February Journal 08, GO TIME

[PATheron]

The temps are rising, TAP! TAP! TAP! Just kidding. Theron

[Dave Y]

No seriously they are rising!

[Dave Y]

We are sitting in the middle of an ice storm this morning. There is already an 1/8 of an inch of ice on everything , and it just started. I hate to see the end results. I hope to string some more pipe in the next few days I have a field that is a coupe hundred yds long. looking to put pipe on it and save some steps. got to go iI have ice to clean up. We have a 2hrs delay at school already and I expect them to close for the day. Got to get things cleared up just in case they do come to school.

[PATheron]

DaveY- Presidents day weekend?

[Dave Y]

Valentines Day!

[H. Walker]

St. Pattrick's day up here in Ontario, that's when the full moon is in March.

[peacemaker]

town meeting day isnt suppose to be in VT

[Mike N RI]

Superbowl weekend in RI! I was at a 12,000 tap sugarbush in Quebec 2 weeks ago-- they tapped Thanksgiving!

[ennismaple]

St. Pattrick's day up here in Ontario, that's when the full moon is in March.

I like your prediction for Ontario because I need more time! The foot of snow we're getting today won't make stringing the mile of mainline and three miles of lateral lines we still have left to do any easier.

[PATheron]

Guys- Tomarrow morning Im the proud owner of a brand new cdl 600 gph ro. Now sure whether to be excited or not. Im a little apprehensive about running the thing but If the rest of you genetic defects can do it I guess I can too. I should have pretty much everything hooked up and done this weekend I think. I might even be able to fire up the vac pump on sunday I think. I think Ive got it figured out how to get some sap to the sugarhouse now im going to have to figure out how to make syrup with it. I think Im going to have a pretty easy fix just have to learn everything at once. Once I get the hang of things hopefully Ill be good. Keep you guys posted and hopefully I can get some pics of the finished product next week. Theeeron

[gmcooper]

Theron,
Last spring I watched a freind of ours running his 600gph CDL RO just in case I thought I wanted one. It seemed really simple and I would have to say it was the least complicated looking one I have seen. Your going to need a fork truck to move all those drums of syrup your going to make!
Mark

[PATheron]

Mark- I think I might make some syrup. We'll have to see what happens. Im starting to go into freak out mode I think now that its about done. I go up in the woods and all I see is blue. Im starting to think maybe I got a little carried away. Oh well, it looks like im doing a hell of a stroke. Ill probly learn what im doing. Hows your pump coming along. I might fire mine up pretty soon. Theeeeron

[mountainvan]

Congrates on the ro. Good luck for the season.

[ennismaple]

Theron - I hope your 600GPH CDL RO comes with a better instruction manual than the franglais gibberish we got with ours. We made the CDL rep come back 2 days later to show us how to do it properly and not how the piece-of-crap 4 sheets of paper we got with the machine said. If the rep delivers your machine get him to show you everything - how to concentrate, do your daily wash and your end of season wash and WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!!!! It might help to write it down with a Sharpie on the wall beside the machine and number every single valve. I still find it somewhat overwhelming sometimes.

Enjoy your new toy!!!! I'd say you'll wonder how you ever managed without it but you went straight to the easy life and never had to boil for 40 straight hours! Softie... ;-)

[PATheron]

Ennismaple- I think this is going to be pretty user friendly. There really isnt any external valves to operate I dont think. The machine kind of does it for you. Im kind of lucky becouse I bought the machine from Richard (sugarmaster) and he lives near me and his man is installing it and Richard said he'd have him come over first run and operate it for me so Ill know what im doing. Ill study it all out too. I wont have any lack of support with Richard. I talked to Matt about it and I know usually there is a bunch of valves to operate externally but with this one I think its all done on the face of it for the most part. I did cheat big time. I feel a little overwhelmed with the technology but once I figure out what im doing I should have it pretty easy like you say. Mountainvan- Thanks for the congrads.

[802maple]

Theron-As a former service tech for those machines you will not have a hard time figuring it out. The biggest thing most people have is fear of doing something wrong and blowing the thing up. About the only thing you can do wrong if they are made the same way is plugging the recirc pumps in before you get 20 lbs of operating pressure. If they start before 20lbs are reached it can ruin the mechanical seal. This is only on the first start of the season. I haven't looked at these machines in 2 years so they may have changed that as they were the only company that didn't have a pressure relay switch to protect them on start up. If you can't get ahold of Richard for some strange reason you can call me and I will talk you thru it.

[PATheron]

Marty- I have been making 20-30 gals of syrup per year on my homeade flat pan for about 20 years believe of not. So Im due for a little cheating. I have never made a gallon of syrup on real evap in my life though with any kind of sap. Gonna learn everything at once. Parker says Im going to learn real quick or my season will be over real quick. What the heck I like to think big. Theeeeron

[PATheron]

Jerry- I appreciate that a lot. I have a neighbor that has one too and he said hed run right up so I think ill be good. Im sure once I do it Ill get in the groove. Im going to finish up the plumbing and everything I think today so maybe tomarrow Ill fire up that vac pump and see what happens. No sense sitting around worrying once I get everything done I might as well go right at it as far as trying things. This ro is different I think than the ones ive seen. Usually there is a bunch of valves you have to operate externally but I dont believe this is like that at all. Everything is swapped around internally if I understand it right. Ill know more tonight. Theron

[Parker]

How many syrup barrels do you have Theron? :) I am going to try to get out in the sugarwoods today,,,been out straight logging,,,fun to read all the posts of other people getting ready,,,,,,this is the first winter I have not been doing a major expansion,,,just a littel fixing here and there,,,,pretty well maxed out on the # of taps that I can keep up with boiling,,,

[PATheron]

Parker- I have access to all I need from Richard. Just have to go get them as I can fill them. I know what you mean its fun to hear about everybody expanding and everything becouse its always exciting to see what the woods does and how much sap you get etc. Ive got to go get dads tractor, talk to you later. Theron

[802maple]

Theron= you won't even think that you have sugared when you get done this spring compared to all the work that you used to go thru, believe me. When I used to make 8-900 gallons a year with raw sap I wasn't fun to be around at the end of the season. Then I went to making that much in 2 or 3 days sometimes and it didn't even feel like I had worked at all with all of the new technology.

[Russell Lampron]

Theron,

Boiling raw sap sucks. Once you are up and running try doing it without the RO and you will find out what you missed when you bypassed that step of the expansion. You're going to love it.

Russ

[PATheron]

Russ and Jerry- Got the ro in and pretty much all hooked up. I think its going to be real nice. It has the directions on the front and Todds coming back first run to run it for me. It appears to be real user friendly. Only valves are two shutoff valves for the 1.5" lines. Everything thats swapped around is done by valves on the front of the panel. Below the pressure valves their are selector valves you can turn each way to select what you want to do. I think im going to love it once I run it. Very expensive but ive been up for days boiling before and im sick of it so thats that. Once its paid for Ill be glad I did it and it should last a long time. Still hooking things up everything takes for ever but almost done. Theeeeron

[PATheron]

The Crows Are Cawing The Trees Are Thawing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sugardaddy]

http://www.accuweather.com/forecast-15day.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&zipChg=1&zipcode=07826&metric=0

We're sinking some taps today in Sussex County, NJ. Depending on how sunny it is, the forecasted temps may give us a bit of an early flow . I have access to enough trees this year that I can take the chance on the early taps sealing up and still have more than enough sap from those I tap later.

Laughing, because we are soooo not ready. We did 10x the prep we did last year, but acquiring a little bit of knowledge is a terrible thing. I know just enough now to realize how much more we could do and how much more equipment we could use.

[Parker]

Wow- just looked at the 15 day forcast,,,might be time to start spending alot more time in the sugarwoods getting all things ready,,was thinking it was going to be a late start to the season,BUT,,,,,gonna run adaptors this year for the long haul,,last boil last year was april 23,,,the ground not being frozen coupled with some ideal looking temps just might tempt me,,,,,wonder where I left those tapping bits???off to the sugarhouse,,,,,, :)

[andyp]

Ran some tubing yesterday and put in about 80 taps. We have more tubing to run and another 220 taps to go. It made it into forties here today in s.w. pa. but it didn't run. The weather for this week looks good.Two days in the fourties and one day in the high fifties. Maybe we will have a sap flood. I wish all a super syrup season.

Andyp

[Sugarmaker]

AndyP,
Push some steam! good luck in 08!

Chris

[PATheron]

Guys- Worked all weekend and Im getting pretty close to ready. Im pretty postative Ill be ready to put my tools away and have everything done to make syrup by the end of this weekend. Thinking about running another 50 taps too. Just being done building is going to be heaven. I dont think ive had one day at home since last January that I wasnt working on this stuff. Sugarmasters man Todd brought over the ro the other day and hooked it all up and also helped me figure out my evap. If you guys have an equipment dealer thats half as professional as Richard your lucky. Hes helped me through every part of this process the whole year and its not like he isnt a busy man with 70,000 taps. Good luck to anyone tapping. Im thinking about maybe tapping this weekend but im not sure at all. Ill probly wait the one more week and tap the 16th but ill look at the forecast friday and see. Have a happy. Theron

[Maplewalnut]

Theron

Another 50 taps?!?!? Like the rest of us, you are a glutten for punishment. Good Luck, I am going to try and make it up this season to visit when you are in full swing.

Mike

[Mike]

Where's Mapleman3 and AL and the rest of the gang??????

[Dave Y]

They probably have another life, unlike the rest of us.

[PATheron]

Mike- Stop in anytime, I like vistors. Ill be here if my wife doesnt log off my sugarmaples while im at work.

[Dave Y]

Theron, are you going to be ready to tap this weekend? If I were you I would rest up for a week before you tap. That way you will be fresh when it does start. then you will be ready for the all nighter's that are on the horizon.

[danno]

Is it my imagination or are people tapping earlier and earlier each year. I understand the WV, NJ, S. PA guys, but traditionally isn't late Feb/March traditional sugaring season for the NE?

