Tapping North of Two Harbors.

[billschi]

Since I moved from the cities to 80 acres off grid in the middle of the woods, I look forward to making syrup. Syrup season is the sure sign of spring. Even Woodchucks can't tell when we should get our sugaring supplies ready. :)
I've been watching the weather forecasts carefully in the last few weeks. The end of this week looked promising for the next 10 days. So yesterday, I tapped 80+ trees with a few of them dripping. When I woke this morning, it was 6 F. I checked the 10 day forecast as I do every morning and everything was changed. Not just one day, the whole 10 days. Maybe I should get a Woodchuck instead of following the monkeys that provide a detailed forecast. :lol:
My question is, I want to put another 160 taps in this year, do I wait until the weather is more ideal? My fear is by the time the good weather is here, the tap holes will be in the middle of healing themselves much like what happened last year with the first 50 taps I put in.

[Austin351]

Looking at WeatherUnderground for Two Harbors, I'd get to tapping...

[billschi]

I found Brimson weather is a more accurate gauge than Two Harbors. We are usually 5-10 degrees colder here than Two Harbors. I will check Weather Underground. Maybe they are more accurate than what I've been using. Example, the low last night was supposed to be in the mid to upper teens. When I woke up, it was 6 degrees. Fortunately we've had full sun and some trees are starting to drip.

[billschi]

Woke up to -3F this morning. I was hoping the trees would at least spit out icicles. The bright side is, the weather forecasters are saying this is the week.
I'm almost finished building another heating fuel oil arch to fit a 2'x6' flat pan. With that arch and my other one, I should be able to shed 20 gallons per hour.
I do live off grid so that makes it a little more of a challenge.

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[Austin351]

Sap should run this week, then shut down over the weekend (and some more snow...), Good time to boil what ya got. Then game on again next week.

[billschi]

We had 40 degrees and sunny yesterday. I emptied bags that had 1 pint or more in bags. Out of 135 taps, I collected 11 gallons. So I tapped another 65 trees in hopes these trees wake up this week. I have 42 taps left to put in. I may wait until the trees start flowing before I use them.

[billschi]

I just finished my evaporator.
Maybe the sap will start running next week.
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[doop]

It doesn't look good. If the forecast doesn't change, I might not even get enough for even 1 boil this year. I thought last year was bad.

[Austin351]

I just finished my evaporator.
Maybe the sap will start running next week.
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Nice work Billschi! I built a fuel oil tank evaporator also, this is my second season with it. I really like how you extended the arch, I may have to do that for next season.

[billschi]

Thanks Austin.
I was able to use the whole tank. There was enough metal left over to straighten out and make a tray from the firebox to the stove pipe exit area to place firebrick on under the tray.
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[billschi]

It doesn't look good. If the forecast doesn't change, I might not even get enough for even 1 boil this year. I thought last year was bad.
I sure hope you're wrong. You don't think next week will be good? I know the ground isn't thawed yet, but maybe next week?

[Austin351]

Thanks Austin.
I was able to use the whole tank. There was enough metal left over to straighten out and make a tray from the firebox to the stove pipe exit area to place firebrick on under the tray.
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I did the same (adding a tray / arch) with fireboard over the top, leaving about 2.5" between the top of board and the bottom of the pan. Is that a 6' pan?

[billschi]

Yes, it is a 6' pan.
2.5"? Maybe that's what I need to do. I have about 6". Do you get a even boil throughout the whole pan? I like the fireboard idea. Thanks.

[Austin351]

It boils all but the back couple inches (where adding colder sap). I have AUF this year but remember it boiling pretty much the whole pan before the blower install. Hope for all of our trees to get a good run next week!

[Birddog]

It doesn't look good. If the forecast doesn't change, I might not even get enough for even 1 boil this year. I thought last year was bad.. It’s been crazy. I keep thinking it’s going to break loose and then it turns cold again. I sure hope things get going next week!

[billschi]

. It’s been crazy. I keep thinking it’s going to break loose and then it turns cold again. I sure hope things get going next week!

Hasn't that been the motto this year?
"I sure hope things get going next week".

[doop]

2013 was very similar to this year didn't run til the 12th temps constantly were 28-37 for highs then 0n the 27th sixties and it was over. I see 64 then 70 forecasted for the 27th and 28th. I hope we get some good runs til then.

[Austin351]

Billschi- Did you ever get a run up there? I just looked at the weather for Two Harbors, doesn't look like temps are to get below freezing in future??

[billschi]

Not really. From 200 trees, I got 25 gallons.
Brimson's weather is more accurate for us. It looks like Sunday and Monday night may stay above freezing. Hopefully they'll be wrong like they have been all spring.
What if it doesn't get below freezing after Sunday? The run just stops? Is the sap not essential for the leaves to bud?

[Austin351]

Not really. From 200 trees, I got 25 gallons.
Brimson's weather is more accurate for us. It looks like Sunday and Monday night may stay above freezing. Hopefully they'll be wrong like they have been all spring.
What if it doesn't get below freezing after Sunday? The run just stops? Is the sap not essential for the leaves to bud?

Assuming you mean 25 gallons of syrup??

When the temps fail to fall below freezing at night, the sap eventually stops. Even if it is dripping a bit, the sugar content will be way down. (it needs the cold to convert starch into sugar) With this warm weather, the buds will swell and leaves will open up. Guessing that is when photosynthesis takes over the "feeding".

[billschi]

No, I actually meant 25 gallons of sap.
The snow is now going away and the trees started running today. It won't get cold enough tonight but possibly the next 3 days.
I added 35 more taps today in hopes of some more sap. Now the best I can hope for is 10 gallons of syrup this year with 235 taps.

[billschi]

Wednesday we received the first real run. Yesterday I collected just under 55 gallons from 235 taps. That is about 1 3/4 pints per bag. That may not sound like much to most of you but, after the spring we've had so far, I'll take it. I will boil it down today. That'll put me at 3 1/2 gallons for the year of finished syrup. It's possible the trees will run this weekend. Maybe another 2-3 gallons of finished product?
Just so Mother Nature can let us know she's in charge, she's sending us more snow this morning. Recharge.

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[billschi]

235 trees tapped and 5 gallons of syrup. I don't think I'm getting any more.
Now I have 53 birch trees tapped. I've adapted my evaporator with a bubbler. I think I'm going to use this for maple sap next year.
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[billschi]

Just went out to the woods last week. Snowshoes were the only option as the snow was waist deep.
The good news is, I had to use the skid steer to move some snow and the ground underneath was not frozen. This is already a headstart from last year. Last year we had -20 to -30F before the snow. This year we had 2' of snow before those temps. Now we just need some temps above freezing.
This pic was last weekend.
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[billschi]

Put in 57 taps yesterday. The trees just woke up. Only 10 gallons of sap collected from the south facing hills in 6 hours. The are running much better than last year.
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