Bigsap Warning 2009 [Archive] - Page 2

maplecrest

03-22-2009, 08:20 AM

well theron if could have gone wrong it did yesterday. it started off at 10 degrees in the am. once the sap started even with the cold wind it ran great. spent a lot of time on one releaser just tighting leaks. was freezing in the releaser. different ball game with the high vac.gonna take totally apart today and and soft seal all threads and change and double clamp all fittings. found out yesterday the white connectors got to go.then to the sugar house. every line even tho i drained still were froze in a spot somewhere. got r/o going and started boiling. truck came in with load, could not unload frozen in the line to tank. got that going started to draw off and air compresser would not work to run filter press. both draw off tanks level full got that going just in time.then i broke my hydometer that left me looking for another that worked. every thing i touched from that point have a malfuntion. then the r/o started leaking out the top of one of the membranes. bad valve. had anew brass on hand and got that fixed. so all in all with all that said i think that with the next few days looking cold that should give me a good shot to make some product later this week. at 1400 so far

PATheron

03-22-2009, 08:55 AM

Jeff- Weve been pretty much fighting the same battles. I guess thats sugaring. Once the early season passes it get a lot better. Its a miracle anyone makes any syrup really. I think Im about done. Hardly keep the syrup in the pans. Think I may hit 1100 today which Im pretty proud of the way the season is down here this year. Biggest thing I found with my vac this year is you have to keep the pump stone cold if you can. Its twice the pump literally and youll gain several inches of vac even with no leaks to speak of if the pump is cool. Good luck, hope you get your half gallon. Theron

PATheron

03-25-2009, 06:34 AM

Update from BIGSAP central- Just about cought up finally from all the sap. Main bush behing the house is slowing down but still running. A lot of those taps were put in in january so it seems pretty remarkable but is pretty much closely following the study that proctor research did about the early tapping. Bush across the road still seems very much alive and last good run day ran the tanks over with over a gallon per tap. Struggling now to process the stuff through the evaperator. Foams terrable. Last night had to quit. Going to try tonight to work it through with the pans deep and the fire low. Making full blown mersh now and Im new to it becouse Ive never kept going to the end and if I can work it through I want to becouse a barrell of the stuff may pay my yearly electric bill for the shed. Im somewhere between 11 and 1200 gallons now and Im kind of hoping to hit 1200 but have to see. I have 3600 taps on the pump and that includes the cull tree stand Plus I have like a 150 buckets that we havent kept up on so if I hit the 1200 Id be close to a third which Im really happy with becouse it looks to me like the gravity guys have only had two real good runs. Whatever it is Ive tapped every tree readily available to me, tapped early to get it all, ran high vac all season, worked through the night and worked the equipment hard and mostly havent lost any of it on the ground. Dad and I have given it 100% all season and Im darn proud of what weve done and the syrup weve made and consider the season a big success. ( No matter what we do any year Im considering it a big success, your happier that way). Hope everyone is having fun. Ill soon be done. Theron

Thompson's Tree Farm

03-25-2009, 06:44 AM

Sap Czar,
I am having the same boil/foam problems. Front pan goes right over the top before I can get the flue pan boiling much at all. Took it off and cleaned it Monday but last night it was little better, De Foaming constantly and I don't like it. Hard freeze for the past several days and the pump lines have been a real head ache. Been hauling sap I should be pumping. Rest of week looks like lows near 30 so that problem should go away and then it will only be trying to keep my head above the sap. I need more storage space...can you send the milk truck up here?????????????
Doug

Russell Lampron

03-25-2009, 07:23 AM

The sap started flowing again here yesterday after a one day stoppage. This is the first time that I have gotten sap 13 days out of 14. Had some freeze ups Monday but everything thawed on its own yesterday. The thermometer said 41 but the cold north wind made it feel alot colder. I started to pull in sap around 11 am but it didn't really start flowing until 2 pm or so. Unlike Theron I pulled a bonehead move and pumped 600 gallons of 2.1% onto the ground. I really needed that to get my gallons of syrup per tap count up.

PATheron

03-25-2009, 07:55 AM

Russ- Weve had some losses too from honest mistakes like that. Dont feel bad at all. All you can do is your best and its hard not to make mistakes when your tired all the time. Doug- Wish I could let you use it but I dont have a truck and it isnt actually my trailer yet. If it was I would let you use it. Keep plugging, That foam is terreble, Im going to try tonight deeper pans and less fire. Thats what Matt told me to do. Good luck buddy, Theron

KenWP

03-25-2009, 08:17 AM

Monday was the first day I had no sap what so ever also for a while and yesterday the trees just stated to wake up again. Today is supposed to be near 50 degrees and that usaually gets the trees hopping. I have this feeling that I have a good couple of weeks coming finally.

maplecrest

03-25-2009, 09:59 AM

THERON with that late season stuff is where you will wear your press out. i would just direct dump into drum and send. as for the foam issue. put the defoamer in the float box a good shot every time you walk by. and a shot where the sap enters the the front pans from the flue. dont worry about too much it is commm any why. if youy get it real close and get dont think you can get it off with out burning it take it off put in drum and send marked low denisity. all by the pound

Maplewalnut

03-25-2009, 10:38 AM

Have been having the same problems as everyone else.

