Tapping 2024

[canaanmaple]

I see lots of producers have tapped. How's it flowing for everyone? I'm kinda holding out for another freeze up now since the end of the 10day looks a bit warm and the noaa outlook for first half of month is above average temp :( I think long range hints of turning cold again mid feb.

[220 maple]

Todd,
Happen to be watching weather channel the other morning, they made this prediction that
the Nina we started out in which creates a perfect winter here is eroding and the heat is coming just like last year, I hope they are wrong, I’m off to a great start, filled one barrel off of two runs, have another half barrel
stuck in evaporator, should be able to get it out today, boiling for the grandchildren, they are coming in from
Arlington to see their granddad make maple syrup! My sap is 1.7, I buy sap from the guy I lease a bush from, he has 450 plus taps, some of which Future Generations has test situations going, one of the lines is running 2.5 percent sap, **** good for us, but nothing like the trees that you get sap from at White Grass!
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

Tapped today in Hardy county, it was running like crazy ran just enough to flush out my lines and then had some technical difficulties with my mechanical releaser, which lead to too much sap in my main line, then one section between my bush and my releaser sagged....then no sap :( pulling great vacuum but not passed that big slug of sap stuck in there.....hopefully all it takes is a bundle of t posts to fix the situation tomorrow. It's always something!

[220 maple]

Got leased bush completely tapped, releaser dumping every 1 minute 57 seconds, estimated 4 gallons per dump, around 120 gallons and hour! Trees don’t get the opportunity to run the freeze pressure off before it freezes up again! At some point it will thaw out and run three days off these 22 degree freezes!
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

Day after day overnight temperatures in the twenty’s, afternoon temperatures in the 40s, no wind, 26th year making syrup, never seen anything like this! Trees frozen to the point they can’t run the pressure off during the six hour thaw daily, may be I’m wrong but at some point when it doesn’t freeze I want to believe the trees will need to totally relieve the internal pressure, and potentially run for 72 hours? That is a question for my friends at Proctor Maple Research?
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

I don't get above freezing until after 9am and don't run until 10:30...then I get all sorts of ice in my releaser. Starts to run well by 1 then closes up shop around 530. Not much of a day but it does run strong for the few hours it runs. I can safely turn off my vacuum pump by 6pm.

[220 maple]

Two days ago releaser dumping every 1.35, I estimate that at176 gallon a hour, but my
point is the trees never fully get to relieve the freeze pressure, so tonight through Sunday no freezes. I hope that they keep pumping until at least Saturday. Got over 3 full barrels,
If they will run until Sat. which if that happens I will fill barrel number five equal to last seasons production
Mark220maple

[Lilshot]

Trees are putting out like a prom date. Finally. Short runs this week. Thaw out by noon and shut down by 5 pm when the shadows get long. Low 20’s at night. This will be the first night without a freeze for a week or so. Looking forward to blowing off some steam tomorrow. Hope all is well with Wv sappers.

[darkmachine]

collected 325 gallons tonight, it was still running hard at dark....not projected to drop below freezing so i'm just going to let vacuum pump roll....boil tomorrow, sweet!

[220 maple]

Unfortunately had to come back to Harrisonburg for my treatment Friday, left with 1800 gallons collected, and still rolling in at 100 gallons and hour, when it thawed around noon Thursday I was getting 196 gallons and hour, going to make for a interesting Friday night, Saturday at Bowers Maple Farm! Was hoping to add another sugar bush, won’t be possible with that much sap pushing us! Having fun yet?
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

Unfortunately had to come back to Harrisonburg for my treatment Friday, left with 1800 gallons collected, and still rolling in at 100 gallons and hour, when it thawed around noon Thursday I was getting 196 gallons and hour, going to make for a interesting Friday night, Saturday at Bowers Maple Farm! Was hoping to add another sugar bush, won’t be possible with that much sap pushing us! Having fun yet?
Mark220maple

hope you are doing well Mark! I haven't tapped yet, but will in the next week or so after the next rounds of snow coming this week. Missed out on a lot of sap the past few days, but I dont like that early season stuff anyway! (kidding) Tapped a few giant sugars down the road just for making sparkling sap water with a soda make we got, and it's got to be the best drink ever! they are running at 3% too

[220 maple]

