Backyard Syrup Enthusiasts 2022

[Mvhomesteader]

Maple season is almost here! Funny how last season this thread was started on 2/2 anticipating a storm. One day and a year later- same situation. For those who like the snow, Let's Go Landon! (The storm name)

It's been a cold winter so far, and I don't see an end in sight. A few years ago I was looking back at the weather of January's past, and without going back to that data I think this past month feels like a January of old. I know this year we bypassed any January thaw. Any predictions on tapping time? Someone should start a pool.

In any case I'm ready whenever that happens. I did build a second concrete arch this past summer so my production rate should be improved this season. I'll be looking to tap more trees and boil more in a session. We need 15 gallons this year.....consumption has increased! Last season warmed up too fast and I had to dump fermented sap, probably 1.5 syrup gallons worth. Hopefully with more boiling capacity I can avoid that issue. I also updated all my storage and collection buckets, so I've got 300 gallons of storage. No more milk jugs this year as well-all collect is in 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets via tubing. This will eliminate overflowing jugs in heavy flow days.

We'll see how it all unfolds as the season progresses. Best of luck to all the backyard enthusiasts and everyone "mapling" in 2022!!

[West Sumner Sugar]

Kinda hoping this cold holds out and makes for a longer season than the past few. We have been busy as well trying to get the outside of the sugarhouse finished up. Im just finishing our 3rd solar vac system. We are also still hoping to get a 1000' 1" mainline up to add more taps. So in our case, the deep freeze will only buy us time to get these projects done. Either way hoping everyone has a good season!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We are all ready to tap in 2 of our 3 bushes. We tore down all the old lines down in our 3rd bush and have the new wire up. Hoping to run the 1000' of new mainline this weekend and get it mostly tied up. We should be able to add taps with the new line. Depending on when the season starts, we could be close on getting it done in time. This is one of the colder bushes so that helps. We're also hoping for a more normal 6 week season that goes into April. Hope everyone has a good season!

[CanterburyMaple]

I don't know if I can wait any longer... With the forecast to be 40+ for the next 4 days in Gorham and below freezing at night, I think I'm going to put out 10-20 taps today. then maybe add the remaining 50 over the next couple of weeks as weather and time permits. Am I crazy? Call me crazy...

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I won't say you're crazy but I would wait if you are on buckets. Even with the temps, I wouldn't expect much sap till Friday or Saturday so you are looking at a small run. And I really wouldn't put too much faith in a forecast beyond early next week which looks cold. We're planning to tap the end of February like just about every year.

[Mvhomesteader]

I feel like Braveheart as the British cavalry was bearing down on his band of patriots (hold-- hold--hold). If it wasn't for the whopping child starting Saturday night I might agree with dropping taps in. I'm looking to perhaps tap the 16th or so depending on the 10 day forecast at that time. Even with nice weather for a few days the trees must be frozen tight.

In the meantime I put the tractor to work today moving snowbanks away from the 8 or so big sugars along the road so I can get to the trees. Additionally I need to "open" the maple trail everywhere with snowshoes so I will be ready to tap and collect when the time is right. Best to get th at done before the snow crusts over.

[Mvhomesteader]

I've got a tapping question. If a suitably sized tree (15" diameter) breaks into two trunks less than 4' from the ground and each trunk is less than 10" diameter (though not by much) is one tap ok?

Looking to tap next Wednesday and Thursday if the weather stays as predicted.

[CanterburyMaple]

I'd think it's OK. Depending how high you tap, you could alternate between the two trunks each year. In 30 years, they should have grown enough that you/someone could be tapping over old tap holes again.

On my 15 taps, I got 15 gallons last week and made a quart of syrup. Trying to put another 40 taps out Wednesday/Thursday before this next thaw. Will be interesting to see how big a run it is after several days of deep cold. Time to get the RO up and running...

[DrTimPerkins]

If a suitably sized tree (15" diameter) breaks into two trunks less than 4' from the ground and each trunk is less than 10" diameter (though not by much) is one tap ok?

Diameter is measured at 4.5' above the ground. If the stem separates below that, you treat each as a separate tree. However, if your tapping threshold is 10 inches, but the individual stems at 4.5' are less than that (no matter that there are 1 or 2), then you wouldn't tap them. Can't have it both ways.

If they're close to your tapping threshold and you really MUST tap them, do as Canterbury Maple says and tap only 1, but alternate stems each year until both are large enough to tap.

[turnerburner]

When is everyone tapping? Still seems early here with all the snow we have but the temps are looking good for next week.

[Mvhomesteader]

Thanks for the advice on tapping branched trunks. I'll probably skip that tree as I'm not desperate. After the quick warm up last year and a shortened season, I'm adding trees I haven't tapped previously, mainly reds, to get more sap early in the event of a repeat season. The weather, to me, remains wacky.

To answer turnerburner, I'm tapping tomorrow and Thursday. It's a convenient time and in line with past seasons, at least for me. Two cooler days followed by what could be a good first run next week. Maybe some sap Thursday/Friday but we'll see. Canterbuy Maple 's got some flow going on southern Maine, so maybe central Maine can join in.

[Mvhomesteader]

I did not tap today other than one "test" tap to see what, if anything, is happening. Dry hole in a sunny location tree that generally performs well.

I'm see tomorrow if the warmth gets things going. I think the wind worked against me today, but it's supposed to be windier tomorrow. Next week's forecast has a nice sunny day in the low 40's followed by two overcast / snow shower days near 40, then a stretch of too cold till the end of the month. Not banner, so I'll play tapping by ear. It wouldn't hurt me till wait a bit longer.

