February Journal

[maple flats]

Wow, Feb 6 and no one has started this month's Journal. I have been working getting ready. The currant warm spell was tempting, but looking beyond this week it look like no sap flow until into March. I decided to wait, rather than get sap in the lines and then have it set there for 3 weeks.
I did get some drops replaced and cleaned up getting the sugarhouse ready. I also filled another barrel for bourbon barrel aged maple syrup, then I packed the rest of the SS drum that came out of into retail containers, all half gallon. I was almost out of half gallons in Dark. I sell more of that grade and size than any other except the bourbon barrel aged maple.

[Chickenman]

I got 30 more sap sack holders built and ready to hang on the trees. Just about finished my vacuum filter press and getting ready to give it a try. I will post pics of this set up as the vacuum is what is used for vacuum pressing veneer lumber. Worked good on a test. Pulls down to 26 inches pump kicks off at 19 inches the pump kicks back on. Need a larger vessel for vacuum accumulation but medical E oxygen cylinders are what I had on hand for free. Should be boiling again this weekend with the sap that I collected the last few days.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Started drilling. 700 done about 8000 plus to go. Had 4 transformers and 6600 feet of 4/0 wire arrive at noon yesterday. We got the wire all pulled through the woods. Built a spinner for the reels out of the rear end of a wagon gear. Loaded the reels with a chain hoist. set the spinner at one end, hitched the team of horses on the wire and pulled it through. Worked better than I could have imagined. If all goes as planned there will only be about 1200 taps running on a generator and all of the rest on the grid.

[Chickenman]

I thought I would be boiling this morning, however mother nature threw me a curve ball with 22 degrees yesterday and left me with solid 5 gallon ice cubes. They don't fit my pan. LOL Will have to wait until midweek when they thaw a bit and I can drain off the concentrated sugar water.

[maple flats]

My long range forecast (central NY State) just changed yesterday. I will now start tapping. Looks like I will get sap starting tomorrow and thru the weekend. Then a couple of days no sap followed by more sap. My long range forecast now shows good sap weather into March and if I can believe it most of March looks good too. Unfortunately, most forecasts more than 12-36 hrs out are wrong. Some are wrong big time at less than 12 hrs out.
At any rate, it's go time for me.
I added about 100 new taps since Saturday, about 90 were on reds and silvers. I will add another 20-25 today too, all reds and silvers. Once I get all tapped, if I have some spare time I'll add another 20-50 more, I have the trees.

[ennismaple]

If anyone out there wants some extra snow to help keep their woods cold and to add moisture they are free to come take all they want out of our sugar bush! It's midway up your thighs and light and fluffy all the way to the ground so no support for boots or snowshoes. Tapping will be fun...

Saturday we did a bunch of snow removal, got a load of containers and supplies and re-packaged 2 drums of syrup. We managed to get a little over 300 taps in on the worst of our hills before dark.

Sunday we got the evaporator put together, the new feed pump installed on the RO machine, moved more snow, and built the shed for our new vacuum pump. 19480

Yesterday we got the steel roof on the pump shed and managed to get 1000 ft of vacuum line up, tensioned and wire tied. My job for the afternoon was to serve as a counterweight to keep the ladder from falling over as my brother tried to wire tie the mainline 10-15ft off the ground. We really should have done that in the fall before we were wading through 2 feet of snow!

Looking like this weekend will be good tapping weather.

[maple flats]

You can keep your snow, I have about 6" and the ground is frozen. That's good enough for me. I start tapping tomorrow, sure is easier when I don't need snowshoes. A few years ago I had 4' on the level, climbing 50% slopes on snowshoes sure slowed me down that year. In fact that year as I crossed a drainage wash, one snowshoe tipped sideways and my foot went down about 2'. My other foot was on a steep slope and it took me likely 30 minutes to get back on top. I had nothing to hold onto and my help was all about 400+ yards away. I finally got out, I almost resorted to cutting a Bob Macky shoe harness. I then found a better one that I do not have issues with . The best part of having bought the better one is I haven't had enough snow that I needed to put on the snowshoes since. Had I known they would be that good I'd have bought them years earlier.

