Started on saturday

[Sugarbear]

We started tapping on saturday and did some more on sunday.About half done now.They ran a little on the south side in the sunlight.My woods is mostly a north slope so it is slow to warm up.The weather report says 47 on sunday,I'll believe it when I see it.

[newman_maple]

I think we are almost done in southern Ohio. I did collect 35 gallons today, but this will be my fifth week of boiling so I cannot see it running much longer. Last weekend's syrup turned out very light; almost like my first weekend. Perhaps the extreme cold snaps in midweek has extended my season. I hope to have a big weekend when temps should be high. We will see.

Good luck Sugarbear!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Looks like another deep freeze coming the next couple of days. I wouldn't throw in the towel yet. Saturday will be four weeks for me on one bush that has 237 taps and I am just getting started. Weather looks good for a big run first of the week and your weather is likely similar to mine as you are not that far north.

[Sugarbear]

They are saying 47 on sun and 48 on mon so maybe we will get thawed out.We got about 6 inches of new snow yesterday plus the ground is frozen underneath so we got a lot of thawing to do.

newman,you are not that much south of us,I cant believe it could be over for you yet.

[newman_maple]

I hope you are correct that the season is not over. I would like to keep boiling for another couple weeks (at least). I do have a handful of trees at my parents place I can tap. That might be a project for a warmer day soon. Too cold today. Another day off school (I am a teacher) and not enough sap on hand to boil and too cold to get any real work done. :(

[maplehound]

I would hate to think that anyone in Ohio is done yet. I haven't even boiled yet. It is shore getting discouraging but next week looks like a busy one.

[mountainvan]

Newman, don't give up till the fat tree sings. I've had 800 trees tapped since January. Did the same last year and made syrup till the end of April. If the sap flow stops from the taps try reaming them. I used to be a teacher in Ohio, taught biology/ earth science up by Toledo. I spent a lot of time close to you at the AEP lands/ formally Ohio Power. I love the Catskills, but still miss southern Ohio sometimes.

[tom jr.]

I dont know about you all in southern half of the state but I am deathly afraid to tap early. up here that means before presidents day, I have tapped early twice in my ten year carrear and a cold snap would come for a few days(20 f. or below highs) then i would find my self retapping! bummer! havent tapped yet maybe this weekend about 5-700 taps. I hope you all check out my thread about outlawing fire wood burning in ohio.

[newman_maple]

I maybe jumped the gun this year by tapping late Jan, but I have consistently made 2 - 2 1/2 gallons for 4 straight weekends. I am using a 2 x 3 flat pan so I can only get about 6-7 gph so I am happy with my production to date. I am boiling outside, but did put an A frame tarp over it last weekend to keep me dry. I hope I can go through March. That would be great. I have cub scouts Friday night, but might get the arch warm with a full pan so I can get an early start in hopes of my biggest weekend this season.

I have about 40 gallons in the tank frozen (will thaw and boil this weekend) and look for a big weekend with higher temps. I brought in the 40 gallons with only two days above freezing with no temps above 38. It gets cold, stays cold or gets warm, stays warm. We have not had any normal weather in Feb. Maybe Leap Day is the key to success!

I may try reaming some holes if they are not producing well. Is this at all damaging to the trees?

[mountainvan]

Reaming does'nt do any more harm than the original tapping. Use the same bit but go in 1/2" deeper. Bring a spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol to sterilize the spile, bit, and taphole at every tree. It takes a little longer but gets better reusts, ie more sap and longer 2nd flow. Also for the best result ream when the sap is flowing. The wood is swollen then so the bit takes out a little on the sides too. Plus the sapflow then helps flush the taphole. Just be prepared to filter that run well.

[tom jr.]

Newman, how do you like your mule? I am thinking about getting one this fall, Im leaning tords kawasaki but researching other brands. Would you recomend kawasaki to someone els???

[newman_maple]

Tom,

I really like my mule. I have had it for 1 1/2 years and have about 200 hours on it. I got it to help clear trees I had logged. It will pull much more than the 1100 pounds it says. I use it for everything and feel it was the right choice for me. There are several others out there now I would have looked at, but at that time, my choices were limited.

The sap is running like crazy so far this weekend. My 65 taps have netted about 100 gallons since yesterday and they are running great. I am getting a fire going tonight to make my start up easy tomorrow. I hope the wind dies down out here though! Looks like weekend #5 will be the best yet. I reamed out a few trees to see if it makes a big difference. I will know tomorrow.

I just hope I can boil everything down before Sunday sundown!

[Russell Lampron]

Newman_maple,

Good luck with the BIGSAP. Having too much is better than the other way around. I think your season is just starting not ending.

Russ

[maplekid]

newman i cant believe you have sap i havent had a drop this week. or either my front bucket isnt giving me accurate predictions. anyways good luck with your saeson.

[newman_maple]

With my 2 x 3 pan, I am boiling as fast as I can. I have boiled about 60 gallons or so with at least that much more in the tanks and the taps are still flowing. Gonna be a long night and long day tomorrow!

It is a good problem to have:)

Surely the sap is running for you maplekid? My 65 taps emptied my 35 gallon Mule tank 2 1/2 times today and the taps are still running. I have no hope of boiling it all down. I will either have to do some weeknight boiling or hope for cold weather. I have had my tanks freeze every week so far this season.

[Sugarbear]

Going to finish tapping today.It is running very little here.It is supposed to 50 tomorrow so hopefully it will get going.

[newman_maple]

I am finishing off boiling 175 gallons for the weekend. In an hour or so, I will take what is left in the pan inside. I wish I had a better setup, but a flat pan is about the only cheap way for me to do it.

I have about 65 gallons in tanks and some taps are still running well. It is supposed to get cold in a day or two so I hope to keep my sap cool. If the weather doesn't cooperate, I will boil during the week, but that is a pain for sure.

Did you get a good run today Sugarbear?

[maplehound]

I started my vacuume around 1:00 today and it was just starting to run. vacuume should run for about 8 or 10 hours before shutting down for tonight. Ihope to have lots of sap in the morning. First thing tomorrow though I need to get my truck out of the field where I stuck it today.

[maplehound]

what a good day!!!!!!!!! I spent all morning finishing tapping and haulling sap to the sugar house. Started boiling around 12:30 and boiled till 8:00 finished off about 7 gallons and still have a fully sugared pan to start off tomorrow.
I even had an amature photographer following me around most of the day taking pictures and movies. He wants to make a power point presentation from it and maybe write an artical to submit to a couple magazines. He said I will get a copy of every thing he does in exchange I give him the rights to use all pictures as he see's fit.

[newman_maple]

Maplehound, the magazine article stuff sounds pretty exciting. You will be famous!

I ended up with 4 1/2 gallons this weekend. That is half of what I did the previous 4 weeks. I do know now that my pan is great for a 100 gallon weekend, but I cannot handle the big runs. I have 100 gallons in the tanks now. Most taps slowed, but a couple trees were running like crazy today. I am sure I will get more before it turns cold or stops running.

2-3 inches of rain is going to make it interesting for sure!

[maplehound]

We are expecting an ice storm any time now and will continue through most the day tomorow. However thay say we will reach 38 deg. tomorrow so I don't expect it to be all ice.