[Tuckeradams2012]

I tapped my southern Maine trees yesterday and today, and will be tapping Norway on Saturday. Might be a tad early for the buckets up North, but hoping that the weather stays right!

[CanterburyMaple]

I will finish putting in my 60-70 taps today, but I've got 55 degrees and sun down here in Gorham today. Definitely need to do what the weather is telling you to do in your neck of the woods; i'd guess up north it's still early, but I like MV's approach of doing a few test taps and see how trees are thawing out. Cool! And hopefully everyone gets a run next week, but then back to below freezing it looks like for a week or so (if you believe the 2 week forecast...)

On today's run, I've got about a gallon in each bucket so far, so looks like I'm RO-ing first thing tomorrow morning and boiling afterwards! I did something that I hope helps preserve my sap: I dumped a 5 gallon pail of water into my storage barrel 2 nights ago when it was 10 degrees over night to create a block of ice to keep the sap cool while I collect it today. We don't have much snow (2-3 inches of snow/sleet melted into an ice skating rink) so i don't have a snow bank to store it in. North side shade is the only friend I have right now, and my quickly melting ice cube...

[Mvhomesteader]

I woke up to my test tap with a nice sap layer, so I decided to get as many taps on as I could. I ended up putting 47 on and many were flowing pretty strong. I noticed that the smaller diameter trees were flowing much stronger than the bigger trees. I guess they are still froze up. I'll finish the remaining 34 tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what I collect tomorrow afternoon before the freeze. I'll wager 10 to 15 gallons. With another run Monday to Wednesday perhaps enough to boil? That would be early for me.

Interesting how different the conditions are between here and southern Maine. Canterbury Maple has a nice early season flow going-enjoy the boil! I think the higher elevation here, though only an hour north, delays the start somewhat. Smart move to make a big ice cube!

[Mvhomesteader]

I ended up gathering 35 gallons, way more than I anticipated, averaging near a gallon per tap. I guess it ran all night as well as when the sun popped out in the late morning. I want to try boiling 70 gallons with the added arch so I'm half way there. I suspect after this coming Wednesday I'll get in excess of my goal and boil that weekend.

The disappointing thing was the sugar content---low two's. We'll see how the refractometer compares with the boil numbers and if the sugar improves as the season gets going. Too early to make any predictions.

Finishing taps by Sunday for Mondays anticipated run. It's all about volume this season!

[Tuckeradams2012]

All Tapped in! With trees in the greater Portland area and in Oxford County at camp where the boil happens, it is done. I fought tooth and nail to get the sugar shack built. In October I had set the base, walls went up in November, took December off due to the holidays but then finally the roof (no metal yet, just OSB and a tarp over it) came to fruition just a few short weeks ago. Still only tarp walls but honestly better than moving in and out of the garage every. single. time. Waiting for it to cool and scalding hot near syrup sloshing around when we did was not fun.

Yesterday was a whirlwind, tapped all of the Norway land, as well as moved the evaporator filled with fire brick on water skis down to the new shack and put down some cement board underneath it. All told since I tapped southern Maine this week I got over 30 gallons on about half the trees that woke up down there which wasn't too shabby. Should run hard Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Southern Maine this week as well as we will likely see some from Norway with the high temps. 105 taps is what I believe I am up to, I am meticulous with tracking everything, but when the operation got over 100 taps this year (probably the largest it will ever get) it became a new game.

Lots of other additions this year. Hobby RO System (yet to be tested), Shurflo Vaccum system serving 45ish taps, transfer pump from bottom of hill to sugar shack via mainline. Still no preheater, or float valve, but there is always next year.

[Mvhomesteader]

Hope your new system lives up to your expectations, Tucker. It looks like your arrangement has grown considerably since 2020!

I finished all my taps as well, ending up with 78, a few of which I don't expect much. However, I do have high hopes for 71 of the group. I opened up a new area adjacent to a very old, tiny cemetery bordering my property that has a slew of good sized sugar maples. A little bit more walk to carry sap buckets but it should be worth the effort.

Let's see what this week brings.

[West Sumner Sugar]

We are all tapped and ready. Got the 100 or so in Lewiston in on Friday. Today got the 300 or so in Sumner tapped. We also added 700' of new mainline, with about 4000' of laterals and 156 new taps this week. All hooked up to 12V solar Shurflo systems. Sitting right around 500 taps for the year. Lets hope we can keep the RO busy!

[Pdiamond]

Tucker, I think that was a pretty ingenious idea for transporting your evaporator.

[CanterburyMaple]

I have to say, I get a real kick out of reading how everyone's doing here with their season! Love the evaporator on skis, exciting to hear about miles of tubing going up, and the tapping updates and expectations make me smile every time. It has been an early season for me, but this is just my third. So far I have collected about 115 gallons of sap on 70 taps, but I'd say half of that was on only 35 taps. I didn't have a tap in before Feb 20 last year. Most trees on my street are barely dripping today, but maybe the summer weather tomorrow will have them run some more. I'm already starting to shake with anticipation for what looks like a big run March 3-6th. But the most fun part for me today is that my dad came down and has been manning the evaporator (chopping/feeding firewood, scooping foam, tinkering with the warming pan feed) while I work my 9-to-5 and bring him a new bucket of RO-ed sap every hour. He is totally obsessed after 1 day of "the business" and we haven't even bottled yet haha! What a blessing to enjoy this hobby. Thanks to all on here who've given advice and make it that much more enjoyable with your updates. Boil on!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We're behind and going to miss any sap this week. Still finishing up a new mainline install. Hopefully by Sunday we have the new line done and all the taps in. Should be around 475 this year I am guessing. I think we missed some but not sure it has really started going yet. We'll be ready after the next cold snap.