[maple flats]

Finally finished fixing leaks, changing drops and adding new laterals around the sugarhouse. We added 178 new taps. We will recheck once all tapping there is finished, likely tomorrow for a total. On the old ones we removed a few taps and added a few too, my guess is we might have a few less on the old ones. At any rate, we might be around 400 there.
Then next week, too cold for sap to flow, we will tap on my lease. We have done some repairs there but no tapping yet. We would like to end up with 600-650 there, time will tell.

[Chickenman]

Everything here is set and ready to go. Just waiting on mother nature to take her meds and give us normal temperature swings. Should have a decent flow today but they are calling for Very strong winds for tomorrow of between 45 and 65 mph with gusts as high as 75 possible. Hold on to your hats and keep rocks in your pockets were in for a bumpy ride.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Put on new taps, replaced drops and line as needed on our southerly facing grove today. Can’t believe how much snow there is in the woods. Up to your knees in snowshoes. It is tough going and another foot coming tomorrow. One more section of woods to get ready next weekend and will tap early March. Partner is making good progress in the shack. Might get a test boil on the new evaporator tomorrow!

[maple flats]

Got the count, not to 400 yet. I will add more soon, I have the potential to get to 400 at the sugarhouse. I will continue adding.

[Russell Lampron]

I got sommore leaks fixed this afternoon and am getting the vacuum up closer to where it belongs. Most of the leaks are squirrel damage. I did find a couple of bad fittings and a dead tree too. If the rain we're supposed to get tomorrow isn't too bad I will try to fix more leaks. Two of my mainlines are tight and I've got one more to tighten up.

[maple flats]

Before I can add more I need to make my sap ladders larger. At the sugarhouse my ladders are the old type, using star fittings. I have 4 such ladders that need to get additional star or bigger star fittings. The ladders at my lease are all using 3/4" vertical risers. I'm not sure but I may even change those to 1/2" risers. I've read that the 1/2" work even better than the 3/4". However, that is not for this year.

[Chickenman]

Just came in from checking bags here at house. Some filled overnight others not so much. 45 degrees out and I was getting stung with pea size hail and the strong winds. Will partly empty full bags and leave rest as ballast to keep bags from flapping in the "light 45 mph breeze" were having.

[maple flats]

Everyone who is getting high winds today or tomorrow, be very careful. There will be lots of trees and branches falling. Maple is not worth risking your life. Resume after this storm and then be very aware of loose hanging limbs.

[Chickenman]

Everyone who is getting high winds today or tomorrow, be very careful. There will be lots of trees and branches falling. Maple is not worth risking your life. Resume after this storm and then be very aware of loose hanging limbs.

They don't call them widow makers for no reason. "Watch your top knot".

[Bugsmudbooksandsticks]

"watch yorn" Best movie

[Sugarmaker]

High winds Sunday made you stay alert in the bush!
Weather (NWPA) is back in cold mode which is better than being in too warm mode! Low was 20 F last night got to 41 for all of 10 minutes at 1:30 this afternoon and is now back down to 26. Might get a run this weekend?
Need to get out there and repair my lid on the 325 gallon truck tank. Lost the lid, now need to replace the 16 inch insert (threaded portion) and new lid.
Regards,
Chris

[to100]

Drill 2 holes in new lid and tank a put a rope with knots at each end. Then you an unscrew lid and it hangs off tank.

[maple flats]

Adding the rope tether works best if you slide a washer on the rope, then crimp a sleeve on to keep the rope from sliding thru the washer and hole. In fact I'd use a heavy mono line and crimp sleeves. I have some from a plastic weave high fence I have around 2 gardens. The mono was used to help hold the top and it came with crimp sleeves. I enlarged one of the 3 or 4 crimp sizes in the crimp tool I use to crimp sleeves on my 12.5 HT wire.

[Sugarmaker]

Good Idea on the tether for the lid. The old missing lid had one, a plastic strap. Looks like it didnt hold up, when the wind from driving caught it?
New lid is a little tight but its ready to go for the next sap run. Wich looks like March 10th if you can believe the Accuweather forecast? Will be working on making value added maple proudcts and canning syrup for the Taste and Tour in North West PA. Several orders to fill too!

www.pamaple.org

Regards,
Chris

[maple flats]

I have one woods ready, looking to have the other ready for March 11 which is when Accuweather says I should start getting good sap.