Yes, Todd got a good report Friday, tumor markers dropped in half from my latest chemotherapy, only issue at this point is swelling of feet which I hope was self inflicted from being in the woods to much, Dr. not happy with me! Asked me if I was going to fight this stuff or good to the woods? Man that hurt, every sugar makers want to be in the woods, oh we’ll I’ve found a young man right across the road that is like a sponge, he can’t learn fast enough, fires the evaporator, we have 190 gallons in barrels! I’m thrilled to be this sick and having a great season! When you get tapped I look for you to also have some big runs, my old buddy Cameron has produced 16 gallons so far! He is at 3400 foot elevation.
Mark220maple

[BAP]

Yes, Todd got a good report Friday, tumor markers dropped in half from my latest chemotherapy, only issue at this point is swelling of feet which I hope was self inflicted from being in the woods to much, Dr. not happy with me! Asked me if I was going to fight this stuff or good to the woods? Man that hurt, every sugar makers want to be in the woods, oh we’ll I’ve found a young man right across the road that is like a sponge, he can’t learn fast enough, fires the evaporator, we have 190 gallons in barrels! I’m thrilled to be this sick and having a great season! When you get tapped I look for you to also have some big runs, my old buddy Cameron has produced 16 gallons so far! He is at 3400 foot elevation.
Mark220maple
Good to hear that your treatments are working. Sounds like you have found a great helper for this season. It’s great to take someone under your wings and teach them how to sugar. That’s the best way to make new sugar makers. Hopefully he as a great future ahead of him, he definitely has a great teacher.

[220 maple]

BAP,
Thanks for your the kind words! Can say I’m a great teacher, but I am like the in actor in the Farmer’s Insurance commercials, I know a thing or two because after 25 years I’ve seen a thing or two! That I will pass on to him or anyone else that might show up at the Sugar Camp! My Motto is pass it foward.
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

Being this is my 26th year and possibly my last I have to omit I can not recall weather like this! Tonight would have to be the 10th time the overnight temperature drops to the low 20s then jumps to the upper 40s to lower 50s, Clear blue sky with no breeze! You guys that have being doing this for many years know exactly what is happening, Trees are producing like their is no tomorrow! Got a break so evaporator is clean and ready for another barrel filling event!
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

This is awesome Mark since last year was one of the worst for so many! I finally tapped last week and it ran a little for close to a day, then froze up good with a bunch of snow, and finally getting into the 40s in the day, so its barely starting to run again, but looks like it will the next few days then too cold then next week looks good! The problem is, I have like 150 gallon blocks of ice in my totes so who knows how long before those thaw out :O Everything that ran yesterday on top of it, is surely frozen again.
Anyway, hope to having enoiugh to fire up the evaporator and RO in a few days for the first boil! Boil on!



Being this is my 26th year and possibly my last I have to omit I can not recall weather like this! Tonight would have to be the 10th time the overnight temperature drops to the low 20s then jumps to the upper 40s to lower 50s, Clear blue sky with no breeze! You guys that have being doing this for many years know exactly what is happening, Trees are producing like their is no tomorrow! Got a break so evaporator is clean and ready for another barrel filling event!
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

I elected not to hang any buckets this year (130 or so) and only use the tubing, i have 146 with more to add on 23" of vacuum. I've been getting about 200-250 gallons(1.5%) a day for the last 3 days, i'd like more but until i get my RO sorted out this is about all i can keep up with. Looks like we will probably have another good 7 days before the trees close up shop, although no signs of buds here yet.

[220 maple]

Had my Friday treatment in Harrisonburg, rushed back to West Virginia because had 1600 gallons of sap that needed attention, fired up RO at 4 pm on the dot, had 230 gallons in head tank at 7 pm, fired up evaporator finish up at 10:30,
Feet up and resting by 11:30 oh the life of a sugar maker!
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

I think it's time for a new RO and you can sell me your old one! I had 800 gallons yesterday and ran the RO for about 12 hours! Boiled till the RO was done, and have about 100 gallons in the head tank to finish boiling today. Might have to go collect again since it didnt freeze last night! Gonna get colder throughout the day and start snowing soon, so might just leave what is in the tanks till it thaws monday.

I hear the new CDL 350 gph coming out soon, but think its gonna be in the 10K price range. Maybe Ill just get another 180 gph and run 2 ro's.