[Mvhomesteader]

I have to say, I get a real kick out of reading how everyone's doing here with their season! What a blessing to enjoy this hobby. Thanks to all on here who've given advice and make it that much more enjoyable with your updates. Boil on!

Amen brother! I couldn't have said that more succinctly. My father's been gone for 20 years, and I know he would have been right here enjoying the joy of maple, along with a bunch of other homestead pursuits. Enjoy your dad's involvement!

I am also early this season. I collected almost another 35 gallons today, so I'm going to boil tomorrow on the nice day. That is my record for earliest boil, I think. If not it's pretty close. I expect another 60 gallons between when it warms overnight, tomorrow, and tomorrow night, so probably another boil this weekend to keep the stock down. I did notice that 5 day run next week. Great way to start March! Good luck to all!

[Mvhomesteader]

First boil today netted a gallon, quart and 1.5 pints off 68 gallons. This calculated to a ssc of 2.07%. I find that somewhat disappointing as I usually start out nearer to 2.5%. I swear it gets lower each year. We'll see what the next boil brings.

The new arch arrangement cooked off at over 12 gph, which cut my boiling time considerably. I'll be at it again Sunday with probably 55 gallons.

[CanterburyMaple]

That's great news on the new arch, MV! I'd like to consider something that can get me more than 4 gal/hour. I've collected almost 120 gallons of sap so far, and made close to 3 gallons of syrup. I'm mostly red maples, and I've been delighted to be near 2% sugar, so I guess it's all relative. Last year I stayed at 1.5-1.6% most of the year, which was surprising because I understand sugar content drops as the season goes on.

[In da bush]

That's great news on the new arch, MV! I'd like to consider something that can get me more than 4 gal/hour. I've collected almost 120 gallons of sap so far, and made close to 3 gallons of syrup. I'm mostly red maples, and I've been delighted to be near 2% sugar, so I guess it's all relative. Last year I stayed at 1.5-1.6% most of the year, which was surprising because I understand sugar content drops as the season goes on.

What’s your setup? 4gal/hr can be cranked up with some easy improvements. Adding a pre-heater and a hood will do wonders for keeping the boil rolling, and if you can add a fan, DO IT,you won’t regret the investment.

I run a 2x4 flat pan on a beat up mason arch w/fan,PH,hood,float and can get 12-15gal/hr. Little tweaks go a long way. The PH was easy enough to put together with 1/2 copper/fittings less than $75, hood was free-stainless steel clothes dryer drum cut in half, fan was $65 on Amazon. I love the entire process of the season, BUT don’t wanna spend the entire night boiling.

The PH was my first crack at sweating copper. After a few practice joints and a few YT vids, you’ll be a pro for this.

Good luck and have FUN!!

[Mvhomesteader]

That's great news on the new arch, MV! I'd like to consider something that can get me more than 4 gal/hour. I've collected almost 120 gallons of sap so far, and made close to 3 gallons of syrup. I'm mostly red maples, and I've been delighted to be near 2% sugar, so I guess it's all relative. Last year I stayed at 1.5-1.6% most of the year, which was surprising because I understand sugar content drops as the season goes on.

My set up was quite inexpensive. I needed 26 concrete blocks, a bag of mortar mix, and two bags of concrete mix. I formed a block around a 6" stove pipe and lined the inside with bricks from around the yard. The stove pipe came from the metal bin at the transfer station. I did need to buy the steam trays. One of the six pans acts as a warming pan so I can keep feeding the others. The two arches use just under 1/6 cord of wood per boil.

Speaking of boil, I did #2 today converting 51 gallons of sap to 1 gallon and a half pint for a ssc of 2.08%. The flavor of this early syrup is really delicate. It was the first time I've boiled twice in February. How strange to have had two decent runs in February but have to wait till at least March 5 to start another. This batch I boiled today was from 2/23, the really warm day. Everything remains frozen ever since. In fact my storage buckets had an inch of ice on all sides so the boil was slightly slower while the ice melted in the warming pan. Quite a pain actually.

A break in between runs is a good chance to catch up on back burner items!

[CanterburyMaple]

What’s your setup? 4gal/hr can be cranked up with some easy improvements. Adding a pre-heater and a hood will do wonders for keeping the boil rolling, and if you can add a fan, DO IT,you won’t regret the investment.

I run a 2x4 flat pan on a beat up mason arch w/fan,PH,hood,float and can get 12-15gal/hr. Little tweaks go a long way. The PH was easy enough to put together with 1/2 copper/fittings less than $75, hood was free-stainless steel clothes dryer drum cut in half, fan was $65 on Amazon. I love the entire process of the season, BUT don’t wanna spend the entire night boiling.

The PH was my first crack at sweating copper. After a few practice joints and a few YT vids, you’ll be a pro for this.

Good luck and have FUN!!

Appreciate the inspiration and encouragement :) I have a simple cinderblock set up with 2 steam pans, so I'm working with slightly less than 2 feet by 2 feet of pan exposure. Been using the front pan as kind of a warmer, and I run a siphon from a bucket on a chair into it for "Continuous feed" and then scoop into the back pan which is always rolling boil. Fan is a good suggestion. I think at least adding a 3rd pan so I can have 2 rolling would be the way to go for next year for sure. And I've been lazy/scared on dipping my toes into the copper soldering, but your encouragement is getting me to move that way!

And now I'll expose more of my ignorance: How does a hood help with the keeping the boil going?

