Anyone tapping for buckets this weekend 1/25/20 in western MA?

[MarkL]

Looks like a good run next week but I am leery of tapping this early in the season. Earliest I've ever tapped is around 2/15. I keep waiting for cold weather to settle in this winter but it seems like it won't be.

Mark

[Buffalo Plaid]

I put out 5 "scout" buckets on my reds Wednesday after seeing the forecast. So far they are still dry so I won't be tapping for real for a couple weeks anyway.

[ecolbeck]

I am waiting. Despite the warm daytime temps, the sun is still low and nighttime temps look cold.

[DavidSB]

Tapping sugar maples near the house today, aprox. 30 taps in place, on tubing, maybe more this afternoon, it is flowing nicely and the week ahead looks good for the Ashby area. (near Fitchburg)

Let it Flow, David

[berkshires]

It's always hard to hold off right now, but I'm holding off. I'm all on buckets, and if I tapped now I would lose out on the great runs I always get in mid march. Not sure if I'd really be trading those for much. Every year is different, but historically, there are very very few years for me where a January tap date would be optimal.

I'll check the long-term forecast in a week, and if it looks really promising, I'll tap then. Otherwise I'll wait until Valentines day. I'm in the foothill of the Berkshires, at 800 feet elevation. If you're at sea level, that's a whole other thing.

GO

[Buffalo Plaid]

Tapping sugar maples near the house today, aprox. 30 taps in place, on tubing, maybe more this afternoon, it is flowing nicely and the week ahead looks good for the Ashby area. (near Fitchburg)

Let it Flow, David
Hey David, I'm just east of you in Pepperell. How many taps will you be running? All sugars? All vacuum?

[bigschuss]

I'm at 2,000' in the Berkshires and I am still easily a month away from tapping. Tempting to chase short term trends, but in the long run my average first tapping date is the first week of March.

[berkshires]

By the way, it's not that I'm not champing at the bit (pardon the pun). I just finished getting everything ready. I had a bunch of work I had to do to start the season: wood is all split, floor of the sugarshack is shored up, new stovepipe holder is installed. And I also have all my buckets taps, and drops all ready. And this weekend going into the beginning of next week looks perfect. So it's pretty hard to sit on my hands, but that's what I'm doing. I just don't like it!

GO

[bill m]

We are still hanging tubing. Replacing 5000 feet of mainline and 4000 feet of 5/16. Hope to be all drilled by Feb. 15. Still need to finish installing diaphragm pumps on my filter press and new draw off tank. Install air compressor and air lines and finish installing plumbing on my new max flue pan and revolution syrup pan. Oh, and finish computer system and monitor for remote tank locations.