Had my Friday treatment in Harrisonburg, rushed back to West Virginia because had 1600 gallons of sap that needed attention, fired up RO at 4 pm on the dot, had 230 gallons in head tank at 7 pm, fired up evaporator finish up at 10:30,
Feet up and resting by 11:30 oh the life of a sugar maker!
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

What a season! Weather man said low of 28, here it is 5am and the thermometer reads 21 and it will drop at least another degree before daylight! High today 51, I have a funny feeling the trees are going to pump the sap again, I used too get 2.0 to 2.2 all the time, now it consistent at 1.6- 1.7, chalk that up too global warming most likely.
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

So far so good, my sap has been a steady 1.5, but we have had a steady flow. Looks like we will have a few more days like it. Glad to hear your season is going well...One day i'll have to get over your way, when i get ahead of the sap maybe?

[220 maple]

Got another 900 gallons ROed an ounce cooked in, I’ve had a great season got these last two good freezes coming, hopefully that should put me right around 300 gallon produced, for an old sick boy I’m loving life.
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

Good to here Mark! Been hard at it up here the past 6 out of 7 days. Made about half what I made last year already! Call me crazy for running 700 gallons a day on a custom 2x4 with an RO running it to 8%. Feel like Phil Conners in groundhog day!

16 degrees this morning and should be near 20 tonight, so lookin for a nice run comin up this weekend! Sadly, that could be it?! No freeze for the next week after that in the 10 day, with 3 straight 60 degree days in there and some 50s. We will see what happens though. Hopefully that's not enough to make the trees bud! I'm not worried about the tap holes since all drops are new this year though. It would be remarkable for the trees to bud this early though, so I am trying not to worry too much. Heck we got 2' of snow last year on May 2nd!




Got another 900 gallons ROed an ounce cooked in, I’ve had a great season got these last two good freezes coming, hopefully that should put me right around 300 gallon produced, for an old sick boy I’m loving life.
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

My trees didn’t come out of last freeze running very strong the tapholes are getting tired and I don’t have the energy to go tinker with the holes to get then to give up a little more sap, the extended forecast I’m told no freezing weather in sight, I never heard of no freezing weather in March in West Virginia, I guess Climate Change!
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

Final boil, last night 1000 gallons of slightly milky sap. Calling it a year, need to move everything from flue pan forward,
Boil that sixty gallons, too concentrate it before moving all to finishing pan!,,might be close to 300 gallons of syrup!
For and old sick Sugarmaker I’ve had a great season!
Hope to be in the game in 2025!
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

Finished with evaporator tonight, moved all sap forward put city water in back pan. Cooked for two hours until the sap is more concentrated, move to finishing pan, waste a little gas but not like a turkey cooker, Oh well time to pull spiles! This will be the test if my new helper really wants to be a syrup maker, the thankless job of pulling spiles, he asked me tonight when we’re going to start! So we will see!
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

that's awesome Mark! Trainin up the next generation! Pulling spiles is actually enjoyable to me! I am about the same as you in that I'm on hold until we get some freezing temps again. Gonna finish off what is in the evaporator and clean it and hope get a bunch of sap after this weekend. I am only 2/3 of what I made last year. Could say I should have tapped earlier and got that first run in Feb, and gotten that extra third, but then my tap holes would be struggling right now. Got 3 more days of cloudy and mid 50s in the day to survive before the snow and cold this weekend. Trees show no signs of budding whatsoever, daffodils barely poking out of the ground, and have heard no peepers yet. Pulled lines out of the tanks and washed them all and ready to put em back in the second it freezes!



Finished with evaporator tonight, moved all sap forward put city water in back pan. Cooked for two hours until the sap is more concentrated, move to finishing pan, waste a little gas but not like a turkey cooker, Oh well time to pull spiles! This will be the test if my new helper really wants to be a syrup maker, the thankless job of pulling spiles, he asked me tonight when we’re going to start! So we will see!
Mark220maple

[DrTimPerkins]

My trees didn’t come out of last freeze running very strong the tapholes are getting tired and I don’t have the energy to go tinker with the holes to get then to give up a little more sap, the extended forecast I’m told no freezing weather in sight, I never heard of no freezing weather in March in West Virginia..

Any sense of how WV did overall?

[darkmachine]

I could have probably tapped a little earlier, but the first run i collected was on Feb 5th, and the last was March 3rd. I collected 2700gal of sap averaged 1.63% , the math projects it to be 49.23 gal of syrup. That would put me at .36gal per tap. I'll know for sure once i get it all bottled. I wouldn't call it a great season, the weather wasn't great, maybe i'll tap in January next season. I've given up on buckets for any type of production. I usually hang about 130, it's just not worth the effort, they only last a week if you get a few warm days in a row. Going to add more taps next season, and keep the vacuum tight.