[In da bush]

Sounds like you got the bug, welcome to the party!!
No ignorance in an honest question. The hood,in conjunction with the preheater, keeps the temperature up and the steam is hotter than 212. It’ll condense and roll down the inside of the hood,into a gutter, and can be kept for cleaning at the end of your boil. Poke around the maple equipment sites and you’ll get the gist of what it is.

[Mvhomesteader]

And I've been lazy/scared on dipping my toes into the copper soldering, but your encouragement is getting me to move that way.

I use plenty of flux on the fitting/pipe and keep the heat slightly off the copper. When the flux melts off and bubbles, solder placed on the fitting near the flame will melt into the fitting. If it doesn't flow in, it's not hot enough. I usually run the solder around the fitting to make sure I didn't miss a spot, and it helps to have a rag handy to wipe off solder goobers before they set up. Try some test pieces first. It's kind of fun! You'll develop a knack for it once you get going.

[Mvhomesteader]

My patience is being tested......when will this season get going? Today turned out to be dud, and tomorrow isn't looking too favorable either. Wednesday to Friday looks good, but in order to reach my 15 gallon goal I need over 600 more gallons of sap, and it feels like time is siding by. Patience, patience.

[CanterburyMaple]

MV - I think the season is now upon us :) The rain and warmth is letting my trees flow at least... I'm looking at 30-40 gallons of sap today, even chucking out some ice. The 10-14 day forecast looks good up in Mount Vernon, so I hope you get good runs every day for the foreseeable future!

[Mvhomesteader]

MV - I think the season is now upon us :) The rain and warmth is letting my trees flow at least... I'm looking at 30-40 gallons of sap today, even chucking out some ice. The 10-14 day forecast looks good up in Mount Vernon, so I hope you get good runs every day for the foreseeable future!

You're right. I was surprised by 38 gallons today, and I can see the possibilities for later this week. I've got 50 in the snowbank and planning a boil for Friday! Here we go! I hope it sticks!

[West Sumner Sugar]

Neither yesterday nor today seemed like a good day for sap to run but...pulled in almost 50 gallons each day. Not great runs but better than no run at all. The rest of the week look good.

[maineboiler]

It’s been slow for sure, similar to last year. I collected 60 gallons yesterday from a 2 day run, total of 100 gallons so far. Sweetened the pans today but no run and it doesn’t look good for tomorrow. Rest of the week should have some strong runs….and then the snow.

[Tuckeradams2012]

Season seems to be kicking into gear in all locations for me. Trying out the RO tomorrow to see how well it performs. Haven't had a large enough run to make it worth using it. The sap temps this week have been good in most areas where I tap, little bit too much of a warm up but I noticed that the temp always seems to drop a little lower than what they would say and does not get as high as they say, so that should be working in our favor. I have sweetened my pans, and have drawn off 3 gallons so far. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks we see some good runs pop up like today and tomorrow. Keep the Knob Creek close on the fringe temperature days!

[Mvhomesteader]

Season seems to be kicking into gear in all locations for me. Trying out the RO tomorrow to see how well it performs. Haven't had a large enough run to make it worth using it. The sap temps this week have been good in most areas where I tap, little bit too much of a warm up but I noticed that the temp always seems to drop a little lower than what they would say and does not get as high as they say, so that should be working in our favor. I have sweetened my pans, and have drawn off 3 gallons so far. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks we see some good runs pop up like today and tomorrow. Keep the Knob Creek close on the fringe temperature days!

I agree with the comment on temperature. Weatherbug is calling for 3 days next week over 50,and what is most worrisome to me is nighttime temps above freezing all but one day. It is what it is, but that smells alot like last year which ended too soon. Thoughts?

I ended up with 55 gallons today, so 105 total in the snow. I'm boiling tomorrow, hopefully 70 gallons. Should be a nice day to make syrup!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I’d take a 50 degree day right now to get things going good. Sap is running but pretty slow still even today. Should break loose any day now. The crew is boiling tomorrow. We will be exactly 1 week ahead of our first boil last year which is closer to our average. Lots of sugaring weather left, I wouldn’t worry about it yet.

[Mvhomesteader]

I’d take a 50 degree day right now to get things going good. Sap is running but pretty slow still even today. Should break loose any day now. The crew is boiling tomorrow. We will be exactly 1 week ahead of our first boil last year which is closer to our average. Lots of sugaring weather left, I wouldn’t worry about it yet.

I trust your judgement, so I'll put my concerns on the back burner. This upcoming week should be good for your operation.

Third boil of the season today resulted in a real nice surprise---1.75 gallons off 71 gallons for a ssc of 2.5%!! It went up from boil 2 by nearly 1/2 %. I guess you could say "sweet". I'll have to do some checking to see which trees might be helping my cause.

I now have 99 gallons in the snow, so looks like Monday for boil #4, and probably every other day next week if the flow matches the weather.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Trees shook loose today, sugar season is here! Next week looks great, fresh snow tomorrow will only help now that the trees are running. Be ready for a busy week of boiling! Cooking off 390 gallons tonight.

[Mvhomesteader]

Trees shook loose today, sugar season is here! Next week looks great, fresh snow tomorrow will only help now that the trees are running. Be ready for a busy week of boiling! Cooking off 390 gallons tonight.

Great!

How does your sugar content look?

It does look like a busy week. 😃

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I didn’t gather this round and record it, my buddy did and I haven’t seen him yet to ask but we always seem to be within a couple tenths of 2%. Usually start out at 2 or higher. 3 gallons were drawn off from that first boil and looks to be very light, possibly some Golden.

