Tapped in Harvard

[tgormley358]

I tapped 2/3 of my 135 taps yesterday on 5/16 tubing with gravity. Early afternoon I saw a few taps flow a little bit with the temp around 35 F then everything stopped as the temp dropped. Hoping for a run today, but not too heavy - I’m not ready yet !

[SeanD]

Ha, ha! I know that feeling of being careful what you wish for. Once you drill the hole it's out of your control!

[tgormley358]

So far running fairly well although not full steam ahead. I got 200 gallons over two days Monday-Tuesday. I think it’ll pick up next week.

[KiO]

Glad to hear. I'm in Billerica and tapped a few trees close to home but have about ten more in Woburn that I am waiting for later in the month.

[tgormley358]

I’ve been expecting a final run for 2020 since Sunday, but there’s nothing flowing in my 145 taps. Maybe tomorrow. If not I think I’m done this season. Although there’s another freeze coming this weekend. How about others in MA?

[SeanD]

Yeah, I left things up hoping I could get something out of the hard freeze Monday morning. Taps were bone dry, I mean empty. I'll look again tomorrow, but it looks like things are all done.

[Biz]

Lines and buckets were running well in Princeton last night but they didn't start till mid or late afternoon so there wasn't enough sap to boil. Betting we will get a good run the next several days into next week. Sap from my line of sugar maples on my field perimeter which get sun all day - and started running very early in the season - has turned yellow so I think that one is done for the season.

Dave

[berkshires]

I should be able to keep going through the end of the month in the foothills of the Berkshires. Next week should be primo, at any rate. Hoping so, as I just got my new Mason 2X3 bricked last weekend. After the 26th to 28th it's supposed to warm up, so that may be the end for me.

GO

[Buffalo Plaid]

I've also been waiting for that last run the past few days. Picked up half gallon of sap today. I'll see what happens tomorrow but I think that will be it for this year.

[tgormley358]

Well, I did get 25 gallons last night in Harvard on 145 taps. Enough for a quick boil and make a gallon of syrup. We’ll see today, hoping it’ll continue.

[Biz]

135 gallons last night from 200 taps. Sap ran late, barrels half full this AM and temp was 27 degrees. Not over yet!

Dave

[tgormley358]

135 gallons last night from 200 taps. Sap ran late, barrels half full this AM and temp was 27 degrees. Not over yet!

Dave

When did you tap your trees Dave? I tapped feb 9 so I’m almost at 6 weeks.

[tgormley358]

Ahh, I see you’re in vacuum Dave, that should help you quite a bit relative to just gravity, right?

[tgormley358]

Hi everyone, I agree with others in western MA, it’s starting to look like tapping time a week or a bit more from now. Which means I have tomorrow through next weekend to get ready. It’s my first season of re-using all last years tubing, so that’ll save me some time this year. I have a good feeling about this season with all the recent cold and snow. We’ll see.

Tom

[Kamina]

Central MA checking in. I’ll be tapping ten Red Maples next Sunday. Looks like the long term forecast has us finally snapping out of this cold streak. 40’s from then on out. First year - can’t wait! Already researching bigger boiling pans for next year...

[Pdiamond]

And the addiction begins.

[Buffalo Plaid]

Agreed. It looks like this weekend will be the start!

[tgormley358]

In harvard I expected a big run after the nice freeze and warming back up yesterday, but it was very slow.I expected a couple gallons per bucket, and got only .5 gallon, and expected near full collection tanks on tubing but some lines barely dripped. Anyone else surprised or have ideas why?

[DrTimPerkins]

How cold was it there over the weekend? Takes time for trees that were really cold to warm up, especially in the early season.

[Buffalo Plaid]

I had the same situation yesterday. Tuesday it might have got into the twenty's and windy too. It got into the forties yesterday and I figured on a big run which didn't happen. I think the lack of sun kept the trees from thawing out.

[berkshires]

Yes. See below:

22121

GO

[judgejp]

wind, wind ,wind

[tgormley358]

I’m back after taking a year off in 2023. I completely finished cleanup in 2022 and couldn’t face it last year, but I’m all set now and no worse for the wear. I’ll eventually have 125 taps I thinking having list 75 that were on town school property and our town manager objected although the schools were on board and thought it was pretty kool. Picking my battles. I hung 20 buckets and got 20 gallons yesterday. Should be same or more today and tomorrow so my first boil will be tonite or Friday. Looks like we cool down next Tuesday for 10 days, so I’ll get my tubing up in the meantime. I’ll have to see whether I need to finish off the early syrup and sweet in the pans in the interim, or try to leave it til we warm back up again. What do you think - can I leave it in pans 10 days if temps stay below 34?

[tgormley358]

Oh, and with downsizing I decided to go back to flat filtering, and as a result I have an almost new, 1-season old Smokey Lake stainless Steel filter press for sale, with hoses, clamps, papers, and DE. Sale price new at SL is $1,400 plus tax. It’s in the classifieds for $1,000 obo. It has the manual pump but can upgrade to air diaphragm.

[tgormley358]

Well, we have a good week coming up after an easy pace yesterday and today I’m getting .5-.75 gallon / tap / day, and expect we’ll get some 1-2 gal/tap Monday Tuesday. But a week out is starting to look like the end - after march 2 I don’t see any chill in the forecast. Of course they could be wrong.