottled up our first couple of boils today. Made Golden and Amber. This is the first time in years that we have made Golden. Had very little niter in the pan after 3 boils and the syrup went right through the filters. The least amount of niter I have ever seen in the filters. Almost 4 gallons thru the orlon and 2 prefilters and didn't have to remove any prefilters during the process. Why can't it always be this easy and fast? Sugar level in the sap has been right around 2%. I'm happy.

[Z/MAN]

Taps have finally stopped running and we should get below freezing tonight but I don't think it will be low enough or long enough to recharge them. It was a hell of a run. I boiled the last 2 days and still have 71 gallons for tomorrow. 2.3 gallons per tap is great for us here.

[Z/MAN]

Had a deep freeze and 2 warm days and sap is only trickling in. How is everyone else doing?

[springhillsmaple]

2/3 of our taps are dried up. 1/3 is on new tubing and started running pretty well after this last freeze. I think this'll be it, though.

[doocat]

We are still running good up in Susquehanna county but theses next few days are gonna hurt. 66 on Friday, wow!

[Maplewalnut]

One of our bushes is toast, never even went to stringy nasty sap just plain dried up. Other two including one on 3/16ths gravity is still running a few hours a day the last two days. Trying to make it to Saturday, time will tell

[slammer3364]

Just tapped the 16th of this month,was helping my daughter move. We will see how it goes, next week looks good if the weather forecast is right.

[Z/MAN]

Boiled 40+ gallons yesterday and 30+ today. Taps are still running and the syrup tastes good so we are still in business. Couple weeks ago we were boiling so much we were sure we would have a record year and now we are just hoping to match last year. Ma nature sure loves to play with us.

[Z/MAN]

Starting to worry how I am going to be able to tap with this ever increasing snow pack. Forecast is showing lots more in the next 2 weeks. The older I get the more I hate tapping with snow shoes. Main line is also buried! Luckily I don't see tapping weather in the near future.

[Z/MAN]

Finally tapped here in Covington Twp. Had to use the snowshoes and I hate tapping with them. Also had a lot of work digging out the main line. I like snow but this Feb was just silly. Weather is looking fine right now but we all know how fast that forecast can change. Will be trying out the new RO bucket RB20. Can't wait!

[Z/MAN]

Had 2 runs this week and I am loving the RO. Besides cutting my boiling time in half, today I drew syrup almost constantly. My fist draw today was about an hour and 15 minutes! My system has always been very erratic at best. RO took my sap from 1.9% to 5.0% on one pass. I'm almost bored.:lol:

[Muddy Bottoms]

We had a couple good days last week but things are freezing up again here in the north central. Should have a lot of sap coming early next week.

[Z/MAN]

Not having the best season here. Still didn't have a really good run and above freezing temps the last 2 nights and staying above again tonight. Fellow sugermaker 3 miles away had temps 10 degrees colder then me night before last. Actually think I only had 50% of my taps thawed and running and now they ran dry and the frozen ones are thawing and running. I hope after tomorrow nights freeze everything takes off and we get a normal good run. Running out of season here fast!

[doocat]

It’ll come, just all at once!!

[Z/MAN]

Tapped Wednesday, collected 116 gallons of sap on Friday. Used my RB20 RO Bucket to reduce those 116 gallons of sap to 46 gallons of concentrate with just one pass. Boiled it down today and ready for the next big run starting Monday. Hope everyone has a great season.

[Z/MAN]

Sap ran steady for 3 days. Went below freezing last night for a while and they ran well all day today again. I will have enough for another boil tomorrow then finish and bottle all that syrup in the evening. Busy days here and the forecast looks very good. (We all know that can change fast)

[Z/MAN]

Is anyone besides me hoping we get a run this coming week? The big freeze should recharge the trees, but I am worried the holes might have dried out this week. I am tapped 5 weeks today. The trees ran great on the last run, 7 days ago. I have my barrels, pails and buckets rinsed, just waiting to put them back out. Not a big deal. With the temps that I see coming if the holes aren't dried up, I see a big finish! Am I alone in this thinking????

[Waynesgarden]

I'm also interested in seeing what plays out over the next week. I'm at the top of the county and am seeing some of my maples with buds opening. I've left about a dozen taps in the trees with buds that don't show signs of opening for the past week but don't know what to expect. (This is only my second season.) I'd love to see another run since I got such a late start this year.

[Z/MAN]

Waynesgarden, I have been sugaring about 18 years and have never had buddy sap. I only have a few red and silvers and they bud out but never seem to pop open. They scare me enough to sometimes bring some samples from those trees to my stove for a quick boil, but it has never been bad. Your experience could differ.

[Z/MAN]

Am I the only one in Pa that is still boiling? My tress aren't flowing hard but they are still flowing. I do have some tap holes that have dried up but others that are doing good. This morning 2 of my 6 tree buckets were overflowing. My sap is low in sugar (1.2%) but still clear and making great tasting syrup. I boiled Friday and today and if we get below freezing tonight ( it will be close) I might get another boil or two.

[doocat]

No, there are a few of us up north, susquehanna county, still boiling. But it is coming to a close soon. Good luck!

[Waynesgarden]

If the temp drop as hoped tonight, I should have enough tomorrow for one last small boil.

