Tapping 2022

[Rockport]

Tapped about 325 in Rockport at Minner Maple Farm

[canaanmaple]

have a good season!

[220 maple]

Got 700 taps in only another 900 to go!
Mark 220 maple

[darkmachine]

Must be warmer than me, didn't get above freezing all week until today, hoping to tap this weekend and maybe get a run Sunday if the trees are thawed out. Is the sap running for you Mark?

[220 maple]

Yes, sap is running, just don’t have enough open to get a big volume of sap
Mark 220 Maple

[darkmachine]

we are going to put out our buckets today after lunch, and do a little line work, hopefully get the vacuum running tomorrow by end of day.
going to be a busy week.

[220 maple]

A good day tapping, setting at 1166 by 6 pm today, need another good day tomorrow, added a lot of taps in that bush this year, I have two bushes down due to logging, price of Walnut is pretty stout per board foot, a neighbor got 10 dollars a board foot!
Mark 220 maple

[darkmachine]

I put about half of my buckets out today, where i'm at the trees are still good and frozen, not a single drop. Tomorrow hopefully i'll get the rest of my buckets and get started on my vacuum line. Trying to decide if i should go ahead and put all my taps out, or wait a day or so. I guess if they run a little tomorrow that will answer my question. I won't miss the first run for sure, lol.

[220 maple]

Darkmachine,
What is your elevation? I heard of a producer who made over 100 gallons yesterday, in Bedford County Pa. I’m setting on 900 gallons of sap, your trees should have run starting around 12 pm Wednesday and stopping on Friday afternoon when the Temperature dropped? We had 54 degrees here Thursday night.
Mark 220 Maple

[220 maple]

Darkmachine,
I have a different tapping practice than you, I would rather tap a frozen tree, even though I drilled 248 holes myself yesterday on some pretty steep ground, I feel I drilled a quality hole, my reasoning is I have time to look for the best place to drill, yes you should do that at every tree, but when the trees are running, every tree is running, they all are only going to run until the pressure is off, so in my crazy way of looking at it I’m losing sap because I can not get to the next tree fast enough! Every one of 248 holes I drilled yesterday will probably start running almost at the same time, I don’t hang any buckets so I really can’t say how I would drill them!
Mark 220 Maple

[darkmachine]

I'm at about 1400ft elevation outside of wardensville. We run about 10 degrees colder than in town. And our direct sunlight is limited because we are down in a hollow.

[220 maple]

The life of sugar maker with out auto start vacuum pump, went to bed and the temperature was 22 degrees, wake up because I’m a old guy that has to wake up every couple hours, always check the temperature at 5:09 35 degrees, time to turn the pump on! Every season it will do this, warm up in the middle of the night.
Mark 220 Maple

[darkmachine]

Today was the first use of my RO, and all i have to say is WOW. we were able to process 317 gal of raw sap, through the RO, feeding the 2x6 evaporator, and we were done in 4 hours.....what do i do with the rest of my time??? i guess i'll cut firewood and put out more taps! Looking forward to another boil later this week hopefully

Jacob

[220 maple]

Darkmachine,
Yes my world changed three years ago, bought a used well kept RO from a Highland County, Producer, boiled twice so far this season, total sap around 3000 gallons! Never recorded exact time boiling, guessing 6 to 7 hours. How sweet are you concentrating, my RO will go to10 percent first pass thru. I have to keep exact count of taps in due to leasing of trees. I’m at 1699, today or tomorrow I will add at least one more to get to 1700. Jacob add taps you didn’t burn much firewood I’m guessing due to the RO?
Mark 220 Maple

[Rockport]

Yes the RO is a Magic machine when i talk to people about it even my home made one with 2 4x40's does decent and has made a huge difference time, firewood and now even get to see the wife sometimes in the evening after coming home from work ! My CDL 2x6 is rated at 250 taps i think and i am over 300 which i know is an 8 hour day rating i guess and i am still getting done in way less time ! Now for the negative part... this season is not a good so far in Wood County i have made 10.5 g so far and this time last year was at 28 but then i tapped 2 weeks later due to freezing. Hope everyone has a great season ...

