Snow Snow Snow!!!

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Well alls I can say is whoever said a good snow pack makes for a good sugar season, does not want to come near me....

Another 3" today, and still snowing. The sap flow has been horiable at best and getting on April, the season looks grim. I am starting to debate if I am crazy for being involved in this, and should have a blow out sale on equipment.. I have made 65 gal to date, which will not even come close to covering my expences for the year. Sounds like bankrupsy for Valley View...

I guess one good thing is I can say I was involved in sugaring when VT went from being #1 producer in the US down to the last... Kinda sounds to me like Theron is taking our title in PA..

[royalmaple]

Andy-

Your not alone, still got tons in the woods and I think it is the reason we are not getting big runs from woods trees. I didn't put one bucket out yet, and since I'm only tapping woods trees kinda at the mercy of the snow pack. Thought the snow was almost gone in one spot and I was walking with just my boots on and one more step and I broke through the crust to be up to my belt in snow. Still pleanty deep in my woods at least.

I made another 10-12 gallons last night, season total is or should be around 40 gallons, no big stroke for sure. We still haven't had a great string of weather but this week looks decent.

Hopefully when it gets warm we'll still have the cold from the woods so we don't miss out totally. Kinda sucks to miss out on these run days due to snow pack, then have it get too warm and miss out cause the season is done. Have to wait and see.

[MaplePancakeMan]

Just move south toward me and you'll be fine, You tap early and end early going to be 70 here tomorrow. We did have a little snow this morning. Most we had at the woods at one time was 14" in the beginning of the season for a week or so.


Hopefully as the snow melts later on it will keep your trees running longer than the weather would otherwise allow.

[VtSugarhouse]

Well,
We are up too 46 gallons for the season. Not good at all.
All I can say is that we have a total of 8,000 gallon capacity at the sugarhouse and the tanks are all empty.

Wainting for sap!!!

[sweetvt]

VVS,

Take a look at the extended weather starting on or about April 3 - April 13,

Alot can change but the temps look good. With the big snowpack we can withstand a day or two of 50 temps, If I were a betting man I would bet that by Tax day ( April 15) we will have been swimming in it and ready for it to end.

Can't wait for it to start in the begining and can't wait for it to end at the finish line.

Keep your fingers crossed but I think it just getting ready to break wide open.

[Fred Henderson]

I got the same feeling and that is when it starts it will be a gusher. My woods still have not thawed out yet. Some on the lease are running good, but they are at the top of the hill. Hang tight and have a life jacket when it does start.

[Salmoneye]

I've got 200 gallons of sap from 115 taps since noon yesterday...

These trees just want to go...

[Homestead Maple]

Hang in there Andy and don't lose heart yet. The weathers coming and the snow, as others have said, will keep the extra warm temps in control.

[Parker]

This sucks for all of us ,,(slap-slap),BUT,,,STARIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT MAN,,,,,,It will come!!!

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

maybe mother nature heard me calling her all those names yesterday.. For the first time this year the vacum was running when I got to the orchard, @ 6 this morning it had pumped about 20 gal and it was not running good, but it was enough to start the vac and keep it running. Maybe just maybe this is the day..

[802maple]

You got used to the abnormal years that have occurred recently this will turn into a good year for you, as I have said before these are the usual dates for sugaring here in Vermont. Hang in there.

[paul]

come on now we are just getting started. we`ve been waiting for it to start and now you think it is already over? tuesday we ran 2900 gallons on 2000 tap, I agree with Beane the season is just coming into it, in a week and a half you`ll be up to your eyeballs in sap.WE made 100 gallons last night, our best night of boiling since we caught this disease six years ago. I`m ready bring it on Mother nature.

[hookhill]

Hang tight Andy. This could be a year where we just keep boiling these small runs that will add up at the end of the season. Best.

Jim

[Parker]

What is the update andy?

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

My trees still have not thawed, snow pack is down to about 2 ft in the woods, starting to melt from the bases.. I have been collecting around 6-800 gal a day, and making 15-20 gal of syrup mostly med amber.. I just managed to break the 100 gal mark last night.. More of that white crap today!!! not needed around me...

[fred]

be glad nothing but mud around here with more rain every other day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

temps never passed 35 today, managed to pull enough with vac to make another 15 gal of med.. I guess you could call this a season...

[Parker]

How has it run up there the past 2 days? We are missing the temps by just a littel here,,,,,,,,,,,,,,BUT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I havent seen any frogs yet,,,,,You?

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Parker,
My trees have seen to have dried up, if I collected 100 gal in the past few days I would have drown in it (not likely, I,m still here).. The forester that helps me, keeps saying my trees have not let go, he says the 100 gal I have made is from the sap that wintered in the top of the tree which has thawed, but the roots where the starch is stored is still frozen, I hope he is rite.. Its bad enough here that my wife asked me if I should call the suacide hotline tonight. of course that would be no fun how could I feel bad for myself.. I hope it breaks soon, best of luck to a strong finish to all.

Andy

[Homestead Maple]

Where my trees are, in Waterville Valley at 2,000 feet elevation, there's still 2 feet of snow and if you look around the base of the trees the ice from the earlier ice storms of the winter, is still frozen to the base of the trees. I agree with the forester, the base of the trees are still to cold for sap to run very much in locations where there's still a fair amount of snow still around. NHMaple48 still has a lot of snow in his woods in Dorchester, NH and his runs have been marginal also. This week looks promising though.

