Seacoast Tapping

[Steam]

Pretty much tapped out here, 80 holes, half on tubing and the rest on buckets. The buckets are flowing much better than the tubing system with the temp situation the past few days. Boiled up a small batch to test out everything, cooked up 15 gal of 2.8% and made a nice batch of fancy for mom and the little one. Sugars ran hard today, reds seems to be a little slower. Big day tomorrow, my first collection using " an internal combustion engine", ahhhhh.
Good luck to all and be safe out in the bush.

Gregg

[lacewood]

Where abouts are you located?

I am in Kensington and am trying to decide when to tap, thinking that we will wait until the end of the month. Going to Bascoms tomorrow for supplies, and Sunday will be getting some wood ready and getting the homemade beast of an evaporator out of the woods.

Gordon

[jtthibodeau]

With those two warm days, My drill and bits were already on their way up the woods road without me! They noticed the nail holes leaking and, I had to tie them, as well as myself, up to the support post in the barn to prevent us from tapping! But, you can bet I'll be making sawdust with the next warm snap.

[Dill]

I've had 30 buckets out for a week now. I've collected about 15 gallons of sap in that time and only on the trees with heavy southern exposure, and there is no snow left under those trees. Its just too cold at night and by the time the spiles thaw there isn't much running weather.
I'll probably stick out another 20 or so buckets this weekend, I just can't stop myself.

[wcproctor]

I have 29 taped 10 on tubing and 12 on drop line in a bucket and 7 buckets and very little flow. the sugar maple is the big flow and the reds are not moving to quick. I will be taping about 20-30 more on Monday.In southern Mass. Good luck to all

[Amber Gold]

I got my pan, distribution box, and float box back today so I can get everything plumbed up and test fire. Provided I get the electrical done and a good test fire then I'll either tap this weekend or sometime during the week. Dill's close by and I'm glad to see I'm not missing much, although I am on vacuum and I wonder how much that would've helped.

[Steam]

Sounds like a lot of trees are going to get drilled this week-end. I'm looking to hang another dozen buckets on some roadside trees as soon as I get the green light from the owner. Looking at the forecast for next week, might get a strong run on Wednesday, we'll see. I had a lot of full buckets today, I think she ran most of the night. Used the yoke today to lug some buckets and not one car passed by to see how sugarmakers did it years ago, they will gey another chance soon.
Gregg

[Dill]

Only a couple of the big old sugar maples are doing much. Your right the reds aren't moving at all. How's the yoke? I was thinking about digging one up, I don't mind 1 trip up and down the hill with 2 full buckets but on heavy run days I get pretty slow on the 5 or 6th trip.

[jtthibodeau]

I'm tapped except for a few hangers. I needed to plug in the taps to check the operation of the, so called, new vac system. Seems to be working OK but, I have a feeling I'll need to triple check for leakage and work a couple of bugs out with a "normal" run.

The new pre-heater location, along with the new float switch and separate pump could use a shake down cruise also but, I think I'll wait for sap instead of H2O.

"Rube" would be proud. It's "Murphy" I'm more worrying about.........

[Amber Gold]

Looking at the extended forecast I think I'm going to wait until next weekend. Another cold snap coming in early in the week and then getting warm again. I have 350-500 so I can get those all tapped in a day when the weather turns.

[Steam]

Hey Dill,
The yoke is great, it is a touch slower to fill the pails from the buckets but I love it for trips up a slope. Sugars ran pretty good this afternoon when I collected, big ice in the buckets. Looking ahead we might get a GOOD run here later in the week. I'm hoping the red maples will start giving me some sap. Had a home owner come out and give me the green light on some big roadside trees on her property while I was collecting on her neighbors property, so that made my day. I'm looking a a dozen more taps into some 30" plus trees, should be some sweet sap.
Gregg

[Dill]

I still haven't got much of a run. Heading down hill to check 15 buckets and coming back with less than 5 gallons means I started way too early. But its giving me time to get setup. I found another 20 trees at my parents for buckets and I'm going to talk to the people who usually do the roadside trees about taking that part over, that would add another 40.
But this foot or so of heavy wet snow is going to slow me down.

[Steam]

Wow, you got a foot? That stinks, we picked up two inches and I'm happy that's all. Think positive, you all ready have some taps in that way when "big sap" happens you can catch it. Tomorrow I'll drill those big roadside trees and get those buckets up for the big run later in the week. Boiled 40 gal today, never again with the wind. Next time I'll hold it until better weather. I don't know what I was thinking to boil in a gale??? Lesson learned.

Gregg

[Dill]

Well winter is back with a vengence this morning. Looks like there might be a run thursday and friday, if not that's fine, I need to cut more wood anyway.

[Dill]

Not much of run yesterday, I'd like one today and tomorrow so I can do an intial shakedown run. Looks like we are going to get cold again next week. Put out another 20 buckets yesterday, and will probably tap another 40 this weekend. I have another bunch to tap, but I'd like the snow to melt a bit first.