[220 maple]

Rockport,
Just picked up a long stem 0 to 15 sap hydrometer, my old one only went to 8, when ROing it would float it way above the 8 so therefore sort of a guess how sweet I was actually making it one pass thru, Our mutual friend Ed near Sistersville just boiled two days ago, I was sorta surprised when he told me that, he usually gets a jump on me!
Mark 220 Maple

[darkmachine]

Last run of the RO I went from just under 2 to just over 4, single pass. I am setup for recirculation so the next time around I'll be tinkering with that. By my figuring it was able to do a little better than removing 50% of the water. I think I can get 5 or 6% if I slow it down and open the recirculation a bit. Even feeding the fire every 5 minuites by the clock I still didn't burn much wood, it's got me pretty excited to boil again, and raised the eyebrows of the guys who used to help me but left off because it was too much 'work', lol.

[220 maple]

Darkmachine,
For your post it seem your having fun, the last post from me suggested tapping more trees, after three boils of OMG (one man gang) I’m having second thought about tapping more trees! My helper passed about a month ago after a two year battle with cancer. Even though he was not much force last season he was there every minute, took care of RO which was a great help. One thing that you have going for you is youth, enjoy it why your young! The WV hills are much steeper at 63 than they were when I started at age 40.
Mark 220 Maple

[darkmachine]

Sorry to hear about your help, sometimes just having another person around to talk to makes the work light.

I have about 150 buckets out on mostly level ground, in addition to the taps on tubing and vacuum. I get lots of help at the beginning, everyone likes to tap, see the trees start dripping, maybe collect sap once. After that I have to be more strategic with asking for help, lol, and really grateful when i get it. Took me about an hour yesterday to collect sap. I had planned to boil, but the county had planned for me to take the boys basketball team to a game in Petersburg, so boiling got delayed until today, at least it was nice and cold last night. I have to bring in a load of firewood, set up the RO, get the head tank full and connected. I'll get into a nice groove feeding the fire, and then i'll have some company/help. Part of that is my own fault, i'm the guy who knows all the 'things' . Automation helps, my brother and my stepdad are pretty good at the sugar house when i can get them. Everyone is afraid of the RO, so that chains me to the sugar house so i almost have to alternate days, collect one day, boil the next. already feeling in over my head, I have 500 gallons at the shack to get through today. and more in the woods!

[220 maple]

Get ready Darkmachine, this may be the first warm up after being in the teens that we don’t have wind gusts above 20 mph! I got some sap yesterday in high winds, nothing like trying to look for vacuum leaks when every tree is a potential widow maker. As a friend always said it could be loud singing and slow driving!!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

all tapped by 2/11 this year. about 2 weeks earlier than last. But had two little runs so far that made the light stuff. sugar ranges from 1.3 - 3% so far based on which location. after each run, its gone into deep freeze and snow for a few days brings a nice break to the mayhem. Should be a big run early this week with it being above freezing a few nights, which is when I get huge flows. then late next week, looks more average temps for this time of year with another cold stretch. hopefully this pattern keeps up. Also wouldnt mind a long cold and snowy stretch since I love powder skiing as much as sugaring :)

[220 maple]

How the weather has changed, went from Alaska to the Florida in three days, looks likes maybe four days of good sap weather then no freeze in sight! Last year last boil on March 11, don’t look promising that date will be passed this year.
Mark 220 Maple

[darkmachine]

freezing here now, I watched the temps slowly come down over the evening and let my vacuum pump run through the night. Looks like some good runs are possible over the weekend. i need to at least double the syrup i've made, don't bring the spring too fast!!! i'm betting between 200 and 350 gal of sap a day, i figured i needed around that much with a good 14 days of run( i don't count the days of with no run as part of the season, lol). i'm only in 7 days of run, and 5 boils!

[canaanmaple]

How the weather has changed, went from Alaska to the Florida in three days, looks likes maybe four days of good sap weather then no freeze in sight! Last year last boil on March 11, don’t look promising that date will be passed this year.
Mark 220 Maple

We didnt have any freezing temps for the past few days till now, but the sap didnt go nuts even thought it was almost 50 for a few days. I still collected over 900 gallons on 400 taps tuesday/wednesday but was expecting more. I think because there wasnt much sun, and the ground was still pretty frozen up till yesterday since its been so cold with minimal snow cover the past week or so and the frostline is deeper than usual. Looks like the 10day is a dream forecast for maple tho!

