2023 Season

[Brian]

I guess A friend of mine and are going to start tapping tomarrow. I am going to start tapping on the cold side of the woods before the snow gets to deep. I heard butternut farm told or sent a letter to a bunch of sugar makers that were holding there syrup for them,saying that they would not be picking it up this year. I guess there not many packers buying syrup right now. Some sugarmakers are stuck with alot of last years syrup. This could be a problem for sugarmakers going into this season with there barrels already full. This is not going to help the bulk price. The retail market has held the same for us over all. A little slow this summer but picked up this last fall. We added a new pump shack with a electric releaser and did away with the last manual releaser. 2023 HERE WE GO!!

[Brian]

I have 1 woods all taped, Wow this is diffrent not trugging through snow or using snow shoes.Hoping to have the next woods 1/2 done by the end of the day.

[VT_K9]

We planned an expansion last year using CDL's heated hut. It arrived after the season started and we didn't have the time to finish that area. In the meantime we moved that area's collection point to a lower loction to aid in the lift height needed. With any luck we will have the hut plumbed in this week. Dad is putting new taps on the drops as the weather permits. A quick clean at each releaser and we are ready to tap. Good luck to everyone.

Mike

[Brian]

We got about 3900 tapped so far. This has been the easiest tapping season I have ever had.Usually I start and we get a dumping of snow and slows the tapping down. We have about 800 more to go and that will be done. I have a section of tubing that needs to be replaced this next summer. The drops are getting short and the brush is getting thick and it is the last section to get stubbys installed. I still need to wash the releasers and the tanks but I have a little time still for that. I looked at the CDL dog house those are cool units.

[levic900rr]

Anyone getting any sap this week? Im considering hanging my buckets this weekend (really small operation) I usually wait until closer to March but the forecast has me considering an early season this year. PS Im just north of Burlington close to the lake.

[TapTapTap]

We planned an expansion last year using CDL's heated hut. It arrived after the season started and we didn't have the time to finish that area. In the meantime we moved that area's collection point to a lower loction to aid in the lift height needed. With any luck we will have the hut plumbed in this week. Dad is putting new taps on the drops as the weather permits. A quick clean at each releaser and we are ready to tap. Good luck to everyone.

Mike

Mike,
We installed the high vacuum sap lifter in February of last year. We were generally vey happy with it. I bought a pair of the seafloor pumps as spares and didn't need them. At $40 each it was a was worth it. I also reconfigured the 2 pump in parallel as purchased to the pumps working in series to pump it up about 22 ft. And it performed well.
Ken

[VT_K9]

Hi Ken,

We have the solar version. No hope for power at this sight. It would also be interesting to turn it into a releaser type pump and not need to pump back to the collection point (create a second pump location). We have a challenge with things freezing up and not thawing in a timely manner to take advantage of a good run. We are located on the west side of a hill. Not much sun until 0930-1000. That is why the heated hut was attractive. It would be nice to get the temps in the spaces where our releasers are located up another 10 degrees to take the edge off. We are setup to run a Dewalt 20v propane heater in each of the 2 collection points should we need to thaw the releaser to help with an early morning run.

Mike

[Brian]

The sap ran a little, got two pump stations up and running. one station is at 22inches the other is only at 16 inches. The ro room is warmed up and water in the tanks. I hope to get that ready to go tomarrow. The vac sensors are tuuner on in one woods and 1/2 on in the other. the woods by the house I am going to tap today. Then next week run some leaks and be boiling. I have the 500 gallon tank bolted to my pickup and got the sap truck started and ready.

[TapTapTap]

Hi Ken,

We have the solar version. No hope for power at this sight. It would also be interesting to turn it into a releaser type pump and not need to pump back to the collection point (create a second pump location).

