March Journal 08, SYRUP TIME

[jemsklein]

The whether is almost here so it almost for us to tap up here.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

There has been a lot of fretting about the weather, all I can say to that is that it is March 1st and it is time to tap about everywhere at least in the US. If you tap now, the taps should run until at least April 15th pending there is not a lot of warm weather. The forecast changes overnight this time of year and I would want to be ready and not miss a good run because you are watching the long term forecast. Tap when you can't make syrup and when the syrup comes, all you have to do is watch is run and boil and not be in a bind trying to get out all your taps. Even if it stays cold for another 10 days, the cold isn't going to hurt your holes any.

[3% Solution]

Well said!!
Nuff said!
Going to tap tomorrow, wx looks like it's going to warm a bit this week and hopefully next week as well!

Dave


There has been a lot of fretting about the weather, all I can say to that is that it is March 1st and it is time to tap about everywhere at least in the US. If you tap now, the taps should run until at least April 15th pending there is not a lot of warm weather. The forecast changes overnight this time of year and I would want to be ready and not miss a good run because you are watching the long term forecast. Tap when you can't make syrup and when the syrup comes, all you have to do is watch is run and boil and not be in a bind trying to get out all your taps. Even if it stays cold for another 10 days, the cold isn't going to hurt your holes any.

[TapME]

I hope that I can reach my buckets when the snow melts, most will be 7 feet off the ground if I tap below our knees.
Brandon, this is maple syrup time.

[Dave Y]

Yesterday I spent getting ready for today!I think for once Theron is right to day and tomorrow will be BIGSAP! I shoveled and plowed snow all day and when I finished I shoveled some more. Now I know that we don't have the snow that our northern brethren have but it was still a lot of work. God Bless all of you that have had to deal with it all winter in these amounts. Plowed out the camp development that I tap,that was the first time this year. I am glad it was only a foot deep. Today I will walk trails in with snow shoes to the buckets and hang buckets on road trees with another sugar maker , then run water thru the evaporator and I am ready to boil tomorrow.

[super sappy]

i tapped my new woods today. My mainline runs up a creek and up hill but downhill at the same time. i shot every inch of it with the transit. it worked like a champ everything ran nice for an hour or so then the wind picked up and that was all she wrote. The whole family was out in the woods today and everyone helped and there was no complaining. One small note though, I looked in my tank and saw a 1/4 '' stream of sap running in and my wife stood there and told the kids that is how I usto look at her. Oh well we cant win em all but man oh man was I happy when the up south woods worked out today >>>>>>>>>>>> Boil tomorrow for sure.-SS

[PATheron]

Guys- No big sap today at Theerons house. I thought it might do good and the lines were clear but the trees just didnt run for the most part. It did run some. I probly got 350 gallons but no BIGSAP. Hopin tomarrow is the big one. Howd you guys all do today? Theeron

[Dave Y]

No Sap Today. Temps never got above 33degs. Cloud cover keep temps down.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.

[Sugarmaker]

Things were just starting to thaw about 3:00 here. So no run today. My guess is that it will take most of the day tomorrow for all the lines and the ground and the roots thawed enough for any amount of sap. I think we will collect late Monday if there is a little and for sure Tuesday after noon prior to it getting cold again.

Went to Father and Sons house to pick up our signs for the Taste and Tour. Nice big red and white, signs should help bring the folks to the sugar house. Thanks Jim for getting these made. Jim and Chase were putting the finishing touches on the stack and and looked like they were going to finish today and get the pans set. Very impressed with the blower set up Jim designed and installed.

Trimmed the apple trees today. Maybe with that and some spray and some bees we will have a apple crop this year?

Chris

[mapleman3]

Checked a few buckets but not much today, should start running tomorrow.... Worked my but off in the woods,much to repair.. chew marks, broken lines from a few limbs and some leaks.. got the tanks all pressure washed and ready to go.

put the tank in the back of the truck in case I need to gather tomorrow, still have to tap the woods and get the vacuum started.