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple
The forecast might be prefect for you, but not for me, approximately 30 air miles in West Virginia causes Syrup producers turn grey like me��
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

CanaanMaple
The forecast might be prefect for you, but not for me, approximately 30 air miles in West Virginia causes Syrup producers turn grey like me��
Mark 220 Maple

Wont let me post a pic of the screen shot, but 10day looks wild! https://chrome.wunderground.com/forecast/us/wv/davis/26260

Now I will say the 3 days of 60's coming up isn't too comforting! Just hope it doesn't cause any budding, because right after it looks perfect and cold again with snow even... ground is starting to get soft finally after 3 days in the 40s-50s... been at it since 2/12, yesterday was a big flow!

[darkmachine]

Had a little fire in the sugar house, but i'm back up and running. The forecast looks good for me too. I am at about 50 gallons of syrup now, hoping to make it to at least 75gal. Time to go collect some sap!

[220 maple]

Last night most certainly the last official boil of 2022, two days of 70s, daffodil’s bloomed and the peepers was singing for the first time, even the heavy female peepers was singing loud,so it is over for 2022, last year made it to March 11th, this year March 6th. Our seasons are becoming compressed, too warm in December to tap! And now too warm in March for quality syrup making!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

Last night most certainly the last official boil of 2022, two days of 70s, daffodil’s bloomed and the peepers was singing for the first time, even the heavy female peepers was singing loud,so it is over for 2022, last year made it to March 11th, this year March 6th. Our seasons are becoming compressed, too warm in December to tap! And now too warm in March for quality syrup making!
Mark 220 Maple

bummer! No peeps yet, but geese have come back to the pond, and the flies showed up on the sap tanks in droves with those warm days! Scrubbed all the collection tanks out last evening since those warm days really get the bacteria going in poly tanks :( On a cold weather delay now, and thankful for a rest!
do you think you'll get a few days this coming week of sap down there?

[220 maple]

Canaan Maple
I will give you the same answer I gave Dr. Mike! Maybe Yes Maybe No. my last boil still producing pretty lite syrup, Oldtimer Ivan Puffenbarger always said they will run black then quit. The major question now will the sap be buddy? If the weather man is correct we will drop into the teens the weekend, I can break the rules and bump a bunch of taps and get a lot of sap.
If over I usually go visiting, but with gas over 4 dollars a gallon, maybe next year
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

If over I usually go visiting, but with gas over 4 dollars a gallon, maybe next year
Mark 220 Maple

I hear ya on that. Hopefully ill be able to process whatever I collect this afternoon this evening and maybe get down to spruce knob maple or steyer bros over the line in MD tomorrow since it looks pretty blizzardous here tomorrow and can take a break

[DrTimPerkins]

If the weather man is correct we will drop into the teens the weekend, I can break the rules and bump a bunch of taps and get a lot of sap.

I know Mark understands this, but I'll say it anyway just to irritate him (and I know he tries to do the same to me) and to head off anyone thinking it sounds like a good idea.

This procedure (reaming, redrilling) might get extra sap or you might not (it does not always). What you will definitely get however is a HUGE internal wound in the tree on the order of 2.5X the size of the original single taphole stain. Unless your trees are growing really well, it is not a sustainable practice. Similarly, despite what the guy said in a recent Maple News article, drilling a 2nd taphole immediately above or below the first taphole in the same year does the same thing...a HUGE internal wound. It is NOT recommended by UVM PMRC or by Cornell or by anyone who has actually done the research, measured the sap yield you get, and looked at the results in terms of economics or wounding. You are not simply hitting the old stain...you are making the stained area twice as big or larger. These are NOT recommended practices -- unless your goal is to not be sugaring those trees for very long.

It's kinda like hitting your plow horse in the back of the leg with a baseball bat. Yeah...it'll make her hurry along for the rest of that row, but over time it isn't going to yield good results.