[Maplewalnut]

Hey Paul- haven't been on here much this year. We just turned our pumps off today. Really good season for us. Hope all is well and you got on your sled a few times this winter

Mike

[Z/MAN]

Hey Paul- haven't been on here much this year. We just turned our pumps off today. Really good season for us. Hope all is well and you got on your sled a few times this winter

Mike

Glad you had good season Mike. Unfortunately I did not get to ride the sled again this year.

[Z/MAN]

Well, my thermometer said we had a low of 33 degrees last night but I had ice in some of the buckets.:o It was just enough because my taps are flowing again. It looks like I will be boiling again tomorrow or Wednesday.:emb: Yippee!!!

[Waynesgarden]

Didn't get as cold as I hoped last week and just enough sap flowed from the 10 remaining taps around the house to boil down one more quart. Still, this (second) year was a learning year for me. Acquired and used an RO bucket and built a barrel stove that worked very well. Burned kiln-dried lumber cut-offs exclusively and easily kept a hot, continuous fire. (Have a free, unlimited supply so cutting firewood is no longer a concern.)

Some setbacks had me starting very late this year and only tapped for about a week before that warm spell hit but I'm happy with the 2 gallons I produced. Next year everything will be in place so I'll be ready when the sap is. I'm going to add 50 or so trees up the hill with tubing, sealing up a few small gaps between the tray and the stove, trying forced air below the fire and devising a preheater.

Today, is cleanup day.

Wayne

[Z/MAN]

Wayne, I got just cold enough last week to give me another 2 1/2 gallons of syrup. That gave me 24 1/2 gallons for the year and that is my personal best. If you ever want to stop by to see my little setup, I would be happy to meet with you. Always love talking Maple.

[Waynesgarden]

Haven't been on here since the spring. It would be great to see your setup when you're back at it or could give a hand if needed when setting up. My schedule is 100% flexible. I'm outside today marking trees to tap.

Wayne

[Z/MAN]

Wayne, I'm retired so I usually have time for Maple talk. I did just get back from a trip to Montana today so I will be busy catching up with things around here for a week or so. I will be putting up some lines that I have to take down each year at the neighbor's property in the next few weeks. Stay in touch.

Paul

[Z/MAN]

All tapped and boiling here. Wow! Never seen them run like the last few days. My earliest start and making lots of syrup. Sugar is low, only 1.2 but it is really early. My RB20 has saved the day. Love my RO.

[Z/MAN]

I see everyone complaining about the weather but at my place it is great. I bottled up 13+ gallons today and that is over 1/2 of the crop I did all last season. This week the weather looks excellent, but we all know that can change. Sugar is low 54:1, but we are making great syrup! How is everyone else in Lackawanna County doing?

[Z/MAN]

Anyone else having big time niter problems this year? I can't run much more than 100 gallons of sap this year, without having to shut down and soak my pan overnight in vinegar. It's a real pain in the butt.

[PeterHolmes]

Hi Z/MAN,
I am certainly noticing the high nitre content from my trees in the Hudson Valley of New York this year. Our winter 2022/2023 had relatively little snow with the most significant snow happening 2nd week of March, after I had my taps in.
--Peter

[Z/MAN]

Finally got all my taps in. Running today and looks like tomorrow and Friday. Next week might be a flood.

[Maplewalnut]

Tons of niter this year!!! Good luck

[Z/MAN]

Tons of niter this year!!! Good luck

Great!, I had lots the last 2 years.

[Waynesgarden]

Going to try tapping next week. Plans for last year fell apart with Lyme disease problems and an expansion by about 40 taps this year fell by the wayside when I broke my ankle just before Christmas.
Not ready to hobble into the woods yet but I'm determined to at least tap the trees right around the house.

[Pdiamond]

A little is better than nothing and take it easy, you don't want to re- injure yourself. Good luck.

[Waynesgarden]

Thanks. I do push myself a bit as I refuse to be that old guy sitting around cataloging my aches and pains.
I can get 10 taps in, make some syrup and enjoy the process.
Wayne.

[Z/MAN]

This sap run has been relentless. I did 928 gallons this week. All of last year I did 1,400 gallons. And it's still running!!!!

[Z/MAN]

Tapped on Feb 20th. Had 2 almost unbelievable runs. One I boiled 8 out of 9 days. Now after a long warm spell and then a long below freezing spell, I have weather in the 40, 50, and 60"s. Not getting a drop of sap anywhere. I understand tap holes dry out but I never seen them all dry out at once. Anyone in Lackawanna county making syrup. After the great start it looks like I won't match last year.

[springhillsmaple]

Hi,
We tapped in January between the 2nd and 21st. We made a little mid January and quite a bit between the 26th and February 5th or so. Earliest we ever tapped. Earliest we ever made syrup. We boiled the last time on March 6th. Earliest we ever ended. We ended up with about 1/3 gallons per tap so pretty good. Low sugar as has been normal the past few years. Average about 1.2%. We put in a lot of effort with sanitation of taps. Calcium Hypochlorite rinse lines before season started and used check valve spouts. Bad squirrels this year. Had to do repairs almost daily. Sanitation helped but by the 4th of March we were making some real real dark stuff and I decided to end it when the run was really slowing down so there were diminishing returns each day. We might have been able to go longer but the quality was something I wasn’t excited about. We’re only at about 1200 feet so I think higher elevation spots would have had a later/longer season.