What’s your best %?

[JYb.shopteacher]

I was suspicious of my big yard tree, almost 3.2%. Much better than the woods. What’s your best?
21013

[eagle lake sugar]

Last season shortly after the beginning, we had a little over 3% for the entire bush for about 3 days. It was short lived though as we had a rainy period that kept the temps above freezing for 4 or 5 days and the sugar content steadily dropped after that.

[Ed R]

I remember one year quite awhile ago when the sap was around 3.5 for most of the year, plus the weather was exceptional all season with a lot of freezing nights where you could through out the ice and got the sap close to 4. We made around 720 gallons of syrup that year on buckets with around 1250 taps.

[maple flats]

I don't test individual trees, but one day years ago I got 3.75% in my whole tank, the next day it fell to just over 3.0 and a couple of days later it was at 2.1%

[JYb.shopteacher]

I don't test individual trees, but one day years ago I got 3.75% in my whole tank, the next day it fell to just over 3.0 and a couple of days later it was at 2.1%

That sounds amazing, it seems that when % is high, flow is low, but then again sometimes it’s just a crapshoot.

[maple flats]

The next day I had a call from a Cornell volunteer forester asking, he had reports of several locations being very high that day. Back then I didn't keep detailed records, so I can't say what the flow was like or if it followed a long freeze, I just only recall the %. I do recall however that I only had a short sap hydrometer, which likely wasn't as accurate as the long ones I use now. In fact that is what prompted me to buy long hydrometers.

[Ed R]

I've found that when testing individual trees the best running trees tended to be the sweetest.

[Trapper2]

2 years ago I tested the first 10 trees that we tapped and they were all over 5% with a refractometer for woods trees. I thought boy, this is unheard of. Later that day we had collected 30 gallons of sap, put it in a barrel and used hydrometer and it dropped to 3.2%. Moral of the story, calibrate a new refractometer out of the box. :cry:

[maple marc]

My usual brix level for sap is around 2.2. However, earlier this week I collected the sap in my buckets which had frozen--some had partially thawed. It was a struggle to separate the sap from the ice--sometimes I used a mallet to break open a chunk of ice with sap inside it. In some buckets that were overflowing the ice was frozen to the spile. Some of the sap I collect that day was 4%, and the average was slightly above 3. I made about 6 gallons in 4 hours boiling 137 gallons! The only problem was the temperature surges I was getting at draw-off. Syrup was suddenly way too heavy. How do you guys with RO handle this?
21071

[Bucket Head]

Don't question your big yard tree. Try to find more just like that one! For years all we tapped were large (very mature) roadside and yard trees. The sugar content was always over 3%. I wish I had access to a forest full of those, lol!!

Steve

[berkshires]

2.3% from one tree, one day. All your big numbers make me weep with envy. My average is usually around 1.7%.

All I tap are sugar maples, but many are crowded forest trees.

GO

[Bucket Head]

Don't feel bad. Almost twenty years ago a buddy and me tapped his woods. All but a handful were what I called telephone poles- tall, skinny and no canopies. The sugar content was less than yours! I did that one year and decided I needed bigger trees closer to home!

Steve

[Ultimatetreehugger]

A friend of mine had a tree near a manure pit in a large open field. He told me the tree averaged 6%. Being a newb at the time I didn't believe him. So the next time I went over there was a bucket on the tree with 8% in it. Haven't seen anything like it anywhere else.

[Russell Lampron]

I made about 6 gallons in 4 hours boiling 137 gallons! The only problem was the temperature surges I was getting at draw-off. Syrup was suddenly way too heavy. How do you guys with RO handle this?
21071

I run my front pan deeper, 1.5 to 1.75", than when I boiled raw sap. With raw sap I ran it at 1". I still get temperature surges but not spikes. I intentionally draw off heavy and then add sweet from the front pan when I shut down to correct the density.

My sweetest tree which I don't have access to anymore ran 5% plus. It was a big old tree with a huge crown and I used to put 4 buckets on it. It would overflow all 4 buckets in a day while most of the other trees would only fill a bucket 1/4 to 1/2 full.

[berkshires]

Don't feel bad. Almost twenty years ago a buddy and me tapped his woods. All but a handful were what I called telephone poles- tall, skinny and no canopies. The sugar content was less than yours! I did that one year and decided I needed bigger trees closer to home!

Steve

Ha! Thank goodness for partially frozen buckets. I just collected this weekend. Buckets were 1/3 or more ice, which I tossed. Remaining sap was up around 2.8%.

GO

[wlatrout]

3% this morning on 11 yard maples.

[Atgreene]

Our best tree was routinely 7%. Big yard tree, had to take it down last year. Overall, we routinely ran 3% until we went to high vac. Now we're flooded in sap, but at a lower percentage. About 2.4 - 2.6 on average. We only tap sugar maples.