I am running my syrup pan at 2.5 inches and the foaming is better but still happening. I hesitate to defoam probably as much as it would take to knock it down but may try a little more tonight.
I also have been dumping right into a corny soda barrel for the last couple days. Still making B grade but boy is it full of crap. I figure, I'll let it settle out and then filter it without distrubing the sludge on the bottom.

Keep plugging away Theron, this is just icing on th cake and a little extra to pay the bills. Nice job this year.

Mike

Jeff E

03-25-2009, 02:02 PM

Just checking in and it is fun to see what is happening out east. We are waiting for the big month of April here in NW Wisconsin.

Have made a couple of barrels worth, but waiting on the big runs to come. I am still adding trees whenever I can. I just picked up some more tubing and want to get to 300 more trees before next week. Wish me luck!

Also, I bit the bullet and bought a Wes Fab 7" full bank. I hope to send it on its maden voyage tomorrow night.

All the syrup made so far is Dark Amber. We still have frost in the ground up here so the best is yet to come (I hope).

CDL RO is working great. It if really something fun to make syrup when you have to constantly watch the draw of pail because it may overflow in a matter of minutes!

Parker

03-26-2009, 07:17 AM

TTHH(LONGHAULSUGARKING)- put a scoop across the top of every till,,the foam will hit the scoops then drop down,,and like MAPLECREST said put the defoamer right to it,,dont smoke a pan,,,,**** GOOD JOB!!!!! IMPRESSIVE!!

KenWP

03-26-2009, 08:33 AM

Today might be the last of my so called big run untill tuesday or wensday now. Night time temps are supposed to stay above zero again for a few days. The way it works around here trees just start to produce and then it warms up for a couple of days and then freezes solid.

PerryW

03-26-2009, 09:32 AM

Ken,

That's exactly what they are doing for me too. Certainly, the weather forecast does NOT look ideal, but I would expect to get a better run today than yesterday and it should run overnight and into friday, since the trees are primed and ready. Then we jst have to wait out a couple warm days and hope the weathermen are wrong about the NO freeze.

If you do NOT get 100 gallons from your 100+ taps between right now and Friday afternoon, I would think something is wrong.

You aren't tapping those telephone poles are you?

Russell Lampron

03-26-2009, 09:06 PM

Put the defoamer to it. I have switched back to the Atmos 300 after using canola oil for a few years. I am still running my front pan at 1" and I put a small squirt of defoamer into the float box for the flue pan and keep that up while I am boiling. I'm not having problems with the front pan foaming up anymore.

Revi

03-26-2009, 09:31 PM

The guy I do the sugarhouse with went up today to visit a big operation up north. He said that they had 45,000 taps that all fed into a giant sugarhouse with 6" lines strung on to cables. He said that the amount coming in today was incredible. The RO took it all down, and they boil it down on two 5x12 foot evaporators, both going at the same time!

They turned out 250 gallons just in the couple of hours they were there.

The RO takes it down to around 15% and it feeds the evaporators in a giant stream, not like the trickle coming into our floats.

He took a snowmobile ride up into the sugarbush and it was an immense bowl of pure maples which pump out the sap on a day like today. Blue skies, snow and silvery sugar maple trees, all the way up the mountain until it turns to softwoods.

He said they were turning out light syrup, and it got lighter as they boiled.

It sounds like sugarmakers nirvana.

PATheron

03-27-2009, 06:17 AM

BIGSAP UPDATE- Pretty much hanging things up I think down here. Shut the pump off last night for the first time in a month at least. January taps still running although at about half speed. Feb taps running good. Just cant get the sap worked through the evap. Foams up so bad I burnt my syrup pans two nights in a row. Had enough last night and went to bed for the entire night. I think if I had twice the ro I could go futher into this late stuff by working it up that night and boiling it but Ill have to wait to next year to find out. Right now Ive got 1150 gallons of syrup in the barrell off of 3600 taps on the pump and 150 buckets that weve only had time to dump a couple times. Im actually pretty close to a third on the pump so Im really happy with that considering the year here. Im hearing that the gravity guys in my area have had a terreble year with only two good runs really. Now if I had two columns for my ro I think I would have gone over the third maybe quite a bit so that tells me Ive found my bottom number for the bad year and thats about a third. Good year should do the half. Probly a good thing I didnt get any more sap becouse I never could have kept up. Next year I want to have 1200 gallon ro and then Ill be loaded for bear. Real happy with the year, had a lot of fun, learned a ton. Good luck to everyone still goin. Thee(sap so scanky cant do anything with it)roon