Boil tuesday for sure

[Parker]

As I was tapping trees today,,thinking about how easy we have it with tubing,and vacuum,,,I stopped for a minute to think (as I was snowshoeing over 4 feet of snow) How would you like to be doing this with buckets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jemsklein]

There is no BIG SAP here yet it got to -1 c here today but the sun was nice and warm so I spent most of the day cleaning my storage room and reorganizing it. So it nice and clean know ant tomorrow we got are new tractor tire coming. Witch means no more shoveling the drive way by hand.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You would wait until it melts it down.

[PATheron]

BIGSAP UPDATE IN NORTHEASTERN PA, Just checked vac pump and it is currently humming along at 25". Current weather conditions, 28 degrees and fair. Should be 50 by noon. Not going to freeze tonight. Projected sap yield for the day, BIGSAP BIGSAP BIGSAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dennis H.]

Got home from work this morning and the temp at 9:00am is right at 40 and the sun is out in all its glory!
I walked my route through the woods and the sap is running.
I figure when I get up this evening I will most likely have enough to fire up the evap for.

Good luck to everyone, I hope Theron is right.

[danno]

Got about a gallon per tap from 9-3 today. Started running hard this morning with 40 degrees by about 9:00 am. and still 50 now at 11:30 pm. Sweetened the pans tonight. Running the vacuum overnight tonight. Still running nicely. Love the new rig!

[super sappy]

Made my first syrup tonight on the new rig. The drawoffs are alot larger than I am usto. and you would know it as I drew off the verry first syrup I fired the rig and she blew foam right over the top again. I just got the last mess cleaned up. The stars were spectacular tonight. Not an airplane in sight as I sat on the tailgate and had a cold boiling soda. i feel that I am starting to round the learning curve with a raised flu pan and trust the thermometer and the floats a little. I am thinking about an automatic defoamer .can anyone suggest something? -ss

[Sugarmaker]

SS,
Glad to see you are into the new rig. Yea, I need to take more time to look UP too. If you do find a nice auto defomer let me know. Lot of us could use one.

Chris

[mapleack]

We got about 320 gal of sap Monday, which gave us our second boil of the season, and first syrup. I'd guestimate that we pulled about 7 gal of syrup. The autodrawoff we just installed was nice, but will still take some getting used to. The valve between the drawoff and the pan definately has to be throttled back to keep from frightening drops in pan level. One vexing thing that the drawoff has confirmed for me is that I'm syruping in the next to last partition, not the last. On the bigger draws I watched the temperature climb as much as 0.7 degrees above my set point, showing that it was denser somewhere quite a bit back from the temperature probe. I attribute this to the syrup pan not being parallel flow, and being old and warped to hell and back. Does anyone have any suggestions for this? Beside a new pan of course!

[Mike]

The dealers sell a cup that hangs in the pan....Out some defoamer in it and when the bubbles rise it hits the defoamer..........They sell for about $10...The maple guys sell them...

[jemsklein]

Ok well I got home from school today and checked my 20 test tap's and only the one tree with 4 taps had all the bucket almost over flowing and every thing else had none I thought it was weird.

[TapME]

It's the first tree to wake up. They will all come along shortly.

[brookledge]

Super Sappy
I've thought about mounting a oil dripper like you would find on a vacuum pump at my float box so that I could have defoamer drip in as needed but have never gotten around to buying a new one that hadn't been used with regular oil. My thoughts were to use vegtable oil.
Maybe someone has tried it and could comment

Keith

[sweetwoodmaple]

Hey Jim, there's a use for your new drippers!

brookledge - I wonder if you could get one to drop slow enough? My luck, I would forget to shut it off, and it would put a whole cup of veg oil in overnight.

[brookledge]

I think you can get one that is selenoid operated and can be set to a certain time. So you could set it a 1 drip per minute or etc.
Keith

[mapleman3]

how bout an IV drip... ;)

gonna be a late night.... or... early morning?? 2am anyone???
finally got the first drawoff... should go faster now, takes forever to get the first one.
maybe 150 gal left to boil tonight...3%sap good ratio.

