LMP Maple 2023

[LMP Maple]

This weather has me feeling like I am behind the eight ball but I have to remind myself that I always feel this way around this time of year and winter will be back by weeks end. My goal is to have everything ready to go by Feb 1 this year. I have traditionally tapped around Feb 20th but I will be ready on the first and tap anytime after that when it looks promising. The nice thing about a smaller tap count is I can tap in about 3 hours or so. Eliminated two collections points this year to eliminate some bucket hauling and lower production then I would like from those trees. That will get me to 60 taps at one collection point on vacuum, with a new stainless collection tank. 14 at another site and 10 or so at another plus or minus on 3/16 gravity. This set-up should make for less work for me I hope.

[LMP Maple]

Boy what a day today and tomorrow looks warm as well then we drop off the table. I am going to set up a few things tomorrow maybe run a test boil and once we get through the cold snap I will tap. I think it would have run today but I feel pretty good about waiting and not chasing it too much this year it was tempting for sure. I don't think that the ground really froze this winter or not yet anyway. My french drain has been running for the last month. Not sure what that will mean for the season but there is certainly moisture in the ground around here anyway. Getting close for sure.

[tapdat]

Yep, interesting weather we've been having. Never got the deep freeze, hopefully the drop a week out is good enough. I'll be reducing taps this year after adding another to the family, but we all still want some good times by the evap. Best of luck on the prep and tapping.

[UB29]

Finally finished the multiple storm cleanup on the lines. Never saw as many pines bent over and weighted down with snow as we've seen over the last couple of weeks. Looking to tap on or about the 10th, after next weeks deep freeze.
Thanks, Bill

[red maples]

Hey first one to start their post. sounds like things are going good over your way. Doing good over hear I have a few more things to do in the woods and gonna start tapping Sunday morning. Had more broken branches and dead fall had to put mainline back up in one spot. had to do a walk through with the chainsaw cutting stuff off the llines all over the place. what a mess. but will be ready by sunday!!!

[CitySlicker]

Howdy, Folks.

small backyard sugarer here (23 taps - old school spiles). I normally tap at the end of Feb/ beginning of March, but the 2 week forecast here (Hopkinton NH) looks pretty solid.

Thoughts on tapping imminently, keeping in mind I'm using old-school spiles without vaccuum?

thanks...

[Pdiamond]

Follow your weather forecast and check weather.com and accuweather and believe a part of it. Lots of sugar makers are tapping right now.

[LMP Maple]

All tapped in Hudson. Tapped about 80 percent yesterday and finished up today. Spent a lot of time working on squirrel chews. Trees were running and I flushed the lines with the first small run and started collecting this am. Should be boiling tonight. Now I just hope the R/O is ready.......Enjoy this week looks like a good one!

[LMP Maple]

Two boils so far. First one I did not use the r/o as the amount was too small to crunch it. Real good flow yesterday for me collected about 100 gallons and boiled until 11 PM last night. No syrup yet but getting real close. I am trying a new strategy of boiling every other night while the nights are still cold. This gives me a break and may keep me sane. I have been pretty militant about boiling every night in the past but I am going to ease up a bit on that. Boiled while running the r/o at the same time last night something I have not done in the past. Its a little more work as far as keeping an eye on things and may be more challenging when I get closer to drawing off every half hour or so but takes my boiling rate if you factor in the r/o to close to 30gph when rolling.
I can see one of my collection tanks from my house and looks like good flow today should be a long day of boiling tomorrow. Definitely in it now! Sureflow working well not real high vacuum but getting the job done. I will search out some leaks when I can take a breath.

[LMP Maple]

This is shaping up to be an interesting season. We have had some great flows over here. I think I am up to about 4 gallons could be more. I was going to can up today but my murphy float said I was a little light which I found surprising as I draw a little heavy. I will either have to boil in my canner a bit or add some that is a little heavy the next boil. I bought the float thinking I would be adding distilled water and increasing my production as I tend to draw heavy but guess not......

I cant remember a season where I could have been boiling and listening to the Super Bowl (I took that night off)

I have taken a few days off of work to keep up. I had a couple of two gallon per tap days. The sap has looked great. I hope we get some cold weather soon. The trees don't seem to mind the warmer weather given the clarity of the sap. I am worried about the Reds if this keeps up.

[Uncle Tucker]

It’s good to hear from So Nh. I cut my teeth in maple living at my parents house in Litchfield on while going to Alvine (class of 94). Those trees are gone now, all houses instead. Not many sugar makers in the Hudson/Litchfield region, keep the tradition alive.

[Hillcrest Maples]

LMP, what are you getting for sugar content? Pulling about 1.8% in Goffstown, a few towns over from you.

[LMP Maple]

Have been right around 2.2 or so nothing lower than two percent for me yet. Tonight's sap a little cloudy but I was expecting that after this weather. We really need some cold looks like we will get it Friday night.