Parker

03-28-2009, 12:57 AM

Buy some junk pans, or run the ones you smoked AND BOIL MAN BOIL,,,you will be JONESING in a couple of weeks,,,

PATheron

03-29-2009, 07:56 AM

Guys- IM BACK IN THE SADDLE!!! The other day I had burnt my pans for the second time in a row trying to make that stuff. Got fed up and was going to go open the gatevalves on everything and give up, only reason I didnt was I was too tired to walk down to the tanker. Had 9000 gallons of sap. Went to bed and slept 8 hours and changed my mind. Figured out how to do it. I was forced to concentrate a head tank during the night becouse Im out of vacation and boil it next day. Just cant to that. Have to boil as Im doing it. Other thing is I was taking the first draw off wide open and thats when I was burning the pans. If I boil as I concentrate and run the syrup pans real deep no prob. I started friday night and did a 12 hour shift till 5 in the morning and running the evap and the ro at the same time I can do 3000 gallons in that time. Yesterday did another 12 hour 3000 gallon shift and Im going out right now and doing another one. Got about 4500 gallons left becouse the sap keeps running somehow. The January taps the other day ran without a freeze 1000 gallons on 2600 taps. So its not crazy but it does keep coming. Anyone wants to tap early they should read the proctor research papers becouse my taps have mirrored thier experiance. Anyway, now Im over 1200 and Im going to try to hit 1300. I think I can. Im going through a ton of wood but I think I have enough to do it. I cant believe how much Ive learned this year. Just when you think you know what your doing you learn something new. Never tried to make the mersh before. Ive always quit but this is good bill paying money if I can keep cranking it through. Ill keep you guys posted. Season is about over here though unless you retap I think and Im derfinitely not doing that. Had all the sap I want to see for a while. Thee(making mersh so dark you could run your car engine on it)rooon.

Parker

03-29-2009, 09:16 AM

TTHH(NOSLEEPTILL4THOFJULY)RROONN-NICE!!,,,I had to open up a can of *ALLNIGHTBOIL* last night,,,,started at 8 done at 4,,barrell filled....need some cold up here...

PATheron

03-29-2009, 04:03 PM

Parrr(so much wood they could make toilet paper for the nation for a year)ker- 1250 in the barrell still have sap. All tired out going to hit it again tomarrow night. Thee(butt draggin on the ground like a dog with worms)roon

Parker

03-29-2009, 08:14 PM

TTHHH(A+FOREXTRAEFFORT)RROOONNN--Throw a package of hot dogs in each till of your syrup pan,,that will keep it down,,,,,,anyone herd from dave Y?

PATheron

03-30-2009, 06:44 AM

BIGSAP UPDATE NORTHEAST PA- Slept 9 hours last night everything seems possable now. Stats- 4500 gallons of sap in the tanks, R.O. running, firewood being delivered tonight, sap maybe around 1.5%. Gonna try to get it in the barrell. Been a little hard on syrup pans but gotta do what gotta do. Took one membrane down but probly be fine once I send it in. All in all one heck of an interesting season. Gonna keep going till I see leaves. Hope you northern boys get the BIGSAP till may. Thee(rested up and ready to make more mersh)rooon. :lol:

KenWP

03-30-2009, 08:31 AM

I would guess I had my big sap already.Small chances of freezeing weather from now on and we all know that with warm weather comes buds and I would have no use for buddy sap around here as I can't sell any syrup.I only had one day where I had full buckets on a lot of trees but sure was neat to empty them out and see the 5 gallon pails fill up fast.

PerryW

03-30-2009, 09:51 AM

Ken,

The weather forecast does NOT look good, but don't call the over just yet. There are people who are still producing 200 miles south of you. By the sounds of your sap totals, your maples run like my coldest tank, which has only had one half-decent run.

As long as we don't have a bunch of sunny 60 degree weather, the Maples will hold out 2 or more weeks.