I'm not knocking it - hey, if the weathers right, go for it. It just seems that more peole are tapping earlier. Is it due to climate change, shock and awe from last season's ridiculous weather or an itchy trigger finger.

I remember reading a book where an old time sugarer from vermont I think had a tapping diary and compared the 1950's to the 1990's or something like that. It seemed way back when - he was generally tapping mid march and sometimes boiling into early May.

[PATheron]

DaveY- If Im ready to tap this weekend itll be barely. It wont be after any rest. I probly ought to wait one more week. Ill have to see what I think. Matts coming down so we might tap. Im going to hang 3 buckets this morning and see if the trees thaw next two days. Im still setting up my stuff. It does still seem to be pretty early to me too but the weather is so crazy anymore if it starts running I might go for it. Theeeeron

[Dave Y]

Theron,
There is not much sap weather out there in the 15 day forecast. I was going to try to tap on sunday but It doesn't look like it will mean much if I wait a few more days.

[royalmaple]

Big 'ole Jet Airlina, carry me to PA. Wow-o-o.
Givin Theron a hand for a few days.
But for now it's Maine that I want to stay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Guitar solo....

BIG SAP!!

[802maple]

I personally don't think the weather has changed that much up here. The mind set of people now is when we get a thaw in January it has never happened before, but where did the term January thaw come from, it has been around all of my life.If you look at our charts the sap still doesn't start to run for us until the 10th to the 15th of march, and our season still ends for us in late April, which is where it has been for years. Sure we could tap in January and we would get some sap, but the problems it creates is not worth the hassle. I know that there are large sugarmakers in Vermont that have made what seems like a lot of syrup to the small guy, but when you figure in how many trees they have tapped it is only a drop in the bucket as to what they will make, and at the end of the season they won't have anymore syrup then other sugarmakers do that start later. I just looked at the 15 day and there is not a speck of sugaring weather in it, yet there are sugarmakers with 35-40 buckets ( about a hour of tapping) that are afraid they might miss something if they don't start now. I know that it is hard to hold back because you are ready to tap and make steam, heck some of you have been ready for that since the 1st of May last year.

Happy sugaring and do what you have to do to satisfy your urge is what I say.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

A lot of the issue with early tapping in my opinion is communication. Many years ago there were not things like maple newspapers, tv, internet/trader, phones and all the other modern conviences and vaccum to keep the holes open longer.

I think this has a lot more to do with it than most other things, and greed too!

[NedL]

Only mys econd year doing this and I will only have around 20 taps. I started early, the weather looks pretty good here and the trees have been really running. More importantly I have twins due in April, so my season will be short!

[maplekid]

well i boiled off 10 gallons today
made a quart still finishing it right now

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

That sounds more like a smile.

[Yorkholomaple]

PATheron, thats a nice set up ya got. i have been following the different posts on the the site for the past couple weeks and checking out everyones pics of there operations and after seeing yours i realized your located right over the hill! I will have to stop over cause it sounds like you got quite the set up this year.

[Sugardaddy]

Collected about 30 gallons today from 13 buckets, bringing me up to about 40. We'll boil down tomorrow and be able to enjoy our own syrup again. I anticipate this short run will give another 20-30 gallons before the freeze jits again, so this is a good chance to test out wht we're working with.

[firetech]

To the traders in upstate NY,central Vertmont and New Hampshire we are sending you some nice wet snow from Michigan. Enjoy!!! It only took 2 hrs to go 30 miles tonite 10mph all the way thru town normally a 30min trip. and we got all of 10 inches today. Its going to be a long day on the ole M tomorow plowing eveyone out. Just drive safely tomorrow. Sap will be coming someday.

[Dave Y]

I been working on a small pipeline this week. I will have 80 taps run out to the street. And i do mean street, it is only 800 yds from the center of the village,on the main drag. Put up over 800 ft of 3/4'" and set a nice 150 milk tank 10 ft off the side walk. I hope to put the manifolds on tomorrow after work and the drops Friday evening. The last three years we carried the sap out to the road in 5gal pail at this location. Now jut pull up with the sap hauler and load the sap. More time to boil. No good sap weather in the 15 day forecast, I will probably hold off tapping until after the full moon.

[Parker]

I was at Bascoms yesterday afternoon,,,was surprised to see they had started tapping,,,the tank at the bottom of their road had a few hundred gallons in it,,was real surprised to see how well it was running with the temp just 34 deg.,,vacuum is a real plus on poor days............

[Jim Brown]

Parker; I have to agree we would not have had NEAR the sap over the last two days with out the vac. When we turn the vac off to fuel the pumps the flow would stop. We kept it off for about 15 minutes to see if the sap would flow natural into the releaser and no luck! we turn the vac on and was pulling about 300 gallons in 7 hours with 17" vac.(350 taps) Made a believer out of us for sure

Jim

[802maple]

J.B.- you are believer now, but if you were to add 6 more inches of vacuum to that system you wouldn't believe the difference you were seeing.

[Jim Brown]

802 maple; I don't think our old dairy pumps would last very long and that amount. we have fans on them now and they get hot to the touch. Maybe someday we can have one of thoses REAL vac system LOL

Thanks
Jim

[Russell Lampron]

Jim,

Have you tried out that new RO yet?

Russ

[Jim Brown]

Russ; The sap did not come as no shot just kind of ran over three days I didn't want to run it for an hour and not have enought to rinse and then have to leave it set, so we just ran normal with the steamaway(still did 51 an hour). Have 150 gallon to finish tonight and then according to the weather forcast we are done for 1 1/2 weeks or more. We will be tapping our main bush over the weekend(500) that will give us a lot of sap at once and then we will fire that thing up(thats the plan any)I'll be in touch when we get her running.Most likely with more questions!!

Thanks

Jim

[Parker]

I have one of those "real" pumps I would make you a deal on,,,,,,will pull HARD for the BIG SAP,,,,,,,,ohhhhhhh my,,,,,,,,,been listing toTheron for too long :)

[Al]

I'm still here Mike. Just got back from Disney so I've been out of the loop. We're ready to go here. My youngest son biggest surprise at Disney was the automatic flushing toilets. :):) We've been on the hill to long.
Take care,
Al

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

15 inches of snow yesterday and this morning, havent been in the woods in 2 days been plowing snow. maybe tomorrow i can get back to my latterals

RICH

[Russell Lampron]

Good luck Jim and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Rich just got in from plowing snow myself. Wet and heavy stuff that I don't have much place for.

What a difference a year makes. I haven't heard anyone talking about Global Warming for a while.

Russ

[PATheron]

Update on Theeerons big sap situation. Matt flew in from Maine on wednesday. One day ahead of schedule. Started with nothing really done. Currently have vac pump operational, tanks ready, and just finished tapping in. Put in 15 saddles tomarrow and done. 1187 on line and operational. Checked pump today thought we were doing pretty good with 18 " at the pump and 200 drops hanging in the clear sucking air. Figure we've got about the right cfm's for the signature bush. Gonna get a little shut eye and figure on putting another several hundred in tomarrow. Just kidding. Are going to see if we can make it an even 1300 though, dont want people to keep thinking were not taking this seriously, becouse we are. No more screwing around. Go time. Hoping for some BIGSAP soon. Will be boiling sat night. Sap is in tanks currently. Hoping to add some tomarrow. Hoping for the gulley washer on saturday. Life jackets available for visitors. Theeeeron

[Parker]

18" with 200 spiles out?????? Man,,,makes me pretty jelous,,,if I loose 2 or 3 spiles I loose ALOT of vacuum,,,,is the weather just about right down there? Just keep that pump pulling if its above 31 degrees,,,,you will be surprised at the sap you get on marginal days,,especially if you can pull over 20",,,GOOD LUCK

[Dave Y]

Theron,
While Matt is there to help, you should tap the bush across the road from your house. you can bring the line high over the road with no problem. Good luck on your maiden voyage!

[gmcooper]

Not much getting done in the woods here lately. This 4th day in a row with snow and days 5 and 6 are bringing more snow they say. Every tree branch is covered with snow. Not much fun to work in with consant supply of fresh snow down your neck..Suppose I should clean out the sugarhouse and get everything there ready to go. Or I could go plow more snow?

Theron, How are you surviving? Be carefull Matt might have you tapping a couple thousand extra the you didn't know you owned before he leaves. LOL
Be sure to check his luggage when he leaves, he might be looking to bring "Ramona" home a companion!
Mark

[PATheron]

Mark- Matt wanted to try to put a bunch more taps in but we had our hands full just trying to get what I had operational. Pump currently at 24.5". All tapped in. Had no idea what 25" of vac really was. Had to pull a 1.5" plug from one of my boosters and almost lost my whole hand. Definitely on a big leak would suck a squirrel clear to the releaser. Squirrell populations are down currently and not finding too much damage. They must be in decline due to disease or somethng. Keep finding them dead all over the place. Still waiting for the big sap. Almost hit temp today but not quite. If it warms up I think there could be the big sap. Theeeeron

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

didnt have to plow today tried going to the woods but need snow shoes or a melt down. more snow tonite

RICH

[Yorkholomaple]

PATheron, when do you think you might get to boil? I would like to stop over and check out the operation and see how the saps running on your side of the hill. I have not tapped yet but my bush is on the North side plus i dont have a vac system. Everything is still pretty froze up.

[Parker]

gmcooper- I know what you mean about the snow in the trees,,I am logging in a hemlock woods,,every time I cut a tree down there is a miniblizzard,,BIG FUN,,,more snow on the way here too,,,,,my truck is filled with dry clothes to change into thruout the day to try to stay dry,,,should bring the logging shanty to that job and have a woodstove glowing red on site,,,,,,
Theron-what was the temp down there last night and today? How much sap did you get? What are you getting for vac. at you end taps? Are you able to isolate leaks well with those boosters?

[3% Solution]

Good morning all,
Well here we are back in the freezer again!!
That's ok, it'll freeze the trees up good.
I would venture a quess and say when this freeze breaks it's time to start tapping.
We was going to tap February 17, but it doesn't look like that now.
Have to wait and see!!
Stay safe and good luck to all!!