[canaanmaple]

Canaan Maple
I will give you the same answer I gave Dr. Mike! Maybe Yes Maybe No. my last boil still producing pretty lite syrup, Oldtimer Ivan Puffenbarger always said they will run black then quit. The major question now will the sap be buddy? If the weather man is correct we will drop into the teens the weekend, I can break the rules and bump a bunch of taps and get a lot of sap.
If over I usually go visiting, but with gas over 4 dollars a gallon, maybe next year
Mark 220 Maple

speaking of buddy sap...my friend who runs a distillery fairly close to spruce knob maple said they've been researching using buddy syrup for distilling down at Future edu and spruce knob maple is gonna make him a few barrels of it for that purpose this year. Apprently it may make a better distilled product than good syrup or something.... (paraphasing)

[220 maple]

Ok Dr. Tim I’m irritated now! Not really, I do like to poke fun towards you and other, most recent example when I referenced my friends walnut bush that was averaging 100 taps per acre! That being said yours and Dr. Abby’s research recommends not to mess with tap holes, and I agree it is not always a good idea, last year didn’t bump holes because weather was kind to me. Tree growth in the south I believe is definitely better than the north, somewhere I have a picture where I found a tap hole almost closed on May the 3rd, the tap was pulled in mid March that year, we have a longer growing season, just because I sometimes bump holes I don’t recommend anybody else to bump their trees, I need to humor you with another story, this couple I’m friends with when to Leader to buy maple equipment, after agreeing to buy 300000 dollars worth, Randy Gaudette took them on a tour of camps around St. Albans, this couple had never tapped a tree or made one drop of syrup, the first stop he showed them was a tubing system, Melody said to Randy what is going on here? Per Henry Breenaman the look on Randy’s face was priceless, this stupid woman just spent that much money and didn’t have a clue! Randy said we have these trees tapped for sap production, Melody said that is brush, we have trees in West Virginia! Randy being true to the fact that the only place in America to make syrup is Vermont, they sent there tubing expert to West Virginia, just couldn’t image why some no nothing woman would say something like that! Jason Callen employee at that time had to report back that he had been in every state that makes syrup but what this couple owned in West “by god” Virginia probably was the best he had ever seen! Doctor Tim I always tell my buddies at Future Generations how I post thing just to get you fired up!
Sorry! They call my Sugar Camp Bowers Maple Research Center, just like Proctor without no funding.
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

love the weather here! pretty sure I was boiling last night at 45 degrees and then this afternoon at 15 degrees with 40mph wind gusts!

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple,
Dr. Mike told me Friday that are buddies at SpruceKnob Maple releaser was dumping every minute Friday, they was getting around 3600 gallons of sap a hour, most certainly had 20000 gallons by the time it froze! The section they refer to as the cabin bush just ran it first drop of sap! Monday afternoon would be a great time to visit, may go to the bank to see if I can get a loan to buy some gas!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

CanaanMaple,
Dr. Mike told me Friday that are buddies at SpruceKnob Maple releaser was dumping every minute Friday, they was getting around 3600 gallons of sap a hour, most certainly had 20000 gallons by the time it froze! The section they refer to as the cabin bush just ran it first drop of sap! Monday afternoon would be a great time to visit, may go to the bank to see if I can get a loan to buy some gas!
Mark 220 Maple

yeah the cabin bush is where Dalen has his private ski area, name played off Mad River Glen ski area :)

https://i62.servimg.com/u/f62/18/81/03/82/img_3411.jpg

base cabin... forget elevation there, but there is also a hut mid-way up the mountain at 4100' and top is 4400 or so I think.

https://i62.servimg.com/u/f62/18/81/03/82/img_3310.jpg

[darkmachine]

calling it, last boil today, the sap has that unmistakable hint of bud. according to my records we collected about 3459gal of sap. I did a few spot checks on %, and it was about 2 mid season, but I must have gotten some way lower. looking at the amount of syrup I am seeing going into jars it looks like average was 1.5 to 2%. Kinda disappointing but at least I had an RO to concentrate to 4%. I used about 50% of the fuel that i did last season, and WAY fewer hours in the sugar shack, over all not a terrible season, i always would like to see more syrup than i get, lol. I'm done early enough to check out the maples day later this month!