PATheron

03-31-2009, 10:14 PM

Bigsap Update- Still making fine quality mersh. Sap has gone from what appears to be 2% milk to whole milk and hoping to hit cottage cheese before Im done. Very proud of myself mastering this important part of sugaring. Boo-y my oldest boy was out to the shed other night so I thought Id hand down my new found talents to the next generation. He wondered what stunk so bad and I expained to him the importance of making high quality mersh, "MONEY" yeah baby, 25 buckaroos per gallon. Good enough reason for anyone. Him and I cranked up the outlaw country and really spent some quality time together. Mom says I get along with the kids so good becouse their mentallity and mine are pretty close. Think thats a compliment. Anyway still running. Ill be darned if last night it hit about 31 degrees and the sugarhouse taps which are the oldest, second week of Jan started tapping them in, ran 1000 gallons today on 2600 taps. I think thats pretty amazing. Ones across the road ran 900 on 900 taps. What the heck gonna keep going. I wonder if the high vac is keeping the trees from leafing out. Maybe its sucking the leaves back in and Ill be able to go to May or June. Better get Proctor down here. Maybe I can get them up to speed. Good luck to all, make tons. Thee(so much vac the trees dont know what the heck is goin on)rooon. :mrgreen:

3rdgen.maple

04-01-2009, 02:34 AM

I just figured out why this year has been so bad as far a sap quantity. Theron is sucking it all they way to pa. Can you please shut that vac off or atleast turn it down a notch so I can get a little sap up here. Man I think even the river is getting lower. :rolleyes:

PATheron

04-01-2009, 06:23 AM

Should be off pretty soon. Dad keeps wanting to shut it off but I turn it back on. Theron

Dennis H.

04-01-2009, 06:55 AM

Hey theron it must be something with our trees down here. The other day I took a walk in the woods and found a lot of the trees that I tapped still running, large wet streak down the tree.
Now there wouldn't be enough to boil but they were still running, and we haven't had a cold night for at least a week.
Oh yeah I tapped some trees the last week in Jan and the rest I tapped in Feb 6th.

It still amazes me how we can what we do.

KenWP

04-01-2009, 08:07 AM

Well after last nights frost and the temp already approaching 40 I am hopefully in for a lot of sap today. I might have to go buy more bottles yet after today. Anybody have a strong back that wants to pop by about 6 tonight and carry 5 gallon pails.

PerryW

04-01-2009, 09:40 AM

Got down to 28 deg F here in Lyman/Littleton NH, Not really cold enough for a good run. The ice in the puddles was less than 1/4" thick so I suspect we will get just a small run today. However, the good buckets are running 2-4 drips per second so....... just maybe?!.

Dumped the little bit of yellow sap in the buckets and washed out the 600 gal. SS. tank to keep the grade up this morning.

Supposed to be 60 tomorrow, and no freeze in sight soooooo????.

Boy, am I glad I'm only doing this as a hobby. It would be to frustrating to be trying to make a living on this. Hopefully today will put me close to 80 gallons which will at least beat my worst year of 72 gallons.

But, I'm gonna hang on till the peepers start singing (and their ponds are still frozen).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

markcasper

04-01-2009, 12:37 PM

That a boy Theron. You are experiencing the fine art of Mersch making. Why does mersch not come up in the dictionary??

When terms as "stink, stench, cottage cheese start showing up, then you will be done in the next 4-5 days is my guess. Watch the curds and whey sap very carefully! Last year I had 1000 gallons of that 9PM, By 9 am the next morning, it had developed pan soaking namonia. It was useless for boiling. Get it ran through pronto!!

PATheron

04-01-2009, 06:56 PM

Boiled another 1500 tonight. Been doing that everyday. Sap ran today 1000 gallons off the whole 3600. No freeze in sight for a week. Im thinkin I might be almost done. Gotta couple more 1500 gallon evenings and that might be about it. Keep ya posted. Pretty well had my fill of it anyway. Theeeeron