[PATheron]

Guys- Bigsap over for a little Im afraid. Major ice storm. Running on natural vac now. Tunking spiles in to gain that little bit more vac wont be a real priority for a little while. Up in the woods and a two foot diameter sugar snapped like a toothpick. One good thing Ill have more firewood. Brandon- Gonna be hard to pull very many inches of natural on 1.25" line huh? Gonna have to add like 10,000 more taps. Keep you posted. You guys up north are going to have to kick it in high gear and make up for my downtime. I was making so much syrup this might dip the whole market. Theeeron

[Mike]

Any one looking for a 2 yr old 300 gal hr RO Lapierre for $6800.CDL in St albans has it..

[PATheron]

Guys- System is back on line. I had a freeze up at my releaser that took my vac. I thought I had major leaks with all the ice but wasnt the case. Back to running at unnatural vac levels. Sap is running some and sounds like tomarrow is going to be good maybe. Theeeron

[jemsklein]

Well I woke up today too a foot of snow and busses cancelled but I had to go to school any way so I drove there roads were not down at all not even the highway. So after driving home at 2:40pm I went and checked my buckets and had nothing then found out my brother broke are blade in half it was impossible to do but he did it some how. And we have another foot coming on Friday witch would be a total of 4 feet in the bush (I need to buy some snow shoes).

[PATheron]

BIGSAP ALERT!!!!! BIGSAP ALERT!!!!! The BIGSAP emergency broadcast system has expanded its BIGSAP ALERT from northeastern Pa to the entire North American Continent. Abundant sunshine and Northwestely wind will provide excessive sapflow to Prepared and unprepared sugarmakers alike across all of North America. Be prepared for Haaaard sap flow and do not be a sap abuser( a person that wantenly wastes sap or purposefully operates at low vac levels). Good luck to all. I need to go grease my hantruck wheels so I can lug all my full syrup barrels to the garage tonight. Theeeron

[maplecrest]

theron, we are getting the noth wind all right, and about 10 below wind chill, no big sap here for awhile

[andrew martin]

No sap here, taps are all out - starting the cleanup process. Daffodils started blooming last week.

Looking forward to our new baby and next year's sap run.

Andrew

[jemsklein]

andrew martin so how much syrup did you make?

[PATheron]

Theerons BIGSAP UPDATE- Tomarrow I believe we are going to hit 500 gallons. I am officially adjusting my projected annual crop yield to reflect these higher than anticipated numbers. To do the all allusive half gallon per tap I have two options. I either have to make an honest 800 gallons,that would put me to a half even including the brush I tapped in the young stand, or utilize my only other option( the industry standard) LIE! Im going to go one step further, if the hormone crazed, hungover college kids at Proctor can do half a gallon per tap I think I should be able to do better. Im shooting for a 1000 gallons. Ive already done 500 it cant be that hard to do it again. I my not be able to keep up with the BIGSAP UPDATES but Ill do my best. Gotta go press syrup. Further updates to come. Theeeron

[maple flats]

I don't have vac so I will be happy doing .3 gal/tap. I did this one year but not in 06 or 07. In fact I only did it in 05. I do not know what I did in 03, my first year of re starting mapling because I kept adding taps thru the season as I saw what I could process. 04 was better than a qt/tap but I don't remember the exact right now, I do have it recorded someplace. I am still in my early season and I have about 35-40 gal (have not canned or bulk packed yet to know for sure, only canned the first 20 gal) I have enough to boil much of tomorrow and I have help coming too. Will gather more in afternoon, did not gather today, just boiled and got generator problem fixed.

[PATheron]

Maple Flats- Third of a gallon is darn good. Ive never done that good before. Im having real good luck this year but im getting lucky with the weather and I have a lot of new equipment. I shoot high and do my best and whatever I end up getting Ill be super happy with. Main thing is my dad and I are having a ton of fun. Our grade is changing now and I think we are heading towards a decline in sap quality but it has to run its course. Itll be fun right to the end. Good luck up there hope you have a real good year. Theeron

[emericksmaple]

Hey Theron, I think you can do it. At the moment we are at 1187 gal made off of 3100 taps with 2200 on vac. Next year the other 900 go on vac. If I am guessing right our vac has done close to 22-23 gal per tap while the non vac has only done 10gal per tap. Looks like we will be done next week. I'm shooting for 1300- 1400 gal. Good Luck!!!!