[canaanmaple]

calling it, last boil today, the sap has that unmistakable hint of bud. according to my records we collected about 3459gal of sap. I did a few spot checks on %, and it was about 2 mid season, but I must have gotten some way lower. looking at the amount of syrup I am seeing going into jars it looks like average was 1.5 to 2%. Kinda disappointing but at least I had an RO to concentrate to 4%. I used about 50% of the fuel that i did last season, and WAY fewer hours in the sugar shack, over all not a terrible season, i always would like to see more syrup than i get, lol. I'm done early enough to check out the maples day later this month!

well done! 1.5 - 2% is pretty good too.
think this will be my last week with no freezing temps in sight and bacteria in the lines/taps. Well...was 25 last night which wasnt forecasted but was expected since it was clear. Only my location with the shurflo pump is still giving the same amount as sap as other runs. all the natural gravity lines are slowing down.

[darkmachine]

Salute to the end of the season from Thorny Bottom Sugar Works, it's like fireworks, lol.


https://youtu.be/uQ-jt8wvldo

[canaanmaple]

calling it a season! 3/16 was my last collection and boil. (how coincidental since I am all on 3/16's :P) heard the spring peepers for the first time last night too!

first collection/boil was 2/12. ended up with 6,600 gallons sap on 375 taps and made a little more than 100 gallons on a custom CDL 2x4 pan set and 180gph RO. dumped maybe 400 gallons from the 1.2% bush because not condusive to the time/space continuum I was in at the time. I think I am gonna pull my lines from that low sugar sugar bush this summer and expand elsewhere. It has great flow, but low sugar and steep as heck and doesnt get much sun. One note on it, is that I have been there 4 years now, and havent replaced drops yet but still get 18gallons per tap. Maybe steepness and the fact I flush em with peroxide when I pull taps?

So far all my seasons have been about 5 weeks long which is 1 week too many on my small setup haha! gonna pull taps this weekend, but first is skiing and cookout party at the local resort since its gonna be 60 and they are calling it a season also :)

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple,
Per text from one of the Seven Brothers sap still running at SpruceKnob Maple, I’ve heard rumors that most of Pa. is down!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

CanaanMaple,
Per text from one of the Seven Brothers sap still running at SpruceKnob Maple, I’ve heard rumors that most of Pa. is down!
Mark 220 Maple

was still running a little when I was pulling taps yesterday at one place too, but bacteria is so bad this year with the wild temps it's just not worth it for me. Same was said from a much bigger producer just north of me so I am sure they are fighting it too.... 5 weeks was a normal season for me so I am happy. Trees not close to budding either. Daffodils barely showing leaves. but have heard peepers for a number of days the past week, and of course supposed to get some decent snow this weekend again

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple
Darn shame your sap turned buddy, two weeks of good sap gathering weather! Nothing like snow and single digits!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

CanaanMaple
Darn shame your sap turned buddy, two weeks of good sap gathering weather! Nothing like snow and single digits!
Mark 220 Maple

didnt turn buddy, but just really stopped running very good with the temps and with lines getting loaded with bacteria. This week looks awesome for sap too :( just snowed for 3 days and 4 degrees currently. Felt like mid january for the past 3 days. At least I got some excellent skiing in :) Maybe Ill put some buckets on some untapped trees just to test the sap this week....

[canaanmaple]

Maybe Ill put some buckets on some untapped trees just to test the sap this week....

wow, got nice sap and 3% on the field maples I just tapped. Looks like more snow and good temps for sap coming up. some years there are two maole seasons based on the weather here. But its not worth the gamble to wait it out till march to tap though. Maybe Ill throw some more buckets out and go retro and make a small stash on a fire pit this weekend :)

[220 maple]

Dr. Mike texted me this morning that the gang on the Dryfork still producing, dark strong robust flavor, I was in there Thursday and the sap was coming in at a pretty good rate, had 16000 gallons in a 24 hour period, not bad considering 10000 of the taps was 8 weeks old, they have heard no peep frogs and the pasture field have not greened up much, of coarse the over night temps at 3300 feet was 2 degrees, I would be afraid to guess how cold it was on Phares Knob at 4200 feet. Don’t believe they will make it to 100 barrels. But making syrup in April south of the Mason Dixon! How about that!!!
Mark 220 Maple