PATheron

04-01-2009, 08:50 PM

:) Looks like Im probly about done down here in Bigsap country so Im going to give you guys a rundown on the season excitement as it happened. Thought a lot about it before I did it but started tapping in second week of January. Pretty much have run the vac pump steady ever since. Matt and Russ came down and helped me get the bushes nice and tight and got me started boiling. Jerry and Mike came down the next weekend and made some huge improvements on my evaperator and my R.O. All the help I got from all four of my friends was invaluable and I cant thank them enough. Took me 4 weekends to tap everything in. Ended up with 3600 taps on the pump. A lot of them are super nice trees. Some of them are very small cull trees in the young stand. Also in the mix across the road I put in 150 taps that are tubed right but none of the mainline is on wire just laid on the ground. Also on that bunch is a 70 tap lateral I just used 5/16 on to use it up and hooked it on the mainline. The lateral is 1000 feet long. Real cool to watch. Flows like crazy. Totally wrong but what the heck I was having fun and out of time. Also put out around 150 buckets I think. Anyway thats the taps. Got a lot of sap becouse of a lot of runs. Only had a couple times got huge runs. Had a couple days got 5000 gallon on a daylight day without the buckets. Seemed to usually be around 6000 gallons behind after started getting the big runs but it usually didnt sit long enough to get too bad. Once it ran like that could not keep up with the ro and had to pretty much destroy the membrane to get the sap into barrells. Had to give up on it and called cdl and they overnighted me and back in business. Just had to run it for so long at a time I think its pretty well clogged up. Boils were easy most of the season. Recirced the sap normally to 20%, fill headtank, take off 20 gallons per hour. Usually make around 80 gallons. Had virtually no time to keep the woods up but did maintain high vac. Had to do some work to keep the pump cool. At some times I ran the coolant loops through my row boat and cut ice chunks out of my pond with the chainsaw and threw them in. Baby sat the releaser across the road every morning. Sometimes take it out and back to the house to unfreeze it. Got up every 4 hours max in the night to rinse ro unless I was pumping sap at night then every 2.5 hours. Thats pretty much the story. Made an honest 1300 in the barrells right now and probly will be another 50 when its said and done. Had a hard time mastering boiling the mersh. Got mad one night and was going to hang it up and dumped 3000 gallons and thought better of it and kept going on. Dumped an evaperator worth of syup and and 20% sap becouse of R.O. soap but didnt think twice about it. Right thing to do. All in all such an all consuming season Im not even sure I can believe its over. Hope you guys like the story. Cant wait till next year. Theee(bigsap junky)rooon.

Parker

04-01-2009, 08:57 PM

far out sugaring coolness

HudsonHawk

04-01-2009, 10:44 PM

Well, I for one have really enjoyed following the stories on this thread. It's great for a newbie like myself see the struggles, and triumphs of people that have a lot more going on than me. This is only our second year of boiling, and we only had 30 taps this year, 12 of which didn't produce enough to make tears for a mouse!
We ended up with 2.5 gallons this year of really great stuff. We didn't have to work REAL hard for it, other than staying up late a few Saturday nights. We just didn't have enough heat. If things go right, we may have an evaporator next year, but time and the economy will tell.
I have especially loved watching the Theron saga unfold....gave me a few laughs, scared me a little too!
Thanks to all who share on this board, your info is invaluable to guys like me!!! Hudson(barely enough sap to make a cup of coffee)Hawk

I'll be putting up some pics of this year soon..........

KenWP

04-01-2009, 11:32 PM

Well had my big sap for the year today. Every tree ran some more then others and collected about 80 gallons of sap. The weather man says theres no chance of anymore cold weather so will wait it out untill bud break and then start washing up. Have a bit of boiling to do starting tomorrow.

Thompson's Tree Farm

04-02-2009, 05:53 AM

Theron,
Best part of story is "can't wait til next year"
Doug

PATheron

04-02-2009, 06:16 AM

Im a nut. Theron

Sugarmaker

04-02-2009, 11:25 PM

BIG T,
Cheryl thinks I have a problem!

Next year! Right ON!

Wow that's a lot of syrup you produced!

Chris

PATheron

04-03-2009, 06:22 AM

Chris- I have mixed feelings about the season. Im really happy with the syrup Ive produced. Im not even close to my ratio of last year but I knew going in that I probly wouldnt hit that with the cull trees and buckets etc so that doesnt bother me one bit. I was after volume this year and I got that for sure. My mixed feeling is one of elation that it is all most over and actually a little sadness like what happens now. Ive been totally consumed with this since last fall when I started running the more taps. Im talking I dont care about anything else. I am totally consumed. Guess you have to be to be willing to do everything involved. Ill be darned if it ran about 1700 gallons yesterday again. My main bush is really slowing down. Maybe 700 on 2600 taps but across the road on the north bush it ran a gallon per tap again. Looks like no freeze till first of the week then some good weather. I think they may keep going. What Im doing now is pretty easy. I pump up 1500 gallons to the sugarhouse at night. Put it on recirc in the morning and have my mom kick it off at 1pm. Then I get home and shoot it in the headtank. Takes two hours to boil and I make about 20 gallons of syrup. Been doing this everyday for a week. Gonna just keep doing that. Sap is real bad of course. It runs right to the top of the pans and even slops over the side. I through some butter at it now and then and just let it make a mess. Get it to density and in the barrell. As long as I can do that Im going to. What if that stuff is worth 4$ this fall. thats 800$ a night. Seems rediculous but what the heck. I have a lot of money in equipment and its all dirty anyway. My pretty wife came out last night and just couldnt believe the smell. I told her Parker says you gotta WANNNNNNN IT, and, THERES NO SUCH THING AS QUESTIONABLE SAP! Parkers a very wise sugar maker and kind of a hero to me so I try too pay attention to his wisdom. On the barrell now thatll make 1350. Gonna try to fill it and if it keeps running next week Ill see if I can hit 1400. I dont think itll happen but what the heck never know. Theee( yuck, this stuff smells!)rooon:mrgreen:

KenWP

04-03-2009, 07:17 AM

I might have a problem now. It froze last night again. If it set up the trees like it usually does I will have sap coming out my ying yang.