Dave

[PATheron]

Parker- We havent been ignoring you guys but we havent had time to hardly check the trader so youll have to bear with us. Weve had a struggle just getting tapped in and have everything right as far as my tanks, line, vac, etc. Yesterday we were tapped in and the system is CLOSE to tight and we had 24" at the pump. It almost ran yesterday but the day before we didnt have the vac ready and it ran some gravity and there were little sags in the mains and in a couple spots it froze solid there so it never quite got so it could run yesterday. Today its supposed to go to 38 degrees and rain, snow and we have the vac good and the line pretty tight so if we dont have any setbacks we should be able to have a run if the weather provides it. If we havent responded to any posts dont worry about it becouse we havent had time to really check the trader. Matt came down on wednesday and we basically have been working every day untill about 0400 am and getting back up at about 0700. So weve been running on 3 hrs sleep a day for like 4 days. We pretty much tapped the whole bush at night and worked on fixing stuff days. I think if we get the weather now there is going to be some form of the BIGSAP unless something of mine sets me back. We should have 24 on the pump and the lines intact so I THINK we should be good. We dont have the shutoff valves at all the mains and we havent checked the vac at all the spots in the bush and all that becouse weve had a STRUGGLE to just get this far. Well keep you posted but I do think that with the holes we drilled in the trees, the size of the trees and the vac there seems like there has to be BIGSAP coming our direction. Theeeeeron

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Theron,

Ask Matt where the governor is and what he is up to?

[markcasper]

pathern, you are tapping trees at night ?, exclusively?

[Gary R]

Theeeeron, are you guys nuts? I hope I don't get the bug that bad. I like to get my sleep. I guess that's the difference between playing and business. Anyway, I hope things go well. If I get to that side of the state I would like to see how you guys get it done. Good luck!

Gary

[tapper]

Theeeeronnn You da mannnnnn and Matt too lol

[andrew martin]

Theron,

SOunds like you are running on pure adrenaline, just don' t fall asleep when you get the BIGSAP ATTACK. If I tapped at night, I would either end up running my truck into a ditch, fallining 100' feet off a cliff or get attacked by a yearling horse - neither of them sound great, plus, my wife would shoot me.

I think our season is winding down here. One more cold spell this weekend, and I can perhaps get 1-2 more boils. Three days of 60+ degrees killed me here. Making Grade B currently. THis time last year, I did not make Grade B until the last week in February. We had great runs last week, and we will be close to .25 gallons of syrup/tap on buckets, quite the improvement over last year.

Andrew

[802maple]

No they are nuts, there is no other explanation. Good morning boys or is Matt up yet Theron.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Young and full of testosterone.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Andrew,

Don't be too quick to throw in the towel. Your taps haven't been in long enough to dry up yet and the 10 day forecast for you don't show it getting out of the forties but one day and some 25 degree nights. The forecast changes several times a day, so you may have some temps in the teens yet. It's still early for the season to end, even for your location.

[tapper]

Andrew,

Yes and at the price of commercial it pays to make it till the trees just wont give it anymore. No matter what it tastes and smells like.

[andrew martin]

Taps are still in, I will probably go another week, or so.

Do you guys ever get together for a MapleTrader party or get-together? I know a good portion of you seem to know each other or at least have met before. I would like to meet some of the traders some time, but between my work and my wife's grad school work, not to mention two little boys with #3 due in June, time is limited. Just curious.

Andrew

[PATheron]

Udate on the bigsap- Last night Matt showed me the royal boil. We worked on the shed plumbing, tanks, etc. We ended up with around 350 gallons of sap the other day with gravity on a few taps so last night we did our first boil. Worked on getting ready to run evap, had to plumb feed tank and finish plumbing evap and cleaning stuff etc. Once all that done we fired up and boiled. Started around 11 pm and finished this morning at 0630. Ended up sweetening the pans and not quite drew off. Sap was 2.3%. Local boy from the trader came over and wanted to check out what we were doing so we put him right to work. Real nice guy and big help. I think I can handle running the evap now and was really impressed with the performance. Very nice even hard boil that was not difficult to maintain even with larger wood. So now we have bush tapped,Roughy 1200, Vac, operable evap and two sap tanks and a concentrate tank. Now just have to plumb in other two sap tanks and minor plumbing on perm tank. Sugarmaster is going to train me on the ro and I have to figure out the press. Really enjoyed boiling the LAST green sap I intend to ever boil. Gonna keep finetuning while im waiting for the big sap. Never could have accomplished all this without Matts help last few days. Most selfless person Ive ever met. Theeeeron

[Lwood]

Taps are still in, I will probably go another week, or so.

Do you guys ever get together for a MapleTrader party or get-together? I know a good portion of you seem to know each other or at least have met before. I would like to meet some of the traders some time, but between my work and my wife's grad school work, not to mention two little boys with #3 due in June, time is limited. Just curious.

Andrew

Andrew,

I get down your way a couple of times a year. Usually in Louisville. Your what, about 1 1/2 hours from Louisville? Next time I get down your way I'd be glad to catch up with you and see your set up.

Larry

[PATheron]

Just talked to Matt at the airport and hes stuck there becouse of the bad weather. I almost felt sorry for him being a little tired with only 1.5 hrs sleep last night. I told him I was sorry for his condition and He said that If I wanted to ever be a real sugarmaker Id have to Waaaaant it. Guy is very mouthy but hard core for sure. Theeeron

[tapper]

LOL Thats GREATTT gotta love it!!!!

[802maple]

Theron- his bark is bigger then his bite. He is a tough guy to keep up with that is for sure. He probably didn't know what to do with that mountain air with all that sea salt in his viens. Sounds like you are on your way.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

another day locked out of the bush 30 mph winds temp +3 and falling. hopefully monday or tuesday

RICH

[firetech]

Wow Rich lets talk about global warming. I got the roof on the sugarshack yesterday and will move the sand in next weekend place the cement slabs and have the floor completed. Then I can set the evaperator ,level and start rebricking it. Yaaa!!!!!!!!! It was a good day to go to the antique tractor club meeting and a 4-H meeting tonite. Keep warm looks like at least 2 more weeks to tapping.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

YES FIRE TECH
thats what i figure around feb 24

RICH

[Sugarmaker]

Gotta Love the 'global warming' on a day like this up here near the lake:)
Gary R, his cousin and I froze our bejibbers off in the sugarhouse today. I thought I was going to have to fill the rig with water and fire it up just to take the chill off!

Tapping next Sat and Sunday unless the weather man is wrong.

BTW all the tubing is staying up this year. Even some trees falling on the lines have not pulled any connections apart. The tensioning system worked great on the tubing.


Chris

[tuckermtn]

Chris- I looked at the loop/tensioning system in the photos...looks slick..are you planning on capping the end that is hooked onto the "loop"? Like the ability to take down each year, as we have a few tote set-ups that have come down each year...

thanks for getting me thinking..

[Sugarmaker]

Tuckermtn,
The end with the hook is a dead end line coming from a green CDL one way tee. So that line with the hook will not have sap in it. The CDL hook is heavy duty. It is meant to take a drop into it, but I am not using it that way. Seems to be working so far. I did some quick adjusting in 3 sets yesterday and snugged the lines to remove potential sags in about 10 seconds.

I have also developed a tensioning system so the line from the last tree to the gathering container ( 39 gallon) stays tight.

Couple more years and I should have this tubing stuff figured out.

Chris

[andyp]

Chris
What is the longest span that you have between trees with this system?

Andyp

[Sugarmaker]

AndyP,
My guess is 40 feet max. I have never put a tape to it. I did have one spot that was 75 feet last year and I could not get the tubing tight with out a sag. I just did not have enough drop in that distance. So I just passed the 75 distance tree by this year.
Chris

[andrew martin]

Larry,

Absolutely - feel free to stop when you are in the area. we are located about 20 minutes south of Lexington. You can call me at the house at 859-858-8975. Where is Hebron, NY?

Andrew

[royalmaple]

Back to the motherland. And its certainly cold. I guess either the guy upstairs didn't want me to leave PA or didn't want me to go in the first place.

Boy oh boy, delay after delay. I also think sunday is pilot training day. Had some very interesting take off's and landings. I guess the wind didn't help much but one time I was on the window seat and the wing, and I could have swore we were about 1/2" from hitting the wing on the runway then slam on the right side tires, then corrected it and pounded the left side then did a nose dive on the front. I could have sworn we did a bunny hop. I wish I had some captain on me. Could have taken the edge off.

Then I took a cab to my van that had to be towed since my wife's office needed to get plowed out from the storm and I was in the way. On the way I learned all I needed to and about 300x more about Allah. Unreal. Not the right mindset to be taking in all this info on 1.5 hours of sleep. So I learned that since I am not muslim I am S.O.L when it comes to the afterlife. So I guess I'll just keep on making syrup till then and have to enjoy this life as much as possible. Maybe I'll convert.

Brandon, not sure about kevin. I talked to him a week or so ago. He was getting ready for sugaring. But I got the feel he's pretty much over it. Maybe he just needs to splash some syrup on the arch doors and get the smell going.

Theron has really an amazing set up really nice trees great slope and probably the nicest sugarhouse on record. And for a first time set up on tubing, he's got it covered. I think he took it too much to heart when I gave him some pointers on sags etc. He's got too many man hours making that 99.9% I was just trying to get him that extra .01%. And across the road is something that people just get to dream about. Absolutely amazing. I have never seen anything like it. Go and get permission all signed and a lease worked out buddy. Those are serious trees.

We were trying too hard to get sap to run, the days I was there it was just too cloudy and just not right. I wish he would have let me stay up the first night and get the pump working, we would have had big sap for sure.

We definately punished the checklist of to-do's. Glad we got the bush tapped in, vacuum, tanks and evap all set up and running. That does boil nice. I could tell theron was a little apprehensive when I said that's an ok, boil but we can get it going much harder. Then I got the deer in the head lights look. He got the hang of it not too much after that.

