Is it all over

[sawyer40]

I tapped the first of Febuary and it's a good thing I did. I think it's all over here. I'm going to keep an eye on the temps for a few days and see but the red maples are in bud even tho it has got down to 25 degrees the sap just ain't running. I got about 1 good run a week since the first of Feb. up until about 2 weeks ago then it let loose and ran every day until last friday since then nothing in any amount big enough to bother boiling. If I can't get 75-100gal out of 360 taps I don't think it's worth my time. I can't even save the sap from one day to another it get's up near 50 degrees during the day. Last night it was supposed to be 25 degrees but it never got below 30. It's supposed to be that way for the next few days. So if it don't run in the next few days I might call it a year. I have 47 1/2 gal of syrup bottled so far I got about 5 gal more in the finish tank plus whats in the evaporator. I was shooting for 75 gal but looks like I'll fall short unless the weather straightens out. The rain and warm weather have skrewed things up here. How is everyone else doing?

[Fred Henderson]

Our season has not even started here yet. We still got 3 feet of snow in our woods.

[maple flats]

My season is still in the early stages. Have only had a few so so runs. But between what I have canned and the 12-14 gal in the canner that is ready to can, I have made about 42 gal total. At this time last year I had about 4 gal made. I have 500 taps this year and 425 last. The weather has not had only a few days when it made it into the 40's and has gone well below freezing all except 2 nites all season so far. Today the high was 29. In most years my highest production is from about 3/25-4/5 give or take a couple. Last year in that time frame I made most of my 78 gal in what was a rather poor year, very short season. We have to take what mother nature hands us. If the season keeps going like an "average" year I think I will end up with 120-130 gal with no vac, all on tubing.

[maplehound]

We ussually start around mid Feb. here but this year we didn't get a good start till March. When it did start it came fast and furious. I have made 127 gallons so far and over 90 gallons was light. I have never made more than 30 gallons of light in the past. I do think this Wed. will be my last run though. Now cold nights forcast after that for several days and I can't go into April this year due to other comitments. I figure I will better my record of 140 gallons though but not by to much. All this on just 700 taps. I will be happy if I hit 150 gallons.

[Sugardaddy]

Sawyer,

Still working it up near Stokes State Forest.
Our early taps (early Feb) have slowed way down or stopped, but some of the later taps (put in at the end of Feb) are still flowing. We had a huge flow going about 10 days ago, then it all slowed down. We were still pulling sap into the 2nd week of April last year, so we're going to hang in there for now. We're gathering a few times a day and dropping frozen sap into what we have to keep it from turning.

[VT maple maker]

I havent even started yet either. The snow is still pretty deep in the woods here in Central Vermont. Im hoping next week will be the week but who knows. Only time will tell.

Kyle

[wdchuck]

We've boiled once- the snow is still pretty deep and dense. Should make for a slow meltdown, I'm hoping for a big season, but I always do for the first week. By the 20th of April, if we get that far, I've had enough!

[sawyer40]

Sugardaddy I got sap up till the second week in april last year to but this year everything seems to be early. I wonder if I reamed my tap holes out if it will help it's been more than 6 weeks since I drilled them.
wdchuck we have a camp on Joes pond just off RT2. How much snow did you get up there this year?

[VtSugarhouse]

We are hopefully just getting going. Boiled in about 2,000 gallons of sap today but it isnt running with this cold weather. 14 deg. this am and it is supposed to be colder tonight. Looks like it is going to give us some sugaring weather later this week. Cold nights and hopefullly up into the 40's in the day time.
We have lots of snow in the woods too so if we are lucky sugaring is just begining.....

[Sugardaddy]

Sugardaddy I got sap up till the second week in april last year to but this year everything seems to be early. I wonder if I reamed my tap holes out if it will help it's been more than 6 weeks since I drilled them.
wdchuck we have a camp on Joes pond just off RT2. How much snow did you get up there this year?

I was thinking about reaming too. I also have another 20 trees that I could tap, moving the early taps over to the new trees. If I get another 4 or 5 gallons of finished syrup it's worth it for us.

[sawyer40]

Well I cleaned my one bulk tank today and reamed out about 75 tap holes I'll see what happens. I hope I can get home in time to collect I visting my inlaws right now in the city.

[Sugardaddy]

We pulled taps on the dry tapholes and sank a few test holes in new trees. They began flowing immediately. If they look good tomorrow, we'll set up on another 20 trees and try to get a few more weeks out of this.

Good luck Sawyer!

[hholt]

I pulled my taps last week and just finished scrubbing all my five gallon pails. I hit my target of a WHOPPING 5 GALLONS which is enough for personal use and Christmas presents. I think the flavor is better from the silver maples than the box elders I used last year.

I mixed it with chopped pineapple today to glaze our easter ham :^)

[Sugardaddy]

The new test tapholes produced about 1 gallon per tap as of 11am this morning. We're moving taps to the new trees in a few minutes. Looks like this will get us another few weeks if the forecast holds true.

[sawyer40]

Well I have about 135 taps on a pipeline that didn't run at all today. But the pipeline where I reamed the tap holes along with 86 buckets produced about 145 gal of sap I just finished cooking it down. The pipeline that didn't run is on a sunny slope. The pipeline that is running is on the north side of a hill and will run later than the other.