[220 maple]

Dr. Tim,
From my sources some producers had a real good year, other in the Southern and Western areas along the Ohio River struggled, some to the point that they are planning on selling equipment and giving up forever! But there is other reasons other than the climate that is the reason others are quitting. From what I can tell only four camps still in the game, three of them are at higher elevations, Darkmachine maybe at a higher elevation but his camp apparently sit in micro weather pattern area compared to the rest of us. I would not even attempt to make another drop from my trees, just because they show no sign of bud growth, I had to prove too Dr. Rechlin that they was buddy last year and I’m sure it would have the same this year.
Mark220maple

[DrTimPerkins]

Thanks Mark.

[canaanmaple]

Geez just had about 4 or 5 days with no freeze and high 50s, heard the peeps for the first time the other night and now full on blizzard with 45mph winds and 20s expecting up to a foot of snow by monday!
Holding out hope the sap will be good coming out of this freeze for this next run! The biggest producer in the state, Spruce Knob Maple is at same elevation/climate and hoping for the same too and hasnt wrapped it up yet either. I hedged my bets and didnt tap till valentines like usual, so missed out on first big run, but in the two weeks after made over 2/3 normal crop I would make in the usual 6 week season here. Looks like a repeat coming up of 50s-60 for a handful of days then more snow and cold next weekend. I highly doubt that would bring good sap, but you never know till you know.

[darkmachine]

This only pertains to the 2024 season in that after this season i'll need to purchase more DE for my filter press. Where do you get it in WV? or does everyone make the pilgrimage to the temple in VT to buy your supplies for the season?

[canaanmaple]

This only pertains to the 2024 season in that after this season i'll need to purchase more DE for my filter press. Where do you get it in WV? or does everyone make the pilgrimage to the temple in VT to buy your supplies for the season?

CDL WV dealer: https://danielsmaple.com/

Daniels Maple Products
Brandon Daniels
1747 Morris Branch Road
Dawson, WV 25976
C. 304-575-7266
wvmapler@suddenlink.net

[darkmachine]

I guess 8 hours round trip is better than 9 hours one way, lol. I just figured there had to be some supplier maybe non-maple where i could get this dicalite DE. Nothing on the bag says anything about maple.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Have you asked if they will ship it?

[canaanmaple]

I guess 8 hours round trip is better than 9 hours one way, lol. I just figured there had to be some supplier maybe non-maple where i could get this dicalite DE. Nothing on the bag says anything about maple.

Brandon will ship! He is a good rep. Just call him. Sometimes makes trips to deliver if he has big orders and will even meet somewhere near a highway if you have smaller order.

[220 maple]

Well it appears the season is slowly coming to and end, one of the higher elevation producers sap turned buddy, he has a lot of red maples tapped sap crystal clear but produces tootsie roll favor, visited the large camp, sap coming in started out milky but starting to clear, they have some real cold temperatures coming next week, in the teens and maybe for them single digits. They have mainly sugar maples, snow on ground yesterday that was not melting very fast. Last season they made syrup on last day of March, depending on cold snaps might make it this year also!
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

I'm gonna call it quits! Got 600 gallons clear sap yesterday, but the syrup has a hint of chocolate flavor! Darn peeps I heard the night before the blizzard were right! Good thing I emptied and finished off the evaporator before this run. So now I got 10 gallons of "hint of chocolate syrup" to repurpose :)

I could go into study mode, and only boil the two locations with all sugars and no reds, but not hopeful on that really. Red's get those visible swelling flower buds, but always heard they dont impart a flavor cvhange. Seems like the reds just stop running before they get buddy, but not sure if that's been studied extensively. Dr Tim?

Ill go collect later, fill the evaporator with sap to let ferment and clean, and pull taps and get on with other stuff, and ski the inevitable upcoming snow storms without maple worries. Last year we had 2 feet of snow may 2nd!