I will say that is the first time I have run one of the new CDL RO's and it is top notch. I like the way they have everything set up, valves and wash tank. Very nice design. It is pretty much bullet proof. The instructions on the face are flawless. I think they could have spent a bit more time on instructions for first time set up. I think someone with no clue could get a little turned around but all in all it is great.

It was nice to have it to pump sap into the feed tank. We didn't have enough sap to run the RO and boil, so I just hooked it up and ran it like a very expensive sap pump to get sap into the feed tank. And maybe that would be par for the course at therons. He may want to buy another RO for actual RO'ing and keep this one as a feed pump. We figured he's closing in on 100 bucks/ tap. Not a bad average. Kidding.....

Great trip, you have a fantasic set up, super nice family and you can be very proud of what you did. You are on the right track for sure. You didn't need me but I'm sure the extra set of hands helped. You do need my push though, the get it done pretty it up later approach to sugaring.

Took a ride over to meet the king himself. Sugarmaster Richard and his left hand man Todd. Nice to shoot the bull with those guys. He's hardcore for sure. I bet if he wanted to be right there with us working all night, I could tell he's got sugar in his veins.

Glad I could come down and do all I could to sabotage his operation. Wait till he finds the 1 1/4 mainline I cut in 1/2 just before the releaser. That will be a handy leak to find during the big run.

I'd do it again tomorrow if I had the time. Ok, now it's time to go working by myself and see what I can get done. Probably not going to move any mountains today. Just get into the swing of things.

[Dave Y]

Matt, Glad you made it home ok and you are not wearing a turban That would look funny with no beard. Next time you get a hankering for some warmer climate., I will be putting on another 1500 taps next year and could use a hand from some one that knows what he is doing.

[Lwood]

Andrew,

I'll do that. Not sure when I'm headed that way next. Hebron is roughly 1 1/2 hours north of Albany. About half way between New York City and Montreal Right on the Vermont border. Off the beaten Path. Need a good map to find it. That's a good thing in my opinion.

Larry

[royalmaple]

Dave-

Sure thing. I'll let you know. You better start resting up cause if I do come we are talking marathon work days.

[Dave Y]

Matt, You may be younger than me but I have been known to work more than one man in to the ground. so if you come down make sure you bring your Wheaties with you and the captain to help you carry them. :)

[TapME]

Matt, nice lob helping out a fellow sugarer . Look forward to talking to you in the future. Lou

[Yorkholomaple]

Theron and Matt,thats was something else the other night. I dont know how you guys did it for so many days. i was there only one night and i was exhausted the next two days. i wish i would of stopped over sooner because i would have loved to help out and talk some more about maple syrup. Hey Theron i was also wondering if i could take up that offer on useing some of those tubing tools to finish up some lines. If so let me know a good time to stop over. Thanks Tom

[PATheron]

Tom- We were real happy to have your help and you can come over and borrow tools anytime. Just stop over anytime you want. I should be working in the woods all weekend and just let me know what you need. Some of them Ill need this weekend but well figure something out. Theron

[Dave Y]

Theron,
You are working in the woods all weekend? I thought Matt got you ready 100%.
Are you putting more taps? I know, you are hitting the woods across the road from the house, aren't you?

[PATheron]

Dave- Im actually still working at the sugarhouse but im about done there I think. Just some more cleaning and plumbing. I think im going to tap some cull trees up in my young stand I know im going to cut out. Nothing special but if it doesnt really run for another week now maybe I can put some more taps in. Im not going across the road. Thats a real big project. I really need to make sure that at the sugarhouse im 100% but I think ill have that done. Theeron

[Dave Y]

As I saw posted here some where the only way to be 100% ready is to tap, then you have to be ready

[sweetwoodmaple]

I think we all could put in an extra hundred or so if we didn't spend so much time typing on the Trader.

But...what fun is that?

[Dave Y]

Brian,
I did put in an extra couple of hundred. And still found time to waste on the trader. But you are right about the fun. If I put in all the taps I could I would have to quit working. Then I would be poor. Wait ! I am a poor and I think sugaring might have something to do with it.

[Maplewalnut]

Figured out my trees for this year and it looks like I'll be over 200 taps. What's the problem you say....look at my signature for the size of my rig.

I'm taking a play out of Theron's BIG SAP playbook, good thing I get an extra week vacation this year. What the heck you only live once and I just can't stop......is there a maple trader hotline for addiction?

[tuckermtn]

My wife suggested I start a chapter of Maplehaulics anonymous...

"Hello, I'm Eric and I only made 102 gallons last year...."

flying home (thanks to the frequent flier miles) in a couple of weeks to get my fix...

[PATheron]

Maplewalnut- We'd of been the kind of guys that went for it in the gold rush. Its the anicipation of the big run that revs you up. I see a valley full of maple and all I can think is man that would be fun to tap the whole thing. See how big a stream you get. Theron

[Sugarmaker]

My wife Cheryl has summarized this maple issue pretty well for me several times!

She tells me in a, don't tap any more trees tone of voice-

"YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!"

She may be correct. If its not the trader and working on maple stuff then its the trader? Hum maybe I do have a problem? Whats that hot line number? Are there good folks standing by to help us 24-7 during the sugaring season?

Alone in Albion

[tapper]

We are here for you brother.

[H. Walker]

For all you "mapleholic's a tidbit of information. My Quebec equipment supplier told me yesterday that their syrup stash is at 0, zip, nothing. He told me that client of his makes 80% of his product into sugar, candy and butter and he can't find light syrup anywhere. He said to get as many taps in as possable and make as much as possable.

Now isn't that like giving a alcoholic a bottle of wine!!!

Maybe there might be a "PROFIT" this year????? No, I'll just spend it on more equipment.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Better hope it is a banner year or the prices are going to go thru the roof and kill the market and we will be back to trying to give it away again.

[Mark-NH]

Brandon,

That is a sugar maker's outlook if I've ever heard one. "Prices will be so high that the market will go to crap." We are like economists; it is always doom and gloom on the horizon.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Not trying to be a pesimistic, but the economy is not real stable now and maple is not a neccessity. Higher prices are going to kill demand if they get too high. The one thing that will help is that maple is an organic product and we need to push that end of it as people are getting more organic conscience.

[Sugarmaker]

Jon,
Thanks I may need some help!

I finished fabricating my draw off station frame to hold a sst container and ball valve combo. I need to paint it.

Does anyone draw off into a container with a ball valve? Then empty that into a bucket, then dump syrup into filters in another tank? Wasn't sure if the syrup might cool to much to filter well? I can always go back to the cone filter directly under the draw off too. Or draw directly into a bucket/s then move syrup to the filter tank.

Doesn't look like and sap flow for another week?

Chris

[royalmaple]

We won't hear from theron anytime soon on here. He got over 2000 gallons of sap today.

Big boiling session tonight.

[Sugarmaker]

Matt,
Thought it was a lot quieter here tonight. :) I just knew something was up. Did he have it shipped in?
We do not have any syrup weather at this time.

Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Or did someone hook up one of his mainlines to a stream??

[gmcooper]

Sure sounds like something is up! Rumur around here last year was Matt was still making syrup while the rest of us were mowing our lawns! Then we heard DEP was concerned that the Saco river was running way to low below the town of Buxton, ME but levels were normal upstream. Last week wasn't Matt at Therons getting him ready for BIGSAP! I'd be checking those sap filters for signs of brook trout! LOL
Mark

[PATheron]

Matts messing with you guys. Ive just been working a lot getting ready. No end it seems. Id like to get some more taps in but ive got to get everything shipshape. Im hoping for the big sap monday. 39 sunday 30 at night and 43 monday. Hopefully BIGSAP. Hopefully have the sugarhouse shipshape and I can start boring more holes. Theeeron

[royalmaple]

Mark-

Last year was the truth, no one believed it but anyone was welcome to come over and see. I think we'll all be boiling pretty long this year. Well into april I bet. If I could RO the saco river and get some sugar out of it I'd do it.


Theron does have a nice little brook right behind the sugarhouse. And I just felt pretty bad that he didn't need a single sap ladder to get that hill of maples to the sugarhouse. Or this "shed" he keeps talking about.

Theron, might want to test the sugar % in those tanks before you boil it just in case.

[maplekid]

well i added about 40 more taps and am fully tapped so far i made 2 gallon, thats one gallon less than last year. im feeling good about sunday its going to be 45

[royalmaple]

I just got an interesting picture from my parents. It is safe to say they have some snow up there.

[Jim Brown]

royalmaple; I take it that would normally be a flat empty front yard?

[802maple]

Old Royal boiled as late as anybody I heard of last year. The frogs were even trying to get him to stop as they were afraid to go thru the woods thinking they might get sucked up by his vacuum, so they headed to the sugarhouse to tell him to stop as you can see on one of his videos.

[royalmaple]

Jerry's my witness you were there towards the end. Might as well have been water we were boiling. Miserable stuff, but we made some syrup. Not going to happen like that this year.

Jim-

Yup, that is flat in front of their house. And that's not been plowed up to get more emphasis on the snow, that's the level. The garage is lower as you can see. And in the back of the house you can just walk right on the garage roof, without skipping a beat.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Where are your parents located??

[royalmaple]

They live in Jay, ME.

[peacemaker]

royal nice looking choclate

[3% Solution]

Hi all,
The evaporation enhancement unit is together, just have a few more things to do, like check for leaks, attach the float box, seal off one end, buy a blower, and set it up!
Monday should finish it up!!!!
Then to make a filter/canner!!!!
This sure has been fun!!!!
I'll keep you guys posted!

Dave

[gmcooper]

Matt, I really do believe you were making syrup that late last year. The first year I put the vacuum system in I quit boiling about the 17 April. I had run out of wood and long run out of desire to boil anymore when daytime high was nearing 65 degrees. Sap ran a couple days after I stopped. The sugar content had fallen to 1.5 the last day. That year one of the days around April 5-6 by 9:30 am Uncle shut off the vacuum pump as the tank was running over. Sad part was he didn't tell me till 1pm. Trees had been tapped that year about Feb 25.