[Swingpure]

I have a newbie question. I understand that nights below freezing and days above freezing causes the sap to flow. If you look at the attached picture you will see that Wednesday morning will be below zero and Wednesday’s day will be warm and the sap should really flow well.

Wednesday will be the first day that the sap will really flow well in the season, and there is about 2 feet of snow on most of the roots. Overnight Wednesday, it will stay above freezing, then a warm day Thursday, before dropping back to nights which will be below freezing.

My question is on Thursday, will the sap still run because it is early in the sap flow season and there is still lots of snow on the roots, or simply because it did not drop below freezing overnight, there will be zero or almost zero, sap flow?

Just trying to understand the sap flow mechanism a little better.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0b3D8tf168UWUJwmDG2M_ZP0w

Thanks

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Yes, the trees will tend to run longer before stopping in the early season due to a combination of the initial thaw just kicking in and fresh tap holes. My experience has been that gravity lines will run for a couple days before slowing down and stopping. I’ve seen operations on mechanical vacuum and even 3/16” pull hard for 3-4 days straight early season.

[hansel]

Forecast not looking great for me on the midcoast. Might just get one run this week and no freezes until a 29 next Monday.

[DrTimPerkins]

Just trying to understand the sap flow mechanism a little better.

Under gravity sap flow conditions (buckets, bags, gravity tubing), you can think of the tree like a pipe stuck in the ground full of water with a tiny hole in the side.

When it is frozen, obviously no sap will flow.

When the temperature of the water in the pipe (not the air) rises above freezing, the water will trickle out. It will keep running out until:

1) the temperature falls below freezing again, or:
2) the pressure inside the pipe equals the pressure outside the pipe (in other words, the liquid has fallen to the level of the hole). This will probably take several days, but the flow RATE will drop off over that time (fast at first, then more slowly as time goes on).

Now a tree is a little different...the taphole is larger, but the pipes (vessels) inside the pipes are very small, so water (sap) can only drip out slowly, and the water/sap in the tree doesn't all thaw out at the same time. The rate will be slow and drop off over time, but if it gets warmer on the second day, the expansion of the water and gases in the stem may bump up the flow a bit (weeping flows). This can only happen until the pressure inside the tree equalizes with the outside air pressure.

In addition, since there is some resistance to horizontal water flow (side-to-side) because of the orientation of vessels is mostly vertical, the water level in the tree may not be fully exhausted down to the level of the taphole on the opposite side of the tree. It is all about the pressure gradient. So if it takes more pressure to push the water across the tree than there is resistance, than the water level on one side (or across the stem actually) isn't entirely level, but more of on a slant.

A freeze is needed to recharge the system.

[Galena]

Thank you for the detailed but perfectly clear explanation of the freeze/thaw mechanism, Dr Tim :-)

[Tuckeradams2012]

I was very surprised to be staring at 240 gallons of sap to boil this past weekend. 2.5% sugar, which isn't terrible for me because I have red maples mixed in. This week is likely no different, except for the potential 60 degree day that may confuse some trees. Seems this season is already better than the last, but remains to be seen. I put into service my new 3.5x4 ft sap hauling trailer. Bought it for $200 bucks and saves me a lifetime of lifting buckets in and out of the SUV and everywhere else. I ran my RO for the first time. I was disappointed in my choice of pump in my build. The Aquatech 8852 can only output 16 gallons of water per hour so my RO was grossly underpowered to serve my evap rate. I asked the question a while back on another thread and Carl responded and I should have delved deeper into his wording, so will have to buy a bigger pump for next year, he seems to sell the only one large enough. It helps but not at the rate I would like it to. Will be trying the overnight RO game, and reconcentrating up higher by recirculating.

Seeing positive numbers yesterday and overnight on the trees. Should be a good week!

-Tucker

[Swingpure]

Thank you Dr Perkins for the explanation.

If the temperature does not drop below freezing, but you still have two feet of snow on the roots, does that factor into the equation at all?

Thank you.

(Real sap flow starts here for the season tomorrow.)

[Mvhomesteader]

A freeze is needed to recharge the system.

This is what concerns me this week. Not only are 3 days 50 to 60,but nights are either at freezing or above. It feels like the trees will shut off till next week when there are freezing temps again. Hopefully the trees are not so confused as to call it good for the season.

Yesterdays boil was again at 2.5% sugar, so we bottled near!y 2 galllons. I collected 35 gallons this morning and by supper I could have repeated the same. Planning on boiling tomorrow to keep the storage down, which if all goes as planned, will put me at 8 gallons for the season so far.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Sap ran decent yesterday. Have 17" of vac on one Shurflo but a pump malfunctioning on the other line. Replaced the diaphragm but still not pulling more than a couple inches and it doesn't sound right. Walked the lines twice and they look good. New pump will be here tomorrow. Got a small freeze last night and 2" of fresh snow. Should run good for a couple days with no freeze. Looks like it is going to get cool again early next week. Boiling again tomorrow afternoon!

[maineboiler]

I was a little surprised there was not a bigger run yesterday. However, I still managed to collect 120 gallons with a Brix of 3%. Not bad, and we are still ahead of how it was last year. I only hope it doesn’t warm up too fast. Had a 4.5 hour boil last night and so far I’ve produced 6 gallons of near syrup.
Sorry, I cannot offer any advice on your Shurflow, lines and a vacuum system are only a day dream in my operation.