[TDVT]

We just do our 40 or so with buckets but it's only just started running much here in Greensboro in the last week. We kind of kept tabs on what others were getting & while we started alot later, it doesn't look like we missed much.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I had a small, and I mean small run(300 gal) today, that beats the hell out of the 100 I collected sat and sun combined... The sugar content has jumped back up to 2.5 from 1.8 also... could this be the start foe me??? lets hope so..

[white mt]

Vally veiw Im do east of you in thornton nh. We are in what I would call the snow belt this year . 50 miles or so wide path had a ton of snow this winter as you know. Im way off as well on my syrup totels but 40 miles to the south of me it sound as if things went well this year. I hope we can both salvege somthing from this season be for its over. Im still looking for my first good run.I feel your pain this season. I wish you the best .

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

well we had a good freze last night, looks like it is going to warm up again today, lets all hope for a good run. I think there is still time if the weather continues to cooperate...

[white mt]

It dose look and sound like we should have a good run today.I will know in a few hrs after work how things look.I used to think I new alot about sap flow .This year has humbled me.

[Homestead Maple]

Looks good today Dan. Releaser was dumping every 4 mins. or less at lunch time when I checked. Weather is still promising for the rest of the week. Sap will probably run all night Weds. from the looks of the forecast.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Have you had the really slow start there also?? Is this the best run this year for you??

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

well the flow is getting better, I had about 800 gal yesterday, that is the best flow of the season for me.. Froze again last night and hopefully we will gain on it again today...

[Parker]

How many gallons have you made?

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I am sitting at about 150 for the year, started fancy went down through the grades to b, and now I am back up to med amber... alls I can hope is that the weathger holds..

[white mt]

I have come to a stand still with sap flow even with the temps right no flow just a trickle that adds up to nothing. I have snow up over me knees in the woods still. I wonder what to think at this point? The last boil I had I was making med syrup only, and that was the second time. I tapped march 5th do you guys think My taps are drying out or is this becuse of my high snow depth .Its never opened up yet to me .I have not had a run of over 100 gal in a 24hrs this year with over 800 taps. I agree with your forester friend vally veiw.Thanks for any input .Dan

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Hang in there my friend, I was at a standstill on sat and sunday, then monday I had 300 gal, yesterday about 800, so it seems stuff is starting to thaw.. I tapped on the 8th of march and I would find it hard to beleive that the holes are drying up yet.. I started to have a run today, then the wind kicked up and it shut off... maybe in the next day or 2 all hell will break loose for all of us...

[VT maple maker]

I hope your right Andy. I havent had a run of over 230 gallons in a day yet. Im only up to about 16 gallons of syrup so far. Mostly A Dark, but today i actually pulled off B. I cant seem to get fancy for some reason unknow to me. Hopefully things really kick off soon and we have a good season. Im starting to get a little nervous it might be over before it really begins so im crossing my fingers!!

Kyle

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

no freze last night, but the wind fineally stopped, hoping the sap started running during the night (not very likely) if not we will wait until tomorrow and see what happens..

[Homestead Maple]

Tuesday and Weds. were good for me. A little over a gallon per tap for sap, on vacuum. Made light Tues., very good Med. Weds. The ice at the base of the trees hasn't fully melted back yet and at least 2 feet of snow.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Well the fat lady has sung.... looks like all that is left is to pull taps and clean up... Worst year ever for me, I had one good run early this week, when the trees fineally thawed, now we are done freezing at night. Learned alot this year, and need to hit some tubing problems hard.. Hoping for no snow until January next year, I have seen enough of that for about 2 years now.. I hope it melts in the bush in the next week or 2, there was still knee deep snow there yesterday.. I am going to build a exstension handle for my spout remover today, I have taps that are over 8' in the air now that the snow has melted...

[hookhill]

Yes it was an off year for us as well. We mananged to make 115 gallons but it was a fight. We ended up buying 600 gallons of sap which helped. Ended up using all of our wood anyway. Next year is going to be huge!!

[VT maple maker]

It wasnt a very good year for any of us i dont think. I made about 26 or 27 gallons off 210 taps. Not bad for my first time with a real sugar house and arch but i wish it could have been better. On the upside, i cut a ton of wood for this season and i didnt even use a quarter of it, by next year it will be prime wood for boiling at about 2 years dried.

Kyle

[white mt]

It never opened up for me. It was the worst year I have had as well.To much snow. we had the jack pot this year on a record year of snow. In this area a slice of about 60 miles wide from north -south from maine -vt.

[maplecow]

The year is over, and it was a great season for us. We tapped 69 trees and pushed out close to 14 gallons of mostly medium amber. The first run was a nice fancy, and then every thing after was darker, but a really sweet maple flavor to it. It was our first year inside the new sugar shack with our new refurbished 2x4 grimm barrel arch. Now it's clean up time!! We had a great time and hope you all did as well......Till next year!

[steve J]

Well I ended up getting off to slow start do to death in family and I threw out about 100 gallons of sap at the end because I had not time left for which I could boil it on my little 2x3. So in the end I made 6.25 gallons on 110 taps.

I hope to up grade to a 2x6 soon. As I have many more trees I could tap as well as i need to get speed up on the boiling as I need 8 hours just to boil 40 gallons currently.