[royalmaple]

Mark-

I would have paid for 1.5% in the end, it was like 1.1 - 1.2 for me. Yeah, that's pretty hardcore. But I told myself I wait all darn year for the sap to run and I don't care what happens, I'm gathering till the trees just stop. Boiling every single drop, not dumping a pint through the season, and I stuck to it and did it. I'm a diehard. Now with an RO, GAME ON. I'll boil till june. Might take till June to get rid of this snow.

I ran out of wood last year and had to get 3 or 4 of my brother's dump truck full of pallet boards to finish up. I'd cut wood all day and gather, then boil all night. Keep hammering on.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Jay Maine, Now that is in the middle of nowhere!! My brother in law left from here in VT ton. with a load of logs for jay...

If anyone is interested I am putting photo's on photobucket as we speak...

[andrew martin]

I thought I was the only one who ever ran out of wood, glad to know I am not. Definitely will not run out this year. THis week was cold, icy, snowy and finally warmer. Going to collect tomorrow - should have about 300+ gallons to boil down and make Grade B with. Taps are still in (since Jan. 12th) and looks like we will have some cooler weather next week as well. Had a real good season until we had three days in a row of 60+ degree days. I boiled down some funky looking sap, but it tasted all right in the end, just a little dark though. I will boil tomorrow night and possibly Sunday, then just wai for next week.

Andrew

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Drain the rig filter the syrup pan contents and pray for good weather... I have done this when I was making b and came back to med.. cleaning does help at times..

[gmcooper]

Hey Andrew, Do you still have help coming this week? I hope Tim makes it as it certainly would be good experience for him. Might just give him the push to get his own rig going a little more serious this year. I told him last year where there were a few easy to get to trees that should run well and were close by but I don't think he ever checked on them.

By the way nice photos!
Mark

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I hope he is coming!! man I am behind the 8 ball lol I also hope he gets more involved, I really think this is what he needs.... I know his sister has a bunch of trees on her land also and I offered to help him set up a pipeline there with some used stuff I have but I don't think he has caught the bug yet.. Do you boil on a raised flue or drop flue?? He needs some help with his 2x6 raised and I think he got discouraged last year with it. I really wish I could help but there are just too many miles between us...


Andy

[gmcooper]

Andy,
I have a drop flue but it is only 5 minutes over there. I wouldn't mind helping him at all. I offered last year but I really don't think he did much at all. I owe Ralph a favor for fixing my sons snowmobile. I'll check with them after break is over and see what they are up to.
Mark

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

thanks Mark I would really appreciate that..


Andy

[andrew martin]

I cleaned my syrup pan once this year, but not because I wanted to. Let's just say I was way beyond syrup - tar to be exact - and I was gone for 30 minutes. A lot of crusty syrup, but no scorch marks on the pan. It cleaned up in about 45 minutes. It's amazing what a 60 grit flapper wheel on a 4" grinder can do. It was great, and I was back to boiling that evening. Lost about 8 gallons of syrup --> $350.00, about a day's work. Rule#1 in syrup making: Nver leave your syrup for more than 5 minutes, 10 minutes max even if it is in plain view. Live and learn I guess.

Andrew

[Dave Y]

Andrew,
Rule # 1 In sugaring is NEVER LEAVE the EVAPORATOR while YOU are BOILING PERIOD!!!!!!!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Better never leave it more than 60 seconds, 5 minutes will burn up a pan and better not even leave it 60 seconds if you are close to a draw.

[royalmaple]

Valley view-

International paper is in Jay, and the biggest log buyer around is Irving, and there plant for softwood logs is in Dixfield, just a couple of towns over.

Nice pictures, it's great that more and more people are putting up pictures of there operations.

[Sugardaddy]

Temps look good for Northern NJ this coming week. I have about 50 taps in, with anohter 50 to go in mid-week. Here we goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! :)

[andrew martin]

I must say every year I learn something new - never leave the evaporator AND order 50% more packaging conatiners than you you think you may need, just in case it's a good year. Gathered ~375 gallons today, and did not get them all (I can't wait to go to tubing!!). Still holding about 2.3% sugar into our fifth week of sugaring. It has been a good year, and will use up all our conatiners by the end of the night and will finish up around 70 gallons of syrup. Next year I will order 100 gallons worth of containers.

I mostly drained my syrup pan today, and we are back to making Grade A Dark syrup. THanks for the tip. Taps are still running hard even after those 60 degree days. Next year will be a great year, I am already thinking about how much wood I will need - got plenty this year - and a 600 gallon storage tank and a blower for the evap.

Beatiful night tonight for aboil, no wind and clear skies under a partial moon.

Andrew

[gmcooper]

Andrew,
For next year you should look into putting up some of your syrup in 5 gallon cans to hold till you need more to bottle up. Just a thought.
Mark

[andrew martin]

GMCOOPer,

I bought 5 gallon containers this year, getting ready to use them. I might get two more for next year. Boil is going well, will wrap up here in about an hour.

AKM

[super sappy]

I had to go get another bulk tank this one also a 400 sunset. Thursday night before dark I go up to the barn to scope out everything and make my final plan of attack.Saturday around noon I get up there and there is a path beaten down from Rt 40 to the barn . This barn is all overgrown and at least 500 yards off the road. JUNKIES attacked The tank is still there but stripped everything that was soft metal was chopped with an ax or something. There were 4 universal stainless milker pails with lids......... The list goes on and on. It just never seems to end around here. I got the tank out of the concrete and rolled up on its edge.I hope that I can get some help on sunday to move it the rest of the way out. The only saving grace is that there was a blood trail where one of the thiefs cut themselves and dribbled spots of blood back to the road. But aside from the stuff taken I guess the worst part of the story is that some of the foot prints in the snow looked like they belonged to a little kid they were about 6"long and real close together. I will rest easy knowing that some scum bag is raising there kids up exposing them to that kind of BS. I think it is time for me to fill my property with Mc.Mansions sell them and move up to northern Vermont where maples are plenty........Good night -ss

[jdj]

super sappy,
Sounds like you had a bad day. It is sad that there are such disrespectful people out there. A couple years ago I had my tractor at the sugarbush, went to gather sap and some low life had siphoned all the fuel out of my tractor. As if it isn't hard enough to make a buck in the syrup business!!!

[tuckermtn]

supper sappy- I got just the place for you...got this listing in my email the other day...if you could get $500,000 for your place, you could get this one and put up a nice sugaring operation with the leftovers...

http://www.fountainsrealestate.com/propertyDesc.aspx?Id=148

anyone on here know this property? looks pretty nice from the few photos...

-tuckermtn

[PATheron]

update on Theerons BIGSAP- I just came in the house. Have 1220 taps on 26" plus 60 cull trees on it. The cull trees are small ones im going to cut out. So I have 1280 by canadian specs. The pump is running smoothly at 26". The lines are just starting to thaw out. The mainlines were froze solid becouse I didnt have the pump running yet when I first tapped. Its supposed to be 40 degrees untill tomarrow night right through the night. Im hoping when the lines thaw tonight all hell breaks loose. Keep you posted. Theeeron

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

I am with DAVEY on this 1. couple years ago i was going to keep the boil going when i quit for the night. next morning i had about 1/2 inch of what looked like caramel in the syrup pan. 2 hours to clean it. from then on if i wasnt in the building the fire was put out

RICH

[Sugarmaker]

SS,
Man to bad about the tank getting whacked.:( Man I would be fumin mad too.
I have a lot of SST setting at my place! As most of us do.
Hope you can get a replacement tank to get you going. Maybe plastic will be the way we will have to go?

Regards,
Chris

[andrew martin]

Made 11.5 gallons this weekend. I love GRade B syrup, it tastes great, especially with ice cream. Have made almost 70 gallons for the year so far.

AKM

[danno]

SS - that just plain s_cks!

Theron - 26"? You better watch yourself, if the saps not runnin' your liable to suck those culls right into your main line, roots and all:)

[PATheron]

Guys- I failed you guys and I failed myself. Im only holding 20" on the bush. Bright side is the releaser is dumping every 1 min 20 sec. Is that good? Theeeron

[Parker]

Easy TTTTHHHEEtremendouslybigsapRROONNN-not a failure,,,,you way ahead of the curve here,,,,just go out and find the leaks and fix them,,,you will get it!!! Then back up to high Vac.,,,,,when its really running your releaser will dump every 30 sec.,,,,,how much sap is in the tank?

[royalmaple]

He's not far away from 1300 gallons, at least that is what he told me at 7am. Trees didn't kick in until probably after midnight sometime. I talked to him around 10pm and just getting a dribble in the dry lines. I know those boosters were frozen solid, and beyond that there were spots that were frozen solid. We fixed a few minor sags which were frozen solid. So hopefully now keeping that pump on will reduce the freezing. Kinda hard to get vacuum and sap to go through solid pipe ice jams.

I think he's starting to buy into this "northern" tubing setup.

He called me and I told him get out there and start finding leaks. Now's when they are going to add up big time. Find a leak now and you'll get that vacuum up.

He is sticking by his national holiday, Monday Feb 18th, will be BIG SAP Monday from here on out.

He's gonna be busy today/tonight. But I'm sure he'll be on later to give updates. Or he will trust me enough to pass along the lies. NO we will stick with the truth, not even slightly modified.

[Yorkholomaple]

Matt, does he really have that much sap! I was there around seven last night, it was starting to unfreeze but i thought there was still alot of ice in the lines and i didnt think it would unfreeze that much.

[royalmaple]

Tom-

She's broke free now. He called me around 10 to give me an update. Todd(sugarmaster's left hand man) was there setting putting in the membrane for theron and gonna give him a step by step on running it. Hat's off to Richard, that is some customer service for sure!!

He had (his best guess) 1700 gallons of sap at 10, said the sun was peaking out and releaser was dumping every minute. He walked around and found some leaks and taps that we never put in, once he did some of that he went back and got to the pump and it was at 25". So he's in good shape. Said the sap was right at 2% from what he tested.

He's gonna give me a call later on when everyone clears out and things settle down.

