started in VA

[VA maple guy]

I got back from my California trip Saturday and went right to work getting
ready to tap. I had to clear away a lot of fallen limbs and brush just to get
to the trees in my biggest bush. I only got 40 taps in by evening. By
Sunday afternoon I got another 100 in and collected 75 gallons. I spent
the last three hours sweetening the pans. Hope to get the last 75 or so
in in the next few evenings. probably no more sap here until Sunday
or Monday. Gerry

[220 maple]

Gerry,
I was expecting to see you was up and running, Sometimes you are a week or two ahead of us in the eastern panhandle.

MArk 220 Maple

[VA maple guy]

I would have tapped about two weeks ago, but i was on a trip out west.
It would have been about a week early for me but the weather was right.
Get this, my weather for the last three days has not even got close to freezing at night and has been 60+ and 70 today. When i got home from
work this evening a few of my reds and silvers had run like crazy, one red
had overflowed two of the three two gallon buckets on it. I collected about
25 gallons from about 45 taps that are next to my house. I never got to my big bush where my sugars are. Really weird
Gerry

[220 maple]

Gerry,
We had basically the same thing happen, our last freeze was on Sat. nite.
It was 23 degrees Sunday mourning at 8:30, by 10:00 am it was running, They ran until Tuesday evening, can't explain that one. One of my friends in Highland County said they can run for three days off a good freeze. Looks like we are going to get another good freeze this coming weekend, I'm going to bust my butt trying to get the rest of my taps open, One of my friend at Mathias, West Virginia. almost drowned in sugarwater, It was coming in faster than he could boil on Monday, he has 2300 taps open. When I talked to him last night he had finished and sold everything he had made. He is very happy.
I told him I would try to find him a life jacket for the next big run.
Mark 220 Maple

[VA maple guy]

I collected the rest of my trees today. 50 more gallons of warm weather sap.
I'll boil it and the 25 gallons in storage off tomorrow evening.
Mark, I'm glad to here your trees are OK, hopefully you will need that
life jacket for your self soon. Gerry

[VA maple guy]

So far 475 gallon for the season. Boiled of the last of it last night.
Most of it looks like dark maby a few gallons of medium. Some snow today
probably not much more sap until the weekend.
Gerry

[Creuzy]

Gerry -

Since talking to you a couple weeks ago, I've only managed to get about a half gallon of sap! I don't what's going on. I haven't gotten anything from two of the four trees, and the other ones have really stopped giving anything up. I would think with the freezing at night and the highs in the 40s/50s lately that things would be doing OK.

Yesterday I went around and drilled 4 more reds - no sap started flowing right away, but it was pretty cold then so I wasn't really expecting any.

I boiled down my three gallons to about a 1/2 gallon and am patiently waiting for more sap to come in. Some of the reds already have open buds...

Glad to hear you have been getting a good amount.

Casey

[VA maple guy]

I had a real good run today. It's rare I get over one gallon per tap in a run, but I did today. I collected 245 gallons most from my reds, they really cam to life today. I'll boil it off Wednesday evening. I also have a local paper that is sending a reporter out to do a storie on sugaring. It's kinda rare around here.
Gerry

[VA maple guy]

Casey, How are thing going for you. If you did not get any sap today you may have some real stubborne trees. Some times the reds will break open there buds very early, but if you get a real cold snap it can reset the trees
and they will run so hang in there.
Gerry

[Creuzy]

Well, Gerry, I guess I've got some stubborn trees. They haven't given up a drop for weeks now. And the 4 other trees I tapped were just as dry. Maybe our season down here just starts and ends that much earlier. I don't know. Maybe I'll post somewhere about whether there is a magic latitude under which maple sap just doesn't "run."

I guess I'll just boil down the other 3/4 gallon I have (total of 3-3/4 gallons this year - is that a record?) and see what I get.

There's always next year! I liked your idea of drilling a bit smaller right off and then redrilling later in the season. I'll have to try that.

You're gallon+ from the one tree in a day makes me sick... No, really, I'm glad it sounds like your getting a lot this year.

Thanks for your help.

Casey