[PATheron]

Emericksmaple- Ive got to come down and see your operation. You make a LOT of syrup my friend. We are having a blast. Looks to me like high vac, new plastic in trees, properly installed tube, and a good size ro equalls a ton of syrup. I think ive found my recipe. I dont know how long well go but itll be fun to see. My neighbors bush is starting to go cloudy so even with the cool temps I guess you cant fool mother nature. I was shooting for 400 gallons so everything now is a pleasant surprise. Keep me posted on how you make out. Theeron

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I finished flushing all my lines last week and on Saturday, I cut wood for about 3 hours and cut aprox 2 cords which is about 40% of what I need for next year. It was all locust and I still have some more of that to cut and I have a huge hickory tree that has aprox 2 cords in it I have to fall and cut up when I get some help and also a nice size red oak that fell 2 or 3 years ago. All of the locust and the hickory has been dead and seasoning for at least 2 or 3 years. I had aprox 2 cords left over from this year, so I hope to get woodshed refilled by May or June.

[ibby458]

Just getting started here. We got around 500 roadsides and fencerow taps in.

I got drop kicked when we went over to start tapping at my Amish "partner". He decided not to do it this year! The DAY we were to start tapping, AFTER I hauled 500 buckets, covers, spouts, 700 gallon holding tank and gathering tank over there. (Not to mention that I bought those things JUST to tap his place) Arghhhh.

I can make up another 100 in another place, but I'm sure not going to hit my goal this year!

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Did BIGSAP fall in and drown or did he get his swimmies on quick enough?? Haven't heard a report after the BIG ALERT went out.

[PATheron]

Governor-Havent been posting system wide BIGSAP ALERTS lately becouse Ive been pretty tired and kind of letting some stuff slide. This BIGSAP stuff is starting to kick my butt. Looks like Ive got about another week or two and I should be out of the maple syrup business. Then Im going to kick back and get rested up and listen to all you guys's storied up there. Its going to be great. You guys should see my shed. Product everywhere. Im still getting real nice sap and believe it or not Im making the lightest syrup ever. Im pretty surprised at that but I havent made any dark syrup yet at all. My neighbor is and his sap is cloudy but mine isnt. I think its becouse my bush is in between two hills and stays cold longer I think. Keep me posted. I want to hear some BIGSAP stories from up north. Theeron

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Also, you have brand new tubing, new lines and new spouts and that does make a difference with the high vac you are pulling.

[PATheron]

Brandon- YOur right. That stuff makes a big difference. BIGSAP UPDATE- Sap is currently running HAAAARRRRRRRD!!!!!!! Going back out now and capping the 18th barrell. 600 big ones. Going to try to hit 800. One more week and its over. Getting pretty wore out. Watching dad boil all that concentrate is really tiring me out. Need a break soon. Ill keep you guys posted. IM thinking about just pulling the taps and say the hell with it. What do you guys think? Keep boiling or screw it? I was going to go till it hit commercial but maybe I should just pull them when I stop making fancy. The(bigsapzar)ron.

[Russell Lampron]

Come on Theron where is the serious maple producer that I met before the season. You cant quit until the sap stops running.

Russ

[mountainvan]

You can't call yourself the bigsapczar if you quit before the trees. Keep going till the end. If nothing else think of all the money you're going to make selling all that syrup.

[PATheron]

Im just pulling your guys's leg. I wont quit. This is probly a fluke this year so I better make the most of it. I cant believe that the syrup is so light though for so long. Must be my bush is so tucked away is the reason. I like dark and by my standards I havent made an honest quart of syrup yet. Im starting to wonder if Im boiling the permeate. Maybe I ran my plumbing wrong. Im going for numbers now guys. Plus Ive got to pay for a lot of stuff and it wont matter if I made a gallon per tap I wont cover it this year but thats fine slow and steady wins the race. Ill pay for my stuff a lot quicker than I thought I would. Plus its a ton of fun. I am starting to look foreward to the end though. Its been a long year. I have it easy making the syrup but it took a lot of hard work to set it up. Theee(bigsapzar)ron

[Parker]

TTTHHHEEE(PASAPCZAR)RRROOONN- You have to re-tap as your trees start to slow up running,,,get the most of the season.,,,,boil into may.