[West Sumner Sugar]

While I wasn't expecting it, this week has been a fairly good one. Big run yesterday collecting 150 gallons on 113 taps in Lewiston. Shurflo pulled 27" all day. Another small run today puts me at about 250 gallons for the week so far. Gonna truck it up to the sugarhouse in Sumner tomorrow. Ill go check the tanks while I am there. Maintaining 2 sugarbushes almost an hour apart can be challenging but it does give us an extended season. We put 10 gallons in the bottle last weekend and should do at least that this weekend. Long range forecast it looking good too.

Typically if the pump isnt pulling good vacuum and gurgles or sounds weird there is a leak somewhere. Its doesn't take much.

[Mvhomesteader]

Today's run (yesterday noon to this afternoon) was 95 gallons, so I'm pleased as punch. I had several 3.5 gallon buckets overflowing. Collecting while boiling is a challenge. I stoke the fire and add new sap every 15 minutes, so that's my window to run around the yard and collect. It's nice to hear folks are getting good runs!

Today's boil was the biggest I've done to date at 81.5 gallons. I love this double arch system. For me it's a game changer. The sugar was slightly less at near 2.4. Looks like Friday wil be the hat trick for the week as I've got 80 gallons in the snowbank and Saturday/Sunday are rainy.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We have around 375 gallons now and still running so we’ll be busy the next couple days. This weekend I am going to have spend more time looking for a leak that has eluded us. Isolating laterals one by one is the next step I guess.

[CanterburyMaple]

I am simultaneously saddened/worried about the warm temps for the next week, but also relieved to not have to worry about sap for a while, haha! I've collected just over 400 gallons of ~2% brix on 70 taps, and made just shy of 10 gallons of syrup. Last year I did 400 gallons at 1.6% brix and made only 8, with April 5th my last day. Crazy the differences year to year, and I know 2021 was "terrible" for everyone. I'm hoping to rest for a week and get a boil on Maple Sunday and invite the neighbors over :)

Running out of bottles, will need to plan better next year! Great to hear everyone's doing pretty well, all things considered.

[Mvhomesteader]

I am simultaneously saddened/worried about the warm temps for the next week, but also relieved to not have to worry about sap for a while, haha! I've collected just over 400 gallons of ~2% brix on 70 taps, and made just shy of 10 gallons of syrup. Last year I did 400 gallons at 1.6% brix and made only 8, with April 5th my last day. Crazy the differences year to year, and I know 2021 was "terrible" for everyone. I'm hoping to rest for a week and get a boil on Maple Sunday and invite the neighbors over :)

Running out of bottles, will need to plan better next year! Great to hear everyone's doing pretty well, all things considered.

If the trees don't go wonky now till Monday there appears to be a freezing pattern governing most of the week😁 . Our work is, hopefully, not done yet.

I stashed another 45 gallons today so I've got 125 in the snowbank. If I added right I'm at 468 gallons to date with the 125 yet to boil. Sounds like we have very similar operations and tap numbers.

I think I'll break that into two boils, Friday and Monday. That should get me cleaned out and ready for a new run (fingers crossed).

[Mvhomesteader]

Wil it keep going? I'm optimistic. Though the flow has pretty much stopped, I've collected another 35 gallons yesterday and today for a total of 105 gallons in the snowbank. Even with the warm weather the flow just kept on giving, just like the jelly of the month club. Conditions look favorable for a couple of freezes this week, so I'm looking forward to more sap.

My smaller boil of 60 gallons yesterday netted almost 1.5 gallons of syrup at 2.4%, so that puts me just under 10 for the season. If the 105 in the snowbank is at 2.25 % that will put me at 12 gallons. All of a sudden the 15 gallon goal appears attainable, as long as the week's weather goes as expected. That will require 150 gallons of sap at 2%, which should be doable.

I think my arms have lengthened an inch from hauling duty.😊

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Boiling off 100 gallons we have gotten through this warmup on the vac lines right now. Found and fixed vac leak today, so that Shurflo is back online which is good seeing how it is our best producing bush. Looks like a decent week for sap after tomorrow. Good luck everyone, hopefully have some sap for Maple Sunday for the first time in years!

[West Sumner Sugar]

Hopefully we get a good freeze tonight to get things back moving. Its nice to have a day to catch up on cleaning and whatnot but no sap flowing makes you worry. We had a good weekend despite the weather. Can we get a nice weekend for once? We polished off just about 1000 gallons of sap and bottled up another 22 gallons. We are sitting just over half of a good years production right now. If we can get a few more weeks like we have been having this will be a great year for us and hopefully everyone else.

[Tuckeradams2012]

I am with you all, I hope the sap season extends itself, and like West Sumner, 2 different areas helps immensely in lengthening the season. I bottled 10 gallons Sunday, with another 1.5 settling out, I am really hoping for 20 gallons but I am afraid it might not come this year. My largest problem is just not being able to address the lower vac on my shurflo. It is pulling about 12" and every time I go up to Norway I get too busy with other items to walk the lines thoroughly. Anyone care to take a picture of their setup and show me how they do it? Will try to walk the lines this weekend, before we have friends over for Maple Sunday, to see if I can solve any mysteries.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Nice run today. 440 gallons collected at 3 PM and still running. We might actually have sap for Maple weekend!! First draw off is borderline medium/dark. Next week looks great, I like it.

[West Sumner Sugar]

I am with you all, I hope the sap season extends itself, and like West Sumner, 2 different areas helps immensely in lengthening the season. I bottled 10 gallons Sunday, with another 1.5 settling out, I am really hoping for 20 gallons but I am afraid it might not come this year. My largest problem is just not being able to address the lower vac on my shurflo. It is pulling about 12" and every time I go up to Norway I get too busy with other items to walk the lines thoroughly. Anyone care to take a picture of their setup and show me how they do it? Will try to walk the lines this weekend, before we have friends over for Maple Sunday, to see if I can solve any mysteries.