Jeff E

04-03-2009, 10:00 AM

help this ignoramous out...

Mersh, what is it used for? Who buys it?

Where did that name come from?

So it goes something like this?:
Fancy
Light amber A
Medium amber A
Dark amber A
B
Commercial
Road tar
Mersh

maplwrks

04-03-2009, 12:48 PM

Mersh=Pennsylvania Fancy

mapleack

04-03-2009, 01:13 PM

Now Mike, you shouldn't pick on an entire state just because we make the best syrup!

PATheron

04-03-2009, 01:24 PM

Jeff- fancy, light, medium, dark, b, commercial, roadtar, mersh, what Im making now. Theeeron

Jim Brown

04-03-2009, 01:55 PM

Yeh don't pick on the whole state -some of us made HIGH GRADE mersh this year!

Thompson's Tree Farm

04-03-2009, 03:17 PM

It is my understanding that true MERSH can only be produced in the fine State of Maine:)

tuckermtn

04-03-2009, 06:50 PM

comMERSHal grade syrup- and yes I believe a certain producer in Buxton ME has a lock on the Mersh market...

802maple

04-03-2009, 07:31 PM

That Buxton wanna be sugarmaker has a new toy now. No more Mersh for him, gonna leave it all up to Theee( making syrup so dark that when compared to black it makes it look white)ron.

PATheron

04-04-2009, 09:07 AM

BIGSAP UPDATE- Boiled again last night. Put ro on recirc and went to work. Must of run it a little to long. Got home and my 1500 gallons of sap was pretty much gone. Checked it with my 10% refractometer and the screen was blank. Got out the big guy that goes to 30 and it was at 28%. Wow, not a lot of boiling to that stuff. Boiled that and some other up. Cant keep it in the pan now at all. Actually used 4 whole sticks of butter boiling last night and still had about the same amount of quality product coming over the side of the evaperator as came out the draw off valve. Might have to think about quitting soon. Got a little left to go to finish this barrell and then might have to do a scene assessment or have a round table with 802 to see if Im missing any tricks or if its time to hang it up. Gonna go to an association pancake breakfast with dad this morning and a bunch of fellow producers and trade some lies. Keep you posted. Still going. Theee(cant keep the stuff in the pans)rooon. :lol:

Sugarmaker

04-04-2009, 09:32 AM

Theron,
Nice to follow your BIG sap posts. I guess I DONT WANT IT THAT BAD!:) cant keep it in the pan. No wonder if you ran it in the RO any longer you wouldnt have to boil at all!:) Save the boiling just put the 28% sap in with some mersh call it low density and sell it by the pound!
1400 gallons ! wow nice year for you and what a lot of work and time you have put into it too!
Were you able to look those pancakes in the face at the breakfast with your dad?
Regards,
Chris

PATheron

04-04-2009, 03:37 PM

Chris- We had a real nice breakfast and had fun visiting with everyone. Took the day off today and rode 4 wheeler around the woods with the kids and shot pop cans in the pond. Just having a fun day off. I didnt mean to do the 28% thing. Kind of a mistake. Didnt think the stuff would go that high. Got another 1500 gallons to boil in the morning and Im all cought up. Im just wondering with freezes starting again tonight if the bush across the road will run more. Might not matter if it wont stay in the pans. Gotta quit sometime. Need to clean up all the mess. Terreble. Theron

caseyssugarshack93

04-04-2009, 04:41 PM

Low 20's at night and mid 40's during the day should get some FLOOD RUNNSSS SOOON !!!!!!

WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER

04-05-2009, 08:08 AM

Theron,

Can you slow the fire down a little under the pans and help keep it in the pans some vs burning it as hard as you can??

danno

04-05-2009, 07:36 PM

Theron,

Can you slow the fire down a little under the pans and help keep it in the pans some vs burning it as hard as you can??

Towards the end, everytime I fired I added defoamer where the sap enters the flue pan as some have suggested. Had alot of success with this. Kept the boil in check and had my most consistent draws of the season. Than again, I'm not boiling 28% sap in my flue pan.