[PATheron]

Parrrrker! Your INSANE!!! I was wondering if my holes would go the distance now im wondering if they are going to run with the leaves on. When they dry up im out of the syrup business till next year. If I wasnt out of vaca Id come up and haul sap for you and try my hand with marvin. Im just going to relax and listen to your stories up there. I want to hear some BIGSAP stories from up north. We put a lot in barrell nineteen tonight so were heading for 700. Its running good tonight and I think itll run straight till morning. Looks like all next week real good then following week in the 60's. Id say that will probly be the end. Ive never made syrup this late so Im not sure what will happen. If it comes off that hill its getting boiled. Theeee(bigsapzar)roon.

[brookledge]

Theron
Have you hit the 1/2 gal mark yet? I have been so swamped in the last 3 weeks I have not had time to go on the trader since the 11th. I have been getting about 2 gallons of sap per tap and boiling 16-17 hrs aday to keep up. Consiquently it has pushed me over the 1/2 gal per tap mark and I should end up around .6 gal per tap. My syrup has gone to grade B and things are beginning to slow down(thank god, never thought I'd say that).
Way to many post to catch up on all of them since the 11th.
Good luck to all
Keith

[PATheron]

Keith- I havent hit that yet. Im at 630 in the drum now and Ill have to hit around 800 to do a half gallon across the board. I added some cull tree taps that are real small trees, not really legitamate taps. I do think that I may do a half anyway though. Theres 300 of the culls so they probly screw my averaged but Im shooting to do it anyway. I have some great weather so well see what happens. If I didnt make one more drop Id be happy with the season. Well boil anything that comes out of the tube. Nice job on the half, I know youve wanted it for a long time. You deserve it with the effort that you put into it. One hell of an accomplishment. YOu hear that half gallon talk a lot but to do it for real I dont think there are a lot of people that hit it. Theeron

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Theron,

You would probably be suprised out how much a small cull tree with one tap with put out.

[PATheron]

Brandon- I think you are right about that. I think they run good. Im going to cut a bunch of them soon. I want to develope that part of the bush. The main thing is id like to get them out and tube it real right and watch them grow.

[PATheron]

SEVERE BIGSAP WARNING FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN MAINE AND SURROUNDING AREA- There will be very moderate thawing temps for all of the BIGSAP WARNING area and surrounding areas. This stretch of frozen, tundra-like barren wasteland you folks refer to as Maine will thaw fast with these sap dripping tamps. Sap is going to flow HAAAARRRRRDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! All you genetically defective people trying to habitate that area should respond to the warning immediately. All vac on and high. All buckets should be checked constantly, no fair loosing any sap. I want to hear BIGSAP REPORTS AS SOON AS POSSABLE. Thee(bigsapzar)rooon.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have about 15 taps on a small grove of maples and most of the trees are 8 to 10 inch trees and they run really good. I don't normally tap trees this small, but with a shallow hole and health spouts and 1 tap per tree, they should be able to be tapped for longer than I can tap them.

[Russell Lampron]

Brandon I too tap trees that size. It is amazing the amount of sap those little trees give. Another amazing thing is how fast the tap hole closes up. I don't think we are hurting them at all.

[royalmaple]

An 8 inch tree is a monster!! Almost two tap in my book. Kidding.

You'd be surprised how well those little guys pump the sap out.

[MaplePancakeMan]

Very true, I have a large three tap tree next to two small 8-10" one tap trees next to it. The smaller trees keep right up with it in sap production. The only thing i find is that they quit earlier but can be tapped earlier.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

They do seem to quit a little earlier, but boy they run good during the duration and the trees I have all on a dry hillside that gets tons of sun and not a lot of moisture. I think the reason they run so good, they are so healthy, they have a better circulatory system and it is not get clogged and corrupted as older trees do sometimes just like our system(veins and arteries) do as we get older.

[mapleman3]

everyone taps them.. even the forester I am working with has some marked that are marginal.. if you are careful and tap correctly and move the next years hole far enough away I think it's ok...but you have to choose them wisely and not get greedy !!