Mike,
I'm not sure what you're thinking about but it would be next to impossible to use that system to pump out of the vacuum and release the sap into atmospheric pressure. At least at any reasonable quantity on a low powered system. Plus I can't imagine finding such a high output pump fitting in the canister.
Ken

[Brian]

The RO is together and ready to go one woods is at 26 inches another is at 25 inches and the other is at 20 inches I hauled in about 3400 gallons of sap tonight going to start the RO in the morning and haul in the sap from the last woods. I then hope to walk some lines while the ro runs. It takes afew days to get the vac. up to 27 inches. I hope to sweeten the pans tomarrow night. I tried to tighten up the vacuum in the woods that had 20 inches but the leaks kept freezing up on me so that was a bust. I did manage to find two big leaks that were to big to freeze so that bring it up alittle.

[Brian]

Well I got in my first boil of the year, was able to get the pans sweetened and ended up with 3 3/4 barrels I was hoping for 160 but 150 is not bad for the 17 of feb. A year ago today I broke my ankle and with the help of a few friends and my wife we still made a little over 1600 gallons. Good luck to all and make alot of it!!

[Brian]

Cleaned out the tanks in 2 pump stations and plan on shutting them down and drainning the water out of the vac pumps ect and turning the heat off fora week or so. that way I don't need to worrie about them freezing. I think I only have 2000-2500 gallons of sap to run through the ro today. Then back to the Garage and get a few jobs done.Hoping it warms up alittle today.

[Brian]

Things are going good so far other than the sap is not flowing the way I would like. The vacuum is up, every thing is in good shape and boiled 3 times and made about 500 gallons so far. Did I say the snow was deeeeeeep!!! now on snow shoes, I was up in the north woods and had to kneel to fix a chew in the tubbing. the main lines were about 2-4 inches above the snow, I think it will be a day or two before the sap starts to flow over there.

[Brian]

The sap is not running very well, but we should be up to a qt per tap after we boil today and that is what we shoot for. Any thing after that is a bonus. Our location is by mollys pond and is cold spot, the north woods has not even started to run yet. The snow is so deep still that I think the tops are going to pop before the sap runs. That being said if you don't have a bad year once in a while then you don't appreciate the good ones. I am hoping to make it another week.

[Brian]

Well we finished last night at 36 barrels so for us that is not bad about 1420. Now the clean up starts and getting ready to change out a section of tubing that is a least 12-14 years old, time goes so fast. Well that section is about 800 taps so that should not take to long. It well take a bout a week to cut all the dead stuff and brush. I need to build a new pump housethere also because that one is getting old. Thats my plan.

[DrTimPerkins]

Good luck with the retubing and pump shed projects Brian. Always something to do.

[Brian]

Thank you Dr. Tim, Congratulations on your retirement. The clean up is slow the pans are clean,the Ro is tore down and membrains in storage solution and canisters and most of the tanks washed. I hope to start washing pipeline tuesday and hoping to be done by saturday.

[Brian]

Well, one woods left to wash the pipeline, tank and releaser. The rest are done and that one will be saturday. I have the sap truck home and filling the tank up with spring water to pump up the mountain with the tubing washer. It keeps my tubing looking like new. There is no black **** in the lines and no scum in the spring and the main lines are claen as a whistle. It is not fast and you have to have a lot of ball valves at the manifolds. I have not made dark syrup in years, med and fancy are all I make. It will average a gallon of water per tap or so. That woods is about 2500 taps. it will take 5-6 people 7-8 hours to wash that woods. We push the water about 3000 ft to get to the woods to start cleaning. Yes there is an air compressor to float the water up the pipe and this causes a scrubing in the pipes and tubing. Glen Goodrich got the Idea from watching the pipeline get washed at his familys farm so he started building them. Now that he is in Eden with 150,000 taps and 23,000 taps in cabot. They now suck some solution down the lines to clean them because it would take to much time to wash all the lines.

[Brian]

We had some bad weather come through and did some damage for shore, I lost about 8-10 trees,I will have that one woods back together this weekend. I don't know about the other 2 until i get out to them and walk them.