[super sappy]

I went back to get what remained of my 400 gallon sunset tank yesterday.These are hard to move by yourself. Well I figured that the thief wouldnt be back so I left it until I could get help. And I put a trip wire on the path that they were useing.( I am a bastard that way).I was wrong - I go up today with my wife to drive the tractor and sure enough they were back. They swiped the motor off the vacuum pump but left the pump and stole the agitator paddle,smashed the windows on the old cars inside etc there were some boards full of nails thrown around just inside the milk house( i dont know how they got there ready to be stepped on) But the good news is That the tank cleaned up real nice and is sitting in my driveway, Maplecrest you have a Delaval 75 minus 1 motor sitting in my bucket whenever you are ready, and oh yea that trip wire, well I put it right on the path next to a colvert that was overflowing thru the barnyard and judging by the marks in what was left in the snow someone got a wet ***. -SS

[super sappy]

Last night the great horned owl came back and landed on our sugarhouse right at dark.We hadnt seen him since last year at this time. I think this is a good omen for us if you believe in that sort of thing. I am a little rusty on my horned owl but I think he said" hoot hoot BIG SAP hoot hoot." -ss

[royalmaple]

SS-

That's pretty $hitty. I'd run a length of electric fence wire and charge it and connect it to something shiney and I'd leave it out in the open. Just asking them to come back. Give them a good jolt when the hook onto it.

Boy if you had a deer trail camera I'd se that up too and get a shot of who's doing in.

You can get a stealth camera at wal mart, just takes 35mm film for not much money. I'd get one and set it up and bait the bastards in. Then go on a non traditional hunting trip.

[Dennis H.]

just make sure the camera doesn't use a flash or the camera might be missing also.
Sorry to hear that the low-lifes struck again.

[Jim Brown]

If you were a mind to a fella may just want to load up the 12gauge with rocks salt and a thermos of coffee and take up residents there for a night. I can still remember the sting of the salt when I upset the last corn stalk at the end of the field, the tractor lights came on and the 12 barked And that was 40 years ago LOL

Jim

[jemsklein]

well i think the electric wire id the best with thr rock salt what if you shot them in the chest and have a weak hart your the one in trouble for shoting them but with the wire its there falt for going there but the best way is to have the wire at knee level and that would really get them out of there also charge the door to the building were they put the bords with nails and take those bords with nails and barrey them under the snow on there walking paths

[MyDeereMaple]

supper sappy,

Sorry to hear about the tank incident. That really stinks. I also read your post about the owl. I hope your right about the good omen. A few weeks ago Zach & I were working on my new property and looked up and seen a huge Bard owl perched on a maple branch watching us. I don't know how long it was there, but we never seen it fly in. I hiked back to my truck and grabbed my camera. when I got back to within about twenty feet of the tree it flew off.


Update: Tapped Saturday, test boiled the new evaporator yesterday. All went well. Sap ran good today. Oh yeah, one of the best runners and one of the fullest buckets was at the tree where the owl was. Good Omen. I say yes.

[PATheron]

BIGSAP update- Just finished up and came in the house. Had a pretty spectacular day. No sap when I went to bed last night at about 10 pm. It was still thawing out. Woke up at 430 and went out to check it quick in my shorts and the releaser was dumping regular. Looked in the tanks and there was maybe 6 700 gallons. Looked at my lines going into the house and one of the fittings was ready to blow out and loose my sap. Called my dad and told him to come over so if I was standing there holding it I wouldnt be stranded. Fixed it and the sap really started flowing. Dad and I worked all day to make things operational. I walked the lines once and felt they were pretty good. By 11 am all 4 bulktanks were 8" from the tops. Sugarmasters man came right over and hooked up the ro. Richard and his guys are terrific. The support theyve given me has been second to none. I consider them more like family than an equipment dealer. He got the ro going and it was concentrating at 9%. Thats what it came to so I told him good enough. Started boiling in the afternoon. Took it easy to get some confidence and found it very easy to take the syrup off. My neighbor, also a sugar maker came over and helped me put the ro through the wash and rinse and showed me how to filter press. Had a little accident and used some light weight plastic line by mistake instead of the heavy line that came with it. It looked the same but it was flimsy and on the second 12 gallons blew out and Sprayed Roger and I with hot syrup. Might have lost a gallon I dont know but no one hurt so thats the main thing. Also Tom from the trader came by and his friend so I had lots of support. Everyone left about nine and I boiled till it was done. Talked a lot with Matt and he helped me a lot on the phone. Any way near as I can tell made 49 or 50 gallons of syrup I think. Its in a bunch of containers becouse I couldnt press after I was alone so Ill do it tomarrow. My nighbor Jim asked me what the grade was. I told him I didnt know becouse I dont have a grading kit. Told him if it tasted good and was at density I was happy. He said he thought it was close to fancy so sounds good to me. It did taste good. When I got that syrup all over me it turned to candy. My whole pants are maple candy. Think ill eat them for breakfast. Thats the rundown on bigsap monday. From here henceforth Im calling every feb 18th BIGSAP monday. Today was the first time ive ever really ran a real evaperator by myself. I think 50 gallons was a pretty **** good first day. Theeron

[Russell Lampron]

Good work TheROn,

Sounds like you had a good day and didn't make any critical mistakes. It must feel good now to know that you can run all of the equipment that you have got. With all of the stuff you've bought you don't have a grading kit? At least they are not to expensive. Have fun with the BIGSAP.

Russ

[PATheron]

Russ- I was supposed to get it but it didnt come in yet. Was kind of the least of my concerns with all the big stuff I had to figure out. I figure whatever syrup I make I can figure it out later. Im sellin it to Richard probly hell let me know what it is. Hes as honest as they come. Theron

[gmcooper]

Theron, 50 gallons on your first day boiling not bad! Glad to hear things went well. Sugarmaster and his crew sound like a good bunch of guys. Too bad more dealers weren't like them.
As for BIGSAP Monday as a Holiday I say go for it! Of course it would be a PA thing as here in Maine Matt, myself and the rest of us are getting ready to celebrate "BIGSAP MARCH" that one will be a month long holiday! LOL
Mark

[royalmaple]

THeron-

You did great, you made a couple of years worth of syrup in hours. That is a feat.

Now keep it up. Keep the blunders to a minimum if you can and keep filling drums. You are a producer now. Hobby stuff is to the wayside.

So when are you going back to boiling raw sap?

[Brent]

Congratulations, you stick handled through a lot of possible snags. Pretty impressive.

Thanks for mentioning the filter press line blow up. Hot syrup at maybe 40 PSI ... I better re-think the hoses I'm going to need to get mine going

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

THEERON

congratulations sounds like a good day for you. its always good when new things work well for you with few problems. [ GETS ME EXCITED ALMOST AS MUCH AS YOU]

RICH

[New Hope Mapleman]

How much sap did you get? Must have been quite a bit. To make 50 gallons and sweeten the pans takes some!

We only made about 45 last night. Don't have but half things tapped! Of course we're north and up on the hill, so maybe we just didn't quite get the run you did. I can't complain though because hey its only February 19th. I know I checked Sun night at 10 pm and ours was just drippin in the releaser. Vacuum was down in the morning so I went for a walk. When I can out of the woods after 2 hours dad told me I did something because we're back to 25". That's what I was aiming for!

Glad you had so much fun!

[maplecrest]

hey big sap on the 18th where would you have been with out that R/O? how many days do you think it would have taken to boil that 2400 gallons[ if you got 2 gallons per tap] with out the r/o? now you need the finish pan i have to reheat and press all that syrup. you now have graduated to a big draw off and aid mixing tank 12 to 15 gallon size so you can get it all pressed as you boil. congrates an your first boiling and your syrup baptism. was any one there with the camara? to record the history making day? it is all down hill from here. my first day with the r/o i was filling everything thing in site with syrup, every pail in the house and every sap bucket i could find. the next day i ran to bascoms traded an old vac pump for a 15 gallon draw off tank. good to see your having fun!!!

[mapleman3]

Yawn.... Hello everyone, I guess I forgot to set my alarm and overslept from winter LOL :) So the season starts !!! been so busy haven't been on the trader in eons... but.... I'm baaaack LOL Lets do this thing and make some SYRUP !!!!

Should be close to ready after this weekend, also in the process of building a cream machine...just figuring out my pulley sizes and such


Good Luck to Everyone!!

[TapME]

Great work Theron and supporting cast, Its great to know that sugar makers stick together lol. I can't wait for BIG SAP MARCH gmcooper.

Maybe Feb 18 should be Theron's day here on the trader?

[NH Maplemaker]

Mapleman3, Good to see you back!!

[Maplewalnut]

Take a deep breath Theron, looks like weather is going to be cold for another week or so.

Got all 190 taps in on Friday and was greeted with 275 gallons of sap by yesterday afternoon! Looks like a good starter run to work the kinks out, let the games begin.

[Russell Lampron]

Congratulations TheROn on your successful first BIGSAP boil. You made more in one boil than I do in 1/2 a season.

BIGSAP MARCH would work in NH too. Hopefully we get a good start like TheROn and others have.

Russ

[danno]

The 30x8 found a new home today. Nice meeting you Doug and Greg. Hope you guys made it through the lake effect up north. Looks like it started a little earlier then expected.