[220 maple]

With the cold weather, give me and excuse to stay in the sugar camp kitchen and finish syrup, got 5 barrels to work up, will store right back into a cleaned stainless steel barrel, for keeping, I have AC in the kitchen area plus well insulated, syrup seems to keep real good in a air conditioned place, set it at the coldest setting. I probably should sell a couple barrels bulk, being it’s West Virginia made I can get a premium price, minimum 2.70 a pound Maximum 3.00 a pound, being there is a shortage of production in some areas throughout West Virginia
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

My understanding the camp with the highest elevation trees at 4200 are still in production, sadly I wanted to lease the trees right in front of the big camp, trees are 4200 feet on the potential lease, 25000 to 32000, had no desire to make syrup from that bush just wanted to sell sap, oh well Covid stopped the first plan, now cancer has me pretty darn good, so my dream goes up in smoke or whatever you want to call it! The potential in a six mile area is unbelievable, I would estimate a million taps, My buddy Dr. Rechlin agrees with my assessment, last year they produced until March 31st, because of that elevation they are equal to Quebec weather, one of there mistakes as I see it they won’t tap early enough usually wait to February. Oh how I wanted to sell them sap! If I could have got the landowner on board I personally believe the neighbors would fall in tow, going to give her 1 dollar a tap, she couldn’t believe I was willing to do that! Off of 25000 taps I should have got a lot of sap that I didn’t have to truck, just pipeline across a field! But one million taps in a six mile area, playing in JR Sloans league!
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

That sounds amazing...on our farm the trees are pretty spread out, and the amount of tubing I run is high compared to my tap count. But i love it, so i do it. I know Buck Barb in Mathias, WV has a perfect setup, also un-tapped at this point. There are some nearby properties i'm going to investigate. I hope your treatments are successful and you improve for next season Mark.

I finally canned my last syrup yesterday and according to my records i'm at .39 gal/tap....I had projected .35 based on the MES sap calculator. I'm pretty sure that the precision of my readings on the sap tanks was responsible for the discrepancy between projected and actual. The totes I use aren't the same brand and 200 gallons in one, doesn't match 200 gallons in the other so i only took readings on my collection tank, still not exact enough apparently. I think i'll install a flow meter between my collection tank and my bulk storage tank, i should have enough flow while i unload to make sure it's accurate. anyone else use a flow meter? Glad to hear good syrup is being made, gonna tap frozen trees in January next season!!

[220 maple]

Darkmachine,
I’m getting low on filter aid and will be running up to Somerset county, to get a bag, I could pick you up a bag, save you some shipping cost, let me know I left my phone number in your private messages in box. Thanks for the kind words on my treatment, I’ve responded with the second chemo try. The first try failed miserably, I’ve sorta made mention about my cancer, lucky me I have the same cancer three famous guys had, Patrick Swazy, Steve Job, and most recently Alex Traveck, needless to say very wealthy, their wealth couldn’t cure their cancer. So my pennies won’t go very far towards my success of curing me, however I will say there is a lot of new medicine being tried on guys like me, so there is hope. I will go to a clinical trial once the chemotherapy I’m on now quits working, right now I have a shot of making syrup in 2025! Can’t wait and we just finished 2024. That is the maple sickness most of us guys and girls have that make syrup! Like I’ve said God may have needed a farmer on day 8, he needed a Sugar maker on day 9 to take care of his Maple trees!
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

I appreciate the offer! In two weeks i'll be up in NY, to visit my wife's family, and of course to see the eclipse. They live right on the path of totality. Anyway, i've done some searching and I am pretty sure that we can find a dealer near, or on the way...who knows i might be able to find something else that i "need" at an actual maple supplier, lol

[plattmaple]

Darkmachine,
What area in NY are you going? In Western NY there is Wendel's in Springville or Sprague's in Postville who are dealers. Both places would definitely be worth seeing. Sprague's have a nice restaurant also.

[darkmachine]

Just south of Carthage, near Deer River. I'll be there for a week, so i plan on surveying the facebook marketplace and what's for sale since there isn't much of that down here.

[220 maple]

Visited the boys at Spruce Knob Maple, sap still running in, just finished cooking the previous couple days sap, got a potential freeze coming this weekend, plus two harder freezes next week so their goal as usual is to make it to April, tapped in February, in my opinions they need to tap earlier, oh well not my problem!
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

Sap is still running for me too with the temps! I'm too small to have a market for commercial grade syrup to make it worth my while tho!

[220 maple]

FYI,
State wide maple association meeting Saturday April 20th, hopefully we will see some of are old buddies there that help start The West Virginia Maple Syrup Producers Association over 10 years ago, about 15 charter members, now we have around 75 members!
Mark220maple