Yep I am holding on to my neighbors 20 acres with some decent Sugars. It will be developed in my lifetime but enjoying it while I can. The developers come in cut all the trees down to pay the current use tax penalty and the houses go in. I looked for a sugaring spot in S. NH for a few years and gave up. I thought I might find a non buildable lot with some maples for a decent price but they will build about anywhere now so they can get more property taxes or it is so far out on a class 4 road you couldn't get there if you tried but I digress. Thankful for great neighbors.

Going to can up my syrup tomorrow to see where I am at. Don't think I will have to boil again until Sunday. Need a break.

[LMP Maple]

Canned up 9.05 gallons today. That's half my crop or the number Id like to hit. Not sure what to think as its not March yet. We shall see looks colder if we can get there.
Cleaned my field and head tanks today as well. Will be back at it Sunday. Lots of sugar sand in the pan even with reversing. Took some time to clean.

[UB29]

Did pretty much the same yesterday. Cleaned tanks and shut down the Shurflo's to keep battery capacity (wasn't much solar charging happening yesterday in the rain).
Glad I made my early season start (Feb. 5th). Produced 15 gallons Golden and 10 gallons Amber so far. Last year, didn't even tap until Feb. 15. Last night low 19; headed for 40 this afternoon. Hope the trees recharged a bit and they fire back up.

Bill

[LMP Maple]

Had a couple of good days. I was planning on boiling tonight but cleaned it all up last night instead. Sap cleared up nicely after we had some cold temps. I would estimate that I am up to 13 gallons or so. Looks like a cold snap coming through which should get things frozen up again. I will have to put the R/O into storage mode after tomorrow. This is looking like a good season at this point. I am going to try to get all the tanks empty tomorrow and depending on the snow I will either boil it tomorrow or hold it over for Thursday.
Getting into a rhythm with the vacuum canner. For me, and this is with the 9 inch, I can only do one draw off of about a half gallon with DE then I pull the pre-filter and reline for the next draw off. It will do two in a row but it really slows down. I will say for me I am not overly impressed with the filter I think the small size does not help it but I do like it better than gravity. With the DE the syrup looks great. I moved my shop vac to a room off the sugar house which makes the whole thing much quieter. Boil on ladies and gents! Looking forward to a night of a normal bedtime.

[LMP Maple]

Does not look like I will be doing any boiling until the weekend here....Maybe. Pretty good freeze and lines are all frozen. Put the R/O in a state of preserve until we get rolling again. I need to give my pans a good cleaning again....as the sugar sand seems to be bad this year here even with reversing. Some snow coming in as well over the next couple of days.

[Pdiamond]

At least your moisture is snow. For us it's that nasty cold rain, rain, and more rain. I am sick of it. You can't do anything because you are either wet and cold or muddy and cold. Besides that. the trees just don't seem to run even though it is almost 40 degrees.

[LMP Maple]

A good couple of days for me over here. Boiled everything in the last two nights. Was done at 9:30 last night before the snow came. Sap is still really clear although I did see a couple of Millers last night (moths) the old timers in Vermont always used to say the end was near when you saw them. Dont think so here as next week looks good. I am going to can up what I have ahead on Sunday and see what I want to do as far as continuing. My goal is 20 gallons after that I go as long as the motivation is still with me so we shall see. I feel like I will be in the 15-gallon range after the canning but who knows. I will have to snow blow to get to my collection point now thanks to this latest storm dumping. That's something I have not had to do in years past. I feel like from my point of view anyway NH may have a banner year.

[UB29]

Just hit 2,950 on sap collection yesterday. Way above last year at this time 1,254. All due to early tapping in Feb., and some nice early runs. Sap still running crystal clear; and sapsicles in tanks helping out. Will be an interesting week coming up, with snowpack from yesterday.

Bill

[LMP Maple]

17 Gallons of finished product so far and I have about 5 more in the canner. This will be my best season to date barring a major problem. Running low on oil not happy about that but another 100 coming on Monday. I hated to get more but it will last well into next year. I would hate to run out of oil on open house weekend. I am going to go another week to do the open house and call it here. Last year I was boiling water during the open house. The weather looks good into next weekend so it will be nice to have some sap to boil. I know there will be more to the season but I am ready to call it. I have boiled 17 times so far and came in at 2 am last night. One more week for me. The vacuum pump is giving me a little trouble as well, which might be a sign. The flows have been great and after the last snow things really started to go. Keep pushing. White flags about to be raised in Hudson.

[LMP Maple]

All done here in Hudson. Had a great open house with 60 visitors today. We only did one day and it was a success. The trees have really slowed down and even with the 55 degree day yesterday they did not produce. Great season for me I think I will land in the 23-25 gallon range when it is all said and done. On to the dreaded clean-up! Good luck to all still hanging in there.

[Amber Gold]

Don't give up yet. There's still snow on the ground, and the buds haven't come yet.

[LMP Maple]

My ambition budded out about a week ago :lol:..........but I respect those still going.

[red maples]

how are you budding but I am not??? even my reds that go first are just getting redder haven't really swelled that much.