Now that the old girl is gone, I guess it's time to show off the new girl. Lots of great ideas, as usual, came off the Trader - including the dog chain tie downs for the stack and one piece hood. Thanks WV, look familiar? And, ofcourse, big thanks to Parker for putting me on the rig.


http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee56/littlejohn170/th_3x10002.jpg (http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee56/littlejohn170/3x10002.jpg)
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee56/littlejohn170/th_3x10003.jpg (http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee56/littlejohn170/3x10003.jpg)
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee56/littlejohn170/th_3x10006.jpg (http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee56/littlejohn170/3x10006.jpg)

[PATheron]

Thanks for the posative feedback you guys. Im not sure exactly how much sap I got. I really kind of think it was over 2400 gallons or at least that. I drew off 50 gallons and flooded the pans with concentrate and basically sweetened them so maybe the numbers jive. I dont really care I just want to make syrup. I took it off the evap at density, actually I was running it off heavy for a while till I got the hang of it. I toned it down though. After everyone left I broke out the rocket fuel. Small seasoned hard maple from a thinning. I was boiling pretty much continuous with foam to the top of the flue pan and the syrup pan boiling way up there. Got greedy on one of the last draws and the fire was down just before the draw and I firgured what the heck and stoked it. The syrup pans in the front boiled over the devider and mixed and I lost my draw for a while. Then when it came talk about a draw. Couldnt find anything in the syrup pan that wasnt syrup. Filled a 5 gal bucked pretty much. Started to get a little scared but figured Im a sugarmaker now Ive got to boil like ive got a pair. If I didnt have an ro and the sap ran like it did yesterday. Id open up the valves and run it down the creek before id boil that much raw sap. I just dont have it in me. Holy cow I think Matt took the end of my mains and plumbed them in the pond but it seemed to be 2% sugar. Syrup tastes good. What do you guys think 50 gals of fancy is worth in the barrell? I think you guys up north better get ready becouse I think you are going to have a good season with the temps and all the snow cover your season is going to be awesome. Theeron

[jemsklein]

well we are about 2 weeks away and im all ready (i think) hopfullt this year is a good year so last year sucked here we had 100 taps and made 40 liters now we got 400 taps hoping to make 400 liters

[PATheron]

Jemsklein- Keep us posted when you get your first big run. Im cuious to see how your evaperator does for you. Hope things work good. You should see some pretty big sap with that many taps. Theeron

[Sugarmaker]

Theron,
Nice job! Sounds like you are in the syrup business!
Jems
We will get the weather soon for some good runs.
Jim,
Glad to see your back and building a cream machine.

Just lounging in the lazy boy here in NWPA! If anyone can help me with this syrup problem let me know!

Jim and Chase thanks for the firing mitts!

Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

If you get $ 2.50 lb, it would be $ 1,400+. Not bad for a days work.

[Parker]

Danno- that is a sweet rig for sure,,,I am looking forward to hearing what kind of evap. rate you get with it,,,,bet it will suprise you,,,kdid you put a blower on it?

[tapper]

Theron,

Or if you retail it all in quarts it is over twice that $1400.00. Better yet turn it all into candy and that would be a realllll good one day return on your investment.

[H. Walker]

If you get $ 2.50 lb, it would be $ 1,400+. Not bad for a days work. A days work?? I think you forgot the 11 months preparation that he had to get a days pay!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Oh, trust me, I know all about the 11 prior months as it is a year around job for me too. I was using PMA(positive mental attitude) to show what kind of reward he got in ONE day for all the work he did.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Danno,

Very nice looking hood and nicer than mine. Sure you will enjoy it and it should work great. Keep us posted on how the new rig does!

[danno]

Danno- that is a sweet rig for sure,,,I am looking forward to hearing what kind of evap. rate you get with it,,,,bet it will suprise you,,,kdid you put a blower on it?

Blower - ofcourse! As well as a preheater.

[Pete33Vt]

Oh, trust me, I know all about the 11 prior months as it is a year around job for me too. I was using PMA(positive mental attitude) to show what kind of reward he got in ONE day for all the work he did.

For me boiling and making syrup is just a vaction from spending money in the
sugar bush. Spend it on boiling sodas, food etc.. etc.. LOL...

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ON 2008 SEASON!!!

[Russell Lampron]

TheROn actually spent 2 years planning and building and buying equipment etc. Hopefully the BIGSAP will run again soon so he can get somemore experience before the season really kicks in.

I agree with Pete about the boiling sodas. Vacation? Boiling is still alot of work but fun work.

Russ

[3% Solution]

Hi Russ,
From what can gather this a kind of business, hobby, past time, whatever it is to each of us that you need to go slow and expand as you go not one big jump.
PATheron did it right he PLANNED his moves and now he's waiting for "BIG SAP", because he earned it.
There is an operation over here (bush, land, sugarhouse, all the equipment) that is for sale.
They got discouraged real quick, they didn't make enough light or medium syrup, mostly dark and B. I think they used the equipment maybe 5 years, if that.
This place right from the get go was state of the art equipment.
I would say "To big, To Quick".
Maybe I'm wrong, just my opinion.
So, when are you going to tap or have you?

Dave

[lpakiz]

Reminds me of a book I read called Yankee Storekeeper. Set in Maine, Vermont, etc.
Guy says if ya want to go into chickens, get a hen and a dozen eggs and learn how to raise em . In a year you'll have 13 chickens. If you buy 13 chickens right off the bat, in a year you won't have ANY!!

[PATheron]

You guys are giving me some nice compliments and I really appreciate it. Im just doing what I love to do most. I think sometimes people will go hogwild like you say and spend a ton and put in this big setup not realizing how much work is involved and what a struggle it is to actually make syrup. I think you have to do it becouse you just love doing it like us or it wont work. If you figured your time up and what you make per hour its probly pitiful but we dont care becouse its not work to us becouse we enjoy doing it. I think it has to be like that or it wont work. I like everything about syruping and I kind of wish I could make a fulltime living at it but its a lot easier to drive to town and get a paycheck, insurance and everything. Maybe someday, everyone is allowed to dream. Theeron

[PATheron]

Guys- Im tapping small cull trees that I am going to cut out anyway so its going to mess up my averages probly but here is my current mumbers. 1220 real taps although theres 40 on a long .5" line that I had so I used it but it does seem to deliver vac. So 1220 real taps. 60 cull tree taps. So 1280. Saturday im going to tap some more good taps and try to run the cull tree taps to put me at a even 1400. Ill let you know how I make out and Ill keep you guys up to date on my taps so you guys dont think im doing better than I really am. What Im doing now is using up a bunch of used tubing I had. Thats why the .5" What the heck the object is to make syrup might as well put everything up I can. Theeeron

[Russell Lampron]

Hi Dave,

I had to expand slowly because of finances. I paid for everything as I bought it so that I wouldn't have to make X amount of dollars in sales to make loan payments. I am comfortable with what I am doing now but when I retire I plan to double or more what I am doing now.

TheROn took the big leap but not so big that it will bankrupt him. He planned it all out knowing that he wanted to make syrup and do it right. Back when I started there wasn't a Maple Trader and I had to deal with myths and miss truths about things like RO and vacuum.

I was the first small producer in my area to get an RO and I have spread the word to other producers about its benefits to a small producer like myself.

Russ

[3% Solution]

Hi all,
Bit cold here this morning, 0, big goose egg!
That'll tight the trees back up!!!
Yeah I started slow and easy too.
After I retired in "99" my grandson asked if we could make some syrup, of course I said "Yes"
Had some SS pans made, barrel arch.
Started in a plastic sugarhouse (frame work was PVC pipe with a tarp pullled over), now look at us we're in a 8' X 16' building. WOW
We kinda look at it as a hobby that supports it's self.
As you guys know, if you figure all your time, the labor board will step in, cause it's no doubt WAAAAAY below the minimum wage!!!
Seriously, it's a GOOD hobby.
As Marge Putnam (from Putman Brothers Maple) told me one day, "I's in your blood and it's been there since you were 17, when you would come down to help Morris".
Morris taught me alot about making syrup!
Stay safe out there, that ice is slippery!!!!

Dave

[Russell Lampron]

When I did my taxes this year after adding up all of the sales and all of the expenses I made $119 last year.

Dave I am planning to tap the fisrt weekend in March. It looks like that is when this cold spell should break.

Russ

[maple flats]

Russell, If you made $119 last year you likely forgot some expenses, that is way too high. Better look again!

[Hop Kiln Road]

Hi Russ!

Haven't even charged my drill yet. So if this business were separated into three components, raw material, production and sales and if you had a choice of finding an orchard producing 4% sap, or doubling your production efficency, or selling syrup for $6lb in bulk, which would you choose?

Bruce

[maplwrks]

I was fortunate enough to lose $2700 last year!!!

[NH Maplemaker]

I think we would do fine if it was not for the price of the oil!!!! I know RO ! Will be looking into that for next season.

JIM L.
_______________

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

-4 THIS MORNING, no warm up in sight. most of us do this as a hobby so anything we get back usually goes for upgrades or more equipment. i own a boat and get no return on it.

RICH

[Riverdale]

Hey Theron, just curious what size cull trees you are tapping. Am planning on doing the same thing while slowly thinning/developing a new bush. How small of a diameter are you putting a tap in? Thanks

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Those cull taps are probably running about as good as the others since you only have 1 tap per tree.

[markcasper]

-24 below this morning.

[Russ]

Mark,

I hear ya... don't even want to think about tapping when it's this cold. Slight warm up for the weekend, so we'll go clean the sugar shack, dig some storage tanks from out of the snow, and walk the lines to take care of deadfalls. Not too concerned about not tapping in February at this point; I haven't seen or heard of any of the southern WI guys starting yet. A little worried about a fast season... or syruping into May, which is turkey hunting season.

Where are you located?

[SeanD]

Started in a plastic sugarhouse (frame work was PVC pipe with a tarp pullled over), now look at us we're in a 8' X 16' building. WOW
Dave

That's a very cool idea. Do you have any pics of the plastic sugar shack? How did you let the steam and stack vent?

Sorry to hijack the thread.

Thanks in advance,
Sean

[markcasper]

Russ,

West of Menomonie, which is west of Eau Claire. I talked to you or your mother last spring on the phone.

I have been just putzing doing indoor items. Walked lines one day last week, but you really hate to go out when its only 5-10 degrees.

I will be checking lines in ernest this weekend. No real tapping weather in the short term here.

[Russell Lampron]

Bruce I would go for that stand of trees with the 4% sap. I already bought the machine to increase my efficiency by 400% and if the bulk prices get up to $6lb. I will sell most of my syrup bulk. The price increase to the customer would be too much for most people if my prices were adjusted to match. I love doing this and don't do it for the money. That $119 would have been $919 if I hadn't had to spend $800 to replace the stack on my evaporator and buy some repair parts for my RO machine.

