tapping begins

[maple flats]

I see a 3 day good (or fair) weather forcast, so I am starting tapping today. It might flow later today, Monday and Tues. before it freezes up for a few days again. I final washed the evap yesterday and some of the tanks, will finish this morning and then start tapping late morning. Will likely finish tapping tomorrow before I collect what is in the tanks. Because temp looks marginal I may not boil until Tues and do all 3 days flow at once. This will be my earliest boil since I started making syrup in 03. My plan for next year, if the spout adapters prove good is to tap with the 1st thaw in Jan and really be early (or is it just on time?).

[mfchef54]

welcome to '08 syrup. hoping you have a great year. up to 3 gallons so far.

[Brian Ryther]

I finished tapping all but 150 of the taps on line (1150) yesterday. Today will be bucket day (250). If the sun comes out today we should get a small run. This will be a good test of the new Vac. Monday looks like the best day, with another small run on tuesday. The pans were sweetened last week so any new sap will give me my first draw. A years worth of work is finaly coming together.

[eye8astonie]

Good luck Flats! I'm hoping the forecast temps aren't overly optimistic like they seem to have been lately! You know those days where you walk outside and it's quite a bit warmer than they said it was supposed to be? I'm starting to think that only happens when the trees aren't tapped!

We're pretty sure that we're going to be moving in about 3 weeks, so I need sap now! I don't think it will go over too well if I'm trying to boil while the moving truck is here....

Hope everyone gets a good run in the next few days!
Duane

[jemsklein]

Good luck Flats! I'm hoping the forecast temps aren't overly optimistic like they seem to have been lately! You know those days where you walk outside and it's quite a bit warmer than they said it was supposed to be? I'm starting to think that only happens when the trees aren't tapped!

We're pretty sure that we're going to be moving in about 3 weeks, so I need sap now! I don't think it will go over too well if I'm trying to boil while the moving truck is here....

Hope everyone gets a good run in the next few days!
Duane

So were are you moving to?

[eye8astonie]

Hi James. Unfortunately, right into the heart of the city of Binghamton.... long story, being out here isn't working for the kids. Hopefully we'll have plenty of time to make syrup after they've grown up.

And, it might be on an even smaller scale, but I WILL find a way to make some syrup in town!

Duane

[troes30]

We've been tappin all week up here in the Croghan area. Its a bit early but I need the school kids help so we're doin it. Got most of our 4500 tapped, now just have to go back and do some fixing and upgrading. Hopefully I will have time before it starts running. Supposed to warm up this coming weekend. It did run last monday if you can believe it up here. My coldest woods was running into the releaser on its own w/o the vac on. Couldn't believe it. About 3 feet in that woods while only a foot or so of snow in the other two. We've been hooking up our new tanks in the boiling shed and the new RO. Should be interesting to see what it can do. How is everyone else coming, and how is the sap testing relative to years past. I know last year was lower than usual. Happy sappin'

[danno]

Put in 300 this afternoon - beautiful day. Don't know how high the temp got, but the south sides of the trees were flowing nicely!

[mfchef54]

just broke 33 today. Tappped another 20 today. taps in the open bush starting to run. maybe tomorrow the weather gods will be correct. as theron says big sap a coming.

[maple flats]

I quit tapping with just 1 woods done (109 taps) Then the forcast changed. So far I have only gotten 20 gal of sap. Will do more this weekend even though it looks only fair for flow. I still have about 400 more to tap if I do all from other years, the ones I did are new bush. I can also add about 30 more here for this season and then for next season I have permission about July to add another 8 acres or however much I want to try at one jump. With this in mind I am thinking I may not tap a few of my previous bushes where I only had 30 or 60 or where 50 had to be on buckets, because these took much longer to drive to and/or collect. Which ever i do I will be dropping these smaller location for sure after this season when I can have several hundred in one location going into 1 tank that is close to the road.

[SapSuckers]

Duane,

I spent 12 weeks living at engine 4 on robinson st in binghamton while i was in the fire acadmey there. I had lots of fun but dont remember to many sugarbushes in the city. Well good luck, you will find a way to stay involved.

[eye8astonie]

Thanks Chris. I'm hoping to find some trees within 10-15 minutes of the city where maybe we could rig some tubing into a collection tanks and just go to collect every few days... I need to scope out some new hunting spots anyway, and maybe can kill two birds with one stone... We'd still have to figure out a way to boil it.... don't know if we'd be able to fire up the wood fired barrel evaporator in town, but wondered if we could rig it with some propane burners under the 2x3 pan. If not, we'll just do some in the turkey fryer from the 2 maples in the back yard so I don't go through total withdrawal!

Either way, I hope to visit some nearby operations to learn and/or help until we can make our move back out of the city!

Duane

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Duane,

If you are not too far from some of the traders or other operations, most would welcome the help. You could help with the boiling and gathering and at the end of the season, be paid in syrup. I pay out several gallons each year to my helpers.

[eye8astonie]

Sounds like a good deal to me!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Good reliable help is hard to come by.

[maple flats]

After a long wait I finally had my first boil. Some of the sap was over a week old but it had frozen in the bulk tank (refrigeration). I still have not gotten any good flows but had to do the boil while the sap was still clear. Today it might flow again, if i get enough I will boil tomorrow.