Are you just not seeing good vac numbers? Do you have a recirculation line? These pumps rely heavily on being wet at all times. When you walk your lines check for fast moving sap or sap "jumping" in the line. This will indicate a leak. Vacuum is a game of babysitting. Our Lewiston lines make crazy vac all the time. 27" all day today, while the stuff in Sumner is only making 10-15". I feel your pain, seems to be running good at your remote site, till you show up to collect and get disappointed.

[CanterburyMaple]

I had to dump ~30 gallons of sap i couldn't get to processing last weekend (19-20th), which is always sad. But, good opportunity to clean out my storage barrel, rinse out some buckets, and get ready for the upcoming runs (hoping!). I've bottled/stored 10 gallons of syrup so far, and hoping for a 2-3 more which looks like its in reach. I got about 40 gallons yesterday, so will RO and boil that tomorrow and make a gallon I hope. Maple weekend looks like great weather on Saturday; looking forward to taking the kids to a "real" sugar shack, not my po-dunk cinder block operation haha. Then next week should be a couple days of runs down here in southern maine, and then probably cleaning up for the year based on the long-range forecast.

Question: anyone ever made something like "maple fluff"? I was trying to make a small batch of maple sugar yesterday (1-2 cups), and my pot boiled over a little after I had last measured it at 235 degrees, and I said "I'm done waiting, time to blend it to sugar." So got out the hand blender, and after 10 minutes it became apparent there wasn't enough moisture out of it to make sugar. I thought it would be maple cream/butter, but it was much fluffier due to all the air I whipped into it I guess. So I inadvertently made what I can best describe as "maple fluff" consistency like you would have on a peanut butter & fluff (fluffernutter) sandwich. VERY strong maple flavor. Anyone else done this by accident or on purpose?

[Mvhomesteader]

Well how things do change.

I've been running around collecting sap for two days (which is flowing super clear) and have enough in the snowbank to reach my goal of 15 gallons. As the sap keeps coming, I see no reason to think I can't get 17 to 18. Super cold Monday so I expect another big surge before it starts to fizzle. My recent boil yesterday used up some older sap and put me at 13 gallons, and was surprisingly at 2.5% sugar.

I'm glad to see forum members enjoying this late season surge! I hope everyone's goals can be met and maple Sunday is once again enjoyable!

Canterbury Maple--your fluff sounds delicious.

[DrTimPerkins]

So I inadvertently made what I can best describe as "maple fluff" consistency like you would have on a peanut butter & fluff
(fluffernutter) sandwich. VERY strong maple flavor. Anyone else done this by accident or on purpose?

Sounds like you were somewhere between cream and sugar, but skipped the cooling step and went right to stirring? Maybe a touch too high of invert? Hard to say without all the parameters (invert level, temperature elevation, cooling, agitation) being described.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Good week for syrup this past week. All caught up on bottling and we are a little over 30 gallons. 20 gallons of Amber and the Dark we bottled is at LT 43. Sap was a little cloudy but sugar still holding at 1.9%. Everything this year had been 2% so not much change. We are cleaned up and looking forward to the freeze.

[West Sumner Sugar]

Same story for us as well. Another good weekend and the week/weeks coming still look good. We are on tap for our biggest season to date. Currently sitting at 52 gallons.

[Mvhomesteader]

Isn't it interesting to have a freeze of this magnitude this late in the month. It was quite cold today, but some sap still flowed. After boiling Sunday I still have 105 gallons in the snowbank from the past few days collecting effort. The cold nights will create some icing which will help with preservation. The boil ended up with almost 1.75 gallons from 75 for a sugar of 2.25%. I went around the yard removing taps from trees with less than 2% sugar (sort of a sap tree-age), which actually left most of my taps and I was surprised to find several big producers over 3%. So this next (and final?) run should be exceptionally sweet. Still planning on a bumper harvest.

Good luck to all in the final stretch!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Cooking off 140g right now we had in the totes from Sunday before the freeze. Thawed out enough by 4 PM to get it out of the totes to make room for fresh sap. About the same time the flow started good today. 13” and 17” on the shurflos so should run hard now. Be another busy weekend. Keep boiling!

[CanterburyMaple]

I emptied some buckets yesterday, then woke up to very full ones today! Will RO and boil tomorrow. Probably the last big run here in Southern Maine, maybe some trickles over the weekend. I just successfully made maple sugar this week for the first time (after my "fluff fail" which is not so much of a fail as my wife is really enjoying the product!), and I think I may turn everything I make from this run into sugar for storage purposes as I'm nearly out of bottles.

But to the title of my post: Looking for ideas and reactions on hosting a small maple event. We're hosting a maple Sunday on our street and having neighbors over from the other 11 houses on the street to enjoy maple goods and pancakes. Here's what I have so far:
- I'm planning of having pump bottles for 3 grades of syrup for tasting: Golden delicate, light amber, dark amber.
- I also plan on having bottles of sap and concentrate from the RO for tasting comparisons.
- I'm going to try to make maple taffy on some blocks of ice (or does it have to be snow/shaved ice. Inexperienced doing anything but snow).
- I'll have the maple syrup and maple sugar bottles out for giving away as well.
- I thought about having a donation basket and giving the proceeds to a cause (Ukraine relief, food pantries, etc.).
- Have the evaporator going if I have sap to boil
- Have a fire pit going (forecast is for 45 and cloudy with light winds)

Thanks all! Hope everyone has a great week of boiling!