PATheron

04-05-2009, 08:10 PM

You guys are right about less fire. I have been doing that. Pretty much boiling with the draft door shut and I have been running the pans deeper and only concentrating to 9 or 10%. That 28% really was a mistake. Real shocker, pretty funny though. I think its that the sap now is just to where its pretty unmanagable. Its real cloudy right from the tree and by the time its R.O'd it looks like milk and smells like vinigar. Its got so no amount of butter will keep it in the pans. Time to pull the plug. Just hated to stop with sap still running but I guess it gets like that. Never tried to go this long. Theron

mountainvan

04-05-2009, 09:01 PM

What does the finished product taste like, or have you not been brave enough to try it.

PATheron

04-06-2009, 05:28 AM

Van- I havent dared. Its to density and it came from a maple tree and thats about all I can say about it. Theron

Parker

04-06-2009, 06:19 AM

Last year I made some pretty special stuff at the end of the season,,,I dipped my finger in it and tried a SMALL tast,,,,pretty nasty,,,,,brought over to Bascomes,,as they were weighing it Bruce came along,,I told him it wasent the greatest tasting stuff,,he took out a turky baster, FILLED it, and as I was saying NOOOOO,,he squeezed the whole thing out in his mouth and sucked it down,,,,,,,,thought I was going to Barf,,,,he looked right at me and said "not the worst tasting stuff I have ever tried",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,GAG,,,,I would not want to be a syrup taster over there this time of year!!!

Jerome

04-06-2009, 06:31 AM

we seem to have a reprieve here in central Ontario it might never end. No buds and it looks like winter is back for the next week or so.

KenWP

04-06-2009, 08:07 AM

Budding should slow down here also. I have to put winter cloths back on and they have 15 degrees forecast for night time temps here this week.

Amber Gold

04-08-2009, 10:17 AM

I'm also wondering what they use Mersh for. People keep asking me and my best answer is it's used in anything with maple flavoring. I don't know for sure. Does anybody know?

PerryW

04-08-2009, 10:49 AM

I always thought they add an eyedropper of Mersh to the fake syrup so they can call it Maple.

Also, they use it to flavor chewing tobacco. Probably for maple-flavored bacon too.

PerryW

04-08-2009, 02:54 PM

Looks like we may get some sap today after a 6 day break. The bucket near my house is running pretty good, so I expect around 200 gallons to boil tonight.

Looks like some more cold nights ahead so things look good for a few days.

KenWP

04-08-2009, 04:01 PM

ennismaple

04-08-2009, 06:09 PM

Help. I have buckets over flowing almost already. Its not all that warm and they are pouring sap like it was 50 degrees out side. Finally. I have all my taps moved to the old sugar bush I found and running today.

That's frightening. You're at the same latitude as we are and the temp is the same right now. It may be a long day tomorrow!!!

caseyssugarshack93

04-08-2009, 07:32 PM

been freezing up hard for the last two days and SNOW didint get that warm today or yesterday and 20's at night and for the rest of t he week and 40's during the day BIGGGGGG SAPPP coming hopfuly and alot of syrup

ennismaple

04-08-2009, 10:52 PM

That's frightening. You're at the same latitude as we are and the temp is the same right now. It may be a long day tomorrow!!!

MONSOOOOON SAAAAAAP UPDATE: My cousing who helps run pumps and gather when we're not able to be in the bush started the pumps for us at 1:00 p.m. One of our bushes with 650 taps and a 500 gallon Zero tank (I know, it's too small!) ran over in 3 hours!!!! We think the Surge 22 pump's OK. The rest of our tanks are also almost full. We've got well over 2,000 gallons waiting for us tomorrow morning and he pumps have been shut off because we're worried the tanks will run over and ruin a pump. The biggest problem we have right now is not enough storage for syrup!!! I likely need to buy another 3 drums tomorrow or we'll be putting syrup in a stocker tank until we find more drums! Trust me - I'm not complaining... this is the season I've waited for my whole life!

KenWP

04-08-2009, 11:26 PM

Looks good here for the weekend for me too. I might have long arms carrying 5 gallon pails but it beats not haveing anything to do. Hard work never killed anybody.

PerryW

04-09-2009, 12:05 AM

I'm still hoping for a good freeze tonight but the temp. is only down to 31 now and too windy.

Took off a couple gallons on Grade A dark amber tonight (still no grade B!) for a total of 88 gallons (88% full crop). .

The next week will make the difference between an average year or a good (great?) year.

PATheron

04-09-2009, 05:19 AM

Ennis- GO BUDDY, GOOOOOO!!!!!!!! You guys are due. YOU GUYS ARE MAKIN HISTORY, BROTHER!!!! Thats what Parker would say. Make a ton buddy, Theron

KenWP

04-09-2009, 07:42 AM

I might be in trouble because when I go up this morning my trees in the yard were running already or maybe still is what I am scared of. I might, maybe, could be, hopefully be swamped today. If so its what I have waited all march for. Might have to haul if over to Ennis to boil as he wants lots to boil also.

ennismaple

04-09-2009, 10:46 AM

Gonna be a BIIIIG day today. Luckily I found some drums I can borrow or we would have been putting syrup in a 100 gallon stocker tank by supper time! No report from my brother yet on how the sap and sugar content looks but we should push a lot of golden brown through the finishing pan today.