Russ

[mapleman3]

So I have been working in the SH today and my little wood stove just doesn't put out the heat due to how small the firebox is.. so... I called up my brother in law for the old wood stove that was my " FIRST" evaporator... so ironically it now sits in the sugarhouse as supplemental heat, I will have a picture of it as an evap near it for ha-ha's ;)

http://www.desjardinsmaple.com/__hr_1st_year_maple_rig.jpg

[brookledge]

Began tapping on Saturday and spent alot of time slipping and slidding even with ice traction on my boots.
Keith

[mapleack]

Well, I had a busy weekend. On Saturday afternoon I tapped about 40 more on tubing that was already up, then hung 50 buckets. That should put me at about 600 taps. I still have 200 more on tubing that need repaired/ tapped. I also finished a bucket stand / marcland drawoff stand. Yesterday I repaired some squirrel damage, spent 5 hrs running mainline that should get me 50 more taps and hooked up the drawoff unit. Hopefully we'll get a run today, though it was 18 degrees at the farm this morning, about 8 degrees colder than I would've liked to see!

[Sugarmaker]

Andy,
Your are well into it, but as you said, the weather is just not syrup weather yet!
If there is not much mud you probably wont get much sap. So we wait.

I am going to make some value added maple products while the weather is cold. Maple Mustard (std and HOT), Maple barbecue sauce, maple coated peanuts.
Need to get the shelves stocked for our NWPA Maple Taste and Tour, March 15 and 16.

By the way they (weather folks) did say that Lake Erie is completely froze over! Anyone for hard water fishing while waiting for syrup season to arrive? Go for IT!

Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Here's a nice pan on ebay that would make a good starter pan for someone. It would probably boil off 30 to 40 gph with a good homemade setup. Whatever warping it had wouldn't hurt anything and the sugar would like seal off the leaking fitting.

http://cgi.ebay.com/maple-syrup-evaporator-pan_W0QQitemZ160212440665QQihZ006QQcategoryZ20474Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohost ing

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I have a old king float , box, and valve I would sell reasonable if someone gets this or another pan and needs one..

Andy

[PATheron]

Guys- Almost filled my second barrell last night. Just looked at the forecast and looks like spring is coming to Pa bigtime. I put out more taps and I think ive got the hang of things. Just got to finetune in the sugarhouse. It think there is SERIOUS BIG SAP on the way. Im going to see if I can make that bernard double dump every 30 seconds. Wish me luck. Hope your seasons kick in soon. Theeeeron

[Dave Y]

Theron,
What forecast are you looking at? My 15 day may have 1or 2 sap days 3 at
the most. I have been twidling my thumbs for almost 2 weeks now since I have tapped. I sure hope your forecast is right!

[gmcooper]

If I remember Theron works with of for a power company. Wouldn't put it past Matt and Theron to put electric heat in the sugarbush! All that late night work sounds kind of suspicous to me. That might explain his two drums syrup to everyone elses icicles! LOL
Mark

[PATheron]

Dave and Mark- Im not making things up. If you look at accu for my area its calling as of today for Id say 9 hard run days in the next 15. It just changed today. Also weather channel is saying it too. Its going to warm on sat then I think itll run good sunday. Monday total gulley washer. Tuesday still run. Then cold few days then 40s and 50s. I think its going to be BIGSAP bigtime. Matts weather up there is reflecting the same higher temps. Dave- Your going to have to tell Jack if he wants to buy syrup hes going to have a class A CDL just to haul the stuff out of here. Theeeron

[Dave Y]

Theron, I just Checked your weather and you ain't crazy. I also checked ours and your temps are 3-5 degs warmer than mine. If the forecast holds we should have 8 sap days in the next 15. That is a big change from this AM when the were only 2.

[maple flats]

My forcast also looks like 8-9 days run in next 15. Looks like I will be tapping the rest of mine on Sat. and Sun.. Then look out, here it comes. I put in for Wed afternoons off thru March (except week leading into Easter where I have Thurs-Monday off already) to help keep up with it. Might be just in time. Yaba Daba Do!!!!

[PATheron]

You guys better get ready. Springs here and the sap is going to flow. Im going to bet a pic of it coming into the releaser monday and Ill put it on the photobucket. Dave- know you busted butt this year, hope it runs hard for you. Theeron

[Dave Y]

I hope it does also. If not my ___ is in a ringer. I need to make a minimum of 200 gal this year. sure hope it happens. and soon. I normally am a patient man but i am starting to lose my patience.

[Dennis H.]

Down here in lower PA it looks like come Friday or Sat things will start flowing again.
I collected enough the past two days to fire up the evap to boil everything down to about 2 gals, so another day or two worth of sap and I will have my 1st gal of syrup.

[PATheron]

Dennis- I think down there youve probly had a little better weather which is probly normal. We really havent had much good here yet. Just a couple runs kind of spread out but nothing great. I think the weather is changing this weekend. Sounds like you rig is working real good for you. Theeron

[Sugarmaker]

Just read that post about Ohio banning wood fires. That would put a crimp in the syrup industry.
Cold and blustery here tonight. I broke down and ordered a tank of Propane. With all this talk about giant SAP coming I figured I wouldn't have time to get to the house and keep the fire going:)
Hope things are well in southern syrup land. Maybe this weekend will be the break we are looking for.
Just got a call to ship some syrup out west to a customer so the folks are ready!
Our son Eric just left on his 'new' sled a 1990 Arctic Cat with 1000 miles. He has about a 9 mile ride home and is now enjoying the snow he would normally complain about:)
Off to stir things up in some other posts.
Have to get my photobucket working again. For some reason it was taking folks to the sign in page or something. I must have had the wrong URL? I have too many pictures anyway!
Chris

[gmcooper]

Just checked the forcast here for the next 7-10 days. weather.gov has lower temps than intellicast for the same time frame. Neither are great but at least there is a hint of sap weather in the future! Hope to be tapped by weekend.

[ennismaple]

Funny how much difference a few hundred miles of latitude can make. In eastern Ontario: on Monday we'll get well above freezing with a bunch of rain. That's the only day in the next 2 weeks we're forecasted to get above freezing.

[maple flats]

Doesn't that figure, I just checked the 15 day again and now they only show 4 days possible flow, with the warmest of those a lone 40 degrees. I think my grandmother used to forcast better than they can with all of the computor models they have.
Dave

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

yes the 10 day usually looks good then as it gets closer the temps keep dropping. hard to believe they can keep a job

RICH

[Dennis H.]

Yeah Theron, the forecast is looking good for the up coming week. I figure Sun I will have enough to fire up evap again and it looks like the next 7 days after that will be runners. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

The local weather guy said the other day that Feb so far has been only .1 degrees below normal, we had a few days well above and alot of days only a few degrees below. So it works out that we are almost right on for Feb.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

One thing to remember and I have said this several times before, the weather forecasters are almost always over optomistic this time of year. People want to see and hear happy things, not depressing things.

[markcasper]

Two nights ago they forecasted a low of 24 above that evening, when I got home from work in the morning, it was -4 below. If I was that much off at something at work, I would have been suspended or terminated. LOL

[3% Solution]

Picked up the EEU, sink and filter / canner today.
Hope that EEU works!!!
Going to tap on Sunday, then see what happens.
Looks like a couple of days in the low 40's this week.
Next week should be ok.
Those weather guys use a number of models for predicting the weather and sometimes they have to go with a blend of the different models.
Also, keep in mind these prediction are for a large area and when you look at your weather condition you are looking at site specific.
There are little weather climates all over the place, so it's hard to always be right.
Just what's going on here and my view of the weather guys and their job.
I always use the National Weather Service Forecasts, they seem to be the best.
I also like to look at the discussions, that is interesting reading.

Dave

[maple flats]

And there is a major change in the 15 day again. Now my 15 day shows 8 day good flow. They keep changing big time every few hours. I still would like to find a weather forcaster with a fairly good accuracy record. I am going to tap the rest this weekend if something doesn't come up to stop me. If time permits I will also add about 25-30 more taps in my new bush.

[3% Solution]

Mapleflats,
You're looking to far out and with confidence.
Once a forecaster gets out beyond 4 days, 5 at the most, they are really trying to look into a crystal ball. and they will tell you that
Like I said, go to the National Weather Service.
You may get your wx out of Albany, so, do a search for "National Weather Service, Albany".
Then find your county and watch your wx with them for a while.
Depending on how their home page is set up will depend on where you have to go.
I'll try to find it for you and get back with a link for you.
It must be a bear anyway with the lake effect stuff where you are.
I'll be back!!

Dave

[3% Solution]

Mapleflats,
I'm back with the website for you, it is www.erh.noaa.gov./aly
Like I said, find your county and then click on the map roughly where you are in the county and your wx will come right up!
Try it and see what you think.
Let me know!

Dave

[maple flats]

3%, My point is that I can not have any confidance in the forecast. I have used the Nat Weather service, they are no better. You say they can only go out 4 maybe 5 days, I say they seldom go out 1 day and get it very close. I am not really looking for answers but rather just venting on the ability of the forecasters in general. It is not too uncommon, especially this time of year for them to be over 10 degrees off in either direction even 24 hrs out and close to that at 12 hrs out.

[mfchef54]

3% site you gave is not working.
It has been frustrating getting the weather report and then dealing with what is really happening. I try to think of what people did before they had weather reports that they could get on the 8's. i tapped the 3rd weekend in jan. and glad i did. with the way work was for the moth of feb. I wouldn't have any taps in and I wouldn't have 4 gallons of syrup made.

[3% Solution]

Hi Mfchef54,
Do a search for "National Weather Service, Albany"
Then click on the site that gives that address.
I take it you around the same area as Maple flats.
I guess the weather folks in Gray, Maine (where our wx comes from) are pretty good as the info coming from them are real close to the actual.
Everyone needs to remember that they forecast for a large area and you are looking at site specific weather.
Close info is good, however extremes in info vs. conditions are hard to take.
Now in my experience in fighting brush fire, the weather is the most variable over time and area.
No matter what this is the time to tap those trees, so you don't get caught with nothing tapped and sap running.
Hope this helps.

Dave