CRM - Wilton

[UB29]

Getting a lot of those 40 deg days and 20 deg nights. Wondering if it's time to get out the drill. With this crazy weather, I hope we are not hurting ourselves by waiting until mid-Feb to tap and missing runs. Thoughts?
Thanks, Bill

[red maples]

I don't know, I have a 3 day weekend working on stuff indoors this morning so I am gonna see if I can get everything ready to go by next weekend If the long range forecast stays true then I will try to start next weekend. because the following week looks really good but we know how that goes.

[UB29]

Tapped about 100 yesterday on my mainline. Reds were already running. Nothing from the sugars yet.
Weather looks decent, and I think I'm all done with waiting until mid-late February to tap. Reading about quite a few early runs and don't want to miss out.
Will keep tapping everything on tubing; and wait on the buckets for another week or so.

Thanks, Bill

[UB29]

210 tapped so far. Will complete rest on tubing this weekend. Two collections......260 + 355 gal........1.9 % avg. Two boils yielding about 6-1/2 gallons of great tasting Golden.
Glad I started earlier. Reds running great; sugars starting to thaw out.

Bill

[UB29]

Still running pretty well; but will slow up with higher temps later this week. Averaging 250 ish per day on collections. Bottled up first batch of syrup last night. 15 gallons Golden.... 98 on the checker.

Bill

[UB29]

Still running pretty well; but will slow up with higher temps later this week. Averaging 250 ish per day on collections. Bottled up first batch of syrup last night. 15 gallons Golden.... 98 on the checker.

Bill

[Drew Pond Maple]

Next weeks temps look to be more “average” with lows in the teens and highs in the low 20’s for me. I’m sure you’ll be a few degrees warmer. I haven’t even drilled a hole yet and I’m sure I lost out on those warmer days we had over the last month.
I haven’t made golden in ten years, mostly dark and a little amber so I’m jealous.
Good luck!

[UB29]

Very surprised myself, Mike. Didn't make a drop of light last year; and just a couple gallons the year before. I suspect that with this warm stretch coming up, we'll be seeing darker syrup from here on out.

Bill

[MapleMike]

Hi Bill
Hope all is well. You still boiling. You must be well over your normal totals. Love to see one of your solar set up’s.
Mike

[UB29]

Still at it Mike. Just passed 4,100 gal. sap. Only have bottled up 30 gal. syrup so far; but the freezer is bursting with stored syrup as well as Mother Nature's snowbanks. Probably another 35 gal. or so to can up. Major processing session coming up this weekend with no sap running. Forecast looks like we might get another nice run mid/late next week. Buds haven't even started to swell yet; so I'm going to hang in there another week or so.
Thanks, Bill

[UB29]

That's it. Last boil of the season was yesterday. Collected 190 gallons on final trip through the bush and shut down the pumps. Cloudy, but no smell. Tasted fine on the last boil...........and it was darrrk.
Haven't compiled final stats, but somewhere around 4,800 gals. sap; and we should end in the mid 60's on syrup. Saw 2% once early in the season; but most was in the 1.2-1.5 range. Overall a good season for us, and that early tapping (Feb. 5) was the difference.
Good to run into Maple Mike and a few other sugarmakers at the Monadnock maple contest yesterday. Some great tasting syrup was on display.
Now, the not so fun part begins. Cleaning, scrubbing and sanitizing................yuck. Hope everyone had a successful and enjoyable season.

Thanks, Bill