[NhShaun]

Sounds like you have quite the event planned. I think the raw sap and RO concentrate tasting is a great idea for comparison. I saw someone who set up a decent size maple log outside the sugarhouse upright and let people drill holes and put a tap in(A great use for old used taps)Sounds like a good addition for all ages.
Where about in southern Maine are you located?

[Mvhomesteader]

I hope your event goes well! Great way to introduce the neighbors to maple, though you might loose access to trees if the neighbors take up maple!

I'm stashing clear sap from this current run, and quite the last hoorah it is. Twenty more gallons will give me two more boils of 80 gallons each, which should put me at 20 for the season. Looks like Sunday and Tuesday. Happy boiling!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Sap was running hard last night at 9 PM. The big run near the end is upon us. Expecting full totes today.

[West Sumner Sugar]

Glad to hear it was running good. Hopefully the same in nearby Sumner. Hopefully our game cam sends us some pictures of our tank. Ran decent in Lewiston yesterday. 125 gallons or so. About a gallon per tap. Its still pulling in this morning but slowing down.

[CanterburyMaple]

Sounds like you have quite the event planned. I think the raw sap and RO concentrate tasting is a great idea for comparison. I saw someone who set up a decent size maple log outside the sugarhouse upright and let people drill holes and put a tap in(A great use for old used taps)Sounds like a good addition for all ages.
Where about in southern Maine are you located?

I'm in Gorham. Great idea about the maple log and having tapping opportunities!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Glad to hear it was running good. Hopefully the same in nearby Sumner. Hopefully our game cam sends us some pictures of our tank. Ran decent in Lewiston yesterday. 125 gallons or so. About a gallon per tap. Its still pulling in this morning but slowing down.

I imagine it did, we emptied the tanks Wednesday night and we had 485g this morning at 6 AM when I went to work so it ran hard all night and was still running pretty good.

Update: 655g collected and still running. Sap still at 2%, been 2% all year for us. Boiling!

[West Sumner Sugar]

This looks to be the end. Cleaned up in Lewiston today, taps pulled, lines washed, tanks, vacuum pump cleaned. It was a good day for it. Tanks in Sumner have been filling all week but this will probably be it for us. Either way it's been a great year. Sugar content has been kinda low but sap gallons has been up. We have already surpassed our best year by quite a bit. Hoping to pull another 10 gallons this weekend, finish up bottling...and fill 2 barrels for barrel aged syrup.

[Mvhomesteader]

It's a wrap here as well. I finished boiling yesterday with 80 gallons of average 2.7% sap to give me over 2 gallons of syrup and 20.7 gallons for the year! Very excited! If I use that up before next season I'll look into counseling. My ssc was up because I cut out several trees that were <2, and there were a couple of big sugars running like crazy (albeit late) that were near 3%. I passed up low 2% sap I had saved to add in the higher ssc sap upping my return. In end I left 50 gallons in what's left of the snowbank.

Great year, lots of sap. I hauled over 850 gallons one 5 gallon bucket at a time. This is a week point looking ahead. I'm not as limber as I used to be. I did use the van to go up and down the road, but a lot of lugging off road. Something to consider for next year.

Big success was the second arch---a real efficiency boost. I also experimented with a small run of tube hooking three trees_into one bucket. This also proved efficient and I'll consider where I can expand on this. I think next year I'll also keep a closer tab on what trees are producing what ssc level to remove those under producers earlier in the game. If sap is abubdant, why mix in low ssc stuff which waters down the total and increases boiling time. I also need to expand the sap and carp woodshed to hold 2 cords (it's 1 now) which will put more wood where it needs to be--less tractor hauling mid season.

Time to move onto a new hen flock, a couple of porkys, meat birds, and bees again, and the venerable garden. I hope everyone has a great maple off season! See you in 2023.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We also called it today. Been boiling every night this week to keep the fresh sap coming. Some of the sap today tasted a little funky so we dumped 75 gallons and left the valves open. Also our best year yet. Around 60 gallons. A lot to bottle to get final numbers and we bought a 15 gallon barrel for some bulk storage. Haven’t graded the last run but it’s a light dark, I’m guessing low 40’s LT and that’s as low as it got. Great year for sure, nice to have a 5 week season for a change!

[West Sumner Sugar]

We finished up today. Its all done except the cleaning. By far our best year year 85.5 gallons bottled up. May boil off some cooking syrup when we drain the pans. We always wanted to hit 75 and surpassed that this year. Only one problem...gonna be a 100 gallon goal next year. Anyways we will start pulling taps and flushing lines next weekend. Maybe get the evaporator cleaned too. Glad to see others having good seasons as well, I think we all needed it after last year.

[Mitchman]

I finished up today making 4 3/4 gallons on 2 turkey burners with a 10 gallon pan and several 5 gallon stock pots. I didn't start till 3/15. I wrenched my back at work, didn't think i could do it. A few visits to the bone man and
the bug kicked in!!!!! Sounds like most had a v. good year, that's great!!!

Turkey burner w/ 10 gl. pan
22 tree's on 3'16 line gravity

[CanterburyMaple]

I finished up April 3rd/4th with boiling. 50% more syrup than last year, and same amount of trees (better trees!). Had a nice neighborhood open house sugaring day on the 4th to distribute syrup dividends to everyone. Still cleaning up, one 5-gallon bucket at a time, so the season isn't over yet for me! Unfortunately... Dreaming about buying an arch, but more than likely will look to expand to 3-4 pans next year, get some stove pipe instead of cinder block chimney. Or maybe I'll just focus on the 2-3 properties that produce 75% of the sap I collect...

Glad everyone had a good year, and thanks again for the community here! To 2023 indeed...