KenWP

04-09-2009, 02:30 PM

Well if I boil to midnight I should be almost caught up to yesterdays sap. Today I had buckets full at 9 already . It had to have froze since they had ice in them. I have had to empty a couple already again and it looks like it will be my biggest day yet and that's with looseing my silver maples which gave me half my sap. Had to take the taps off the birchs as I won't have time to boil the sap I have already let alone any more. If it feezes tonight I might need another evaporator to catch up.
Now this is what I figured sugaring was supposed to be.

Jeff E

04-09-2009, 03:04 PM

NW Wisconsin is in it up to our eye brows as well. We are hitting 45 to 50 during the day and freezing at night.

We are getting solid gallon+ per tap per day everyday for the last 10 days, and it looks like it will carry through the weekend.

I am at about 1/3 gallon of syrup per tap now, and have only made grade A syrup. Lots of sugar sand lately, foaming like mad. I will have about 2400 gallons to process tonight.

It looks like it may be a max year for north american syrup production. I hope Canada fill up some reserve and keeps things moderated!!!
Either that, or Theron and Ennis can sit on their syrup for a while, that should keep the market high!!!

Anyone excited for next year yet?

ennismaple

04-09-2009, 08:41 PM

Anyone excited for next year yet?

Does wishing this year would end count?

PATheron

04-10-2009, 12:23 AM

Holy cow Jeff. What a great year for you. Keep going on all the mersh you can and make a half gallon. Id of kept going but just couldnt keep it in the pan. I think If I could have single shot the stuff right into the evap I think I could have gone longer. Next year Im going to have some more equipment and see if I cant do that. Im really happy for you after all the work you did to see you make so much syrup. Theron

PerryW

04-10-2009, 01:57 AM

My 75 taps at 1200' elevation has their best day of the season so far yesterday (thursday), but my lower elevation 675 taps (900' elevation) ran only 200 gallons

Russell Lampron

04-10-2009, 06:41 AM

Reamed some tap holes yesterday and have got better than half of my taps flowing again. Going to finish reaming before it starts to run again today and should have BIGSAP by tonight.

It is clear to see that the trees like having something new in the tap hole. My new section of woods was the only section that was still running until yesterday. I had already decided that I am going to replace the drops in my old section of woods for next year. The proof is in the releaser I could have made it to the end without reaming if I had something new in the tap holes right from the start.

maplecrest

04-10-2009, 06:58 AM

got the big sap last nite. started at 3 pm and it was like a fire hose. by 11.30 pm a had 155 gallons in drums. my new woods 1665 taps were running 500 gallons sap per hour. 4200 gallons that was 2.5 gallons of sap per tap in 8-1/2 hours. and those trees are all reds. the frogs were out in the pool i cool the pump. very different to see that and get that volume. no freeze last nite so will slow down today. ended boil with med amber.

KenWP

04-10-2009, 08:00 AM

We had some kind of frost last night again so should get some kind of sap today.If I do it would be the first time I got sap 3 days in a row.Two is the best I have done all season and its supposed to get really cold tonight so I should be swamped by tommorrow night.

PerryW

04-10-2009, 01:07 PM

Saw this in the news today.

4/10/2009 UPC- Toronto - NASA Scientists Puzzled Over Gas Cloud

NASA Scientists were puzzled yesterday by unusual gas clouds over an area of southern Quecec yesterday. The ERDATZ Global Mapping Satellite, launched by NASA in 2005, was performing a standard mapping run when it detected the unusual gas clouds. While the satellite was originally designed to map forest types and land use patterns, NASA has been studying weather phenomenon over the last six months and has been mapping North America for a NOAA Weather model.

After a field visit by NASA personnel, the gas clouds we traced to a new Maple Syrup producer in the small town of Ayer's Cliff, Quebec. While the producer's name has been withheld pending investigation, authorities have stated that the producer has a small operation of just over 100 taps, and a homebuilt setup with stainless steel pots.

"It appears that the unusually high volume sap runs, combined by the boiling of Box Elder Sap and the sap of various maple trees contributed to the phenomenon", said NASA Spokesman Nick Tubin.

Several small tornados were also spawned by the massive sap clouds which caused damage in several sugarbushes in nearby Newport Vermont. A spokesman for the Vermont Sugarmakers Association is considering civil charges against the Ayer's Cliff sugarmaker for the damage.