[Mac]

I had one 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full and just about nothing in any others.. Hoping for a run as well to work out the kinks.

[Dill]

Well I got 20 gallons of sap down at my parents on 18 buckets 3 of which had leaked to nothing. Its something else what a little elvation change will do. It really hasn't been running up here on the ridge.
So I had 70 gallons of sap, so I fired up. Just ran out of sap before I could start to finish off a batch. So I drained the evaporator and brought in 5 gallons of sweet that I'll do up on the stove tomorrow, doesn't looks like big sap weather all next week.

[Stickey]

Hey Dill, did you finish that batch? How much did you end up with?

[Dill]

Not quite yet, it filled up my milk pail which is just shy of 5 gallons. I reduced that by half on the stove yesterday afternoon. And it'll probably end up with 1 1/2 gallons of finished syurp. Nice color so far probably a medium A, considering some of that sap's been sitting frozen in a barrel for 2 weeks, I'm happy with that. Lots of Niter though. I've got 30 more taps to put up on tubing down in Lee, on friday. And maybe some more buckets up here in Northwood, I was just hoping the snowbanks would shrink around here.

[Stickey]

Ha shrinking snowbanks! I wish, mine are growing. Where abouts in Lee are you gonna be? Maybe I'll pay you a visit and give you a hand if you need, as I live behind the racetrack, I'll have to see if the wife is working. Do you have a good local source for gear? I kinda wanna keep tapping, but am out of equipment. I don't really know what I am going to filter with either. I guess I will see if I can even make syrup first.

[3% Solution]

Stickey,
I think I can help ya out with filtering.
Send me a PM.

Dave

[Dill]

Hey Dill, did you finish that batch? How much did you end up with?

A 1/2 of a gallon of medium A. Less than I figured, but it was great to see that Hydrometer bounce for the first time of the year.

[Stickey]

Congrats on the first batch, Dill.

[Dill]

Well I just put out my first run of tubing. You guys are right it's pretty cool. And man it was running down in Lee today. While I was doing 1 tree I'd have sap coming out the drops for the next tree. 23 on tubing and another 10 buckets up. Scouting out my final location for the year tomorrow after school meeting. If the snow banks aren't terrible I'll do another 25 buckets and then force myself to stop.

[Dill]

Wow was it running today. Emptied all of my buckets at the house then had school meeting in the morning. I work with the moderator and he sugars also. He kept trying to get the meeting to go faster cause "saps running folks, lets speed this up". Put another 20 buckets out and headed to Lee. Probaly got 60 gallons of sap out of those 24 taps on tubing. And had buckets overflowing, considering I emptied them all yesterday afternoon that's pretty good. Also had cut a bunch of standing dead pine yesterday. That helped the evaporator. Was going great guns til this rain came on. My imgainary sugar house is all coupula and no roof. So rain means no more boiling.
Darn.

[Stickey]

Oh Good, I'm not gonna be the only one with an Imaginary sugar house. LOL

[Dill]

Well Josh (Amber Gold) here's a big "Your Right". A blower makes a world of difference even on my leaky old arch. Now I have to do it my low tech (and low buck)way. I headed up to the dump with some tools, and found a propane fired hot water heater. Ripped the power vent off of it. And stuck it in front of my draft door. Now its just a trial fit but I think its going to stay. My pan is almost a foot above the flues and for the first time I had to keep on the defoamer to keep it in the pan. Was never able to get a batch drawn, today. I was just about there when a phamton gust of wind blew through the imgainary sugar house and took my hydrometer and cup for a flight. Of which the hydrometer didn't survive the landing. I was able to borrow one, but not quick enough to do that draw.

[Amber Gold]

That's pretty good story. Glad to hear the blower worked out. Wish I was having as good of luck with my evap. going to post info on my journal.

[lacewood]

Have most of the taps, about 25 on buckets and another 10 or so on a pretty crude first attempt on tubing...have collected about 40 gallons over the last week or so, hoping for a good run this week and we will be firing up the evaporator this weekend.

While I was finishing up the buckets this weekend I threw one on the telephone pole in front of the house, my 6 year old daughter is dying to check and see if we got anything in there:)

[Steam]

Hey Gordon,
Hows the sap running for you?? I'm trying to keep up with it, been boiling into the night for the past couple of days. Making Dark Amber and Grade B right now, it went right from light to dark, no Med made over here. I'm going up to my camp in central Maine on Friday for a couple of days. If you want some x-tra sap let me know, I've got a couple of barrels that are full and I don't think I'll boil them before I leave.
Gregg

[Dill]

Boy did the sap run today. I think this wind has about shut me down though. Getting 2.75% sugar on the sap from Lee today. Which is surprising that's all sugar maples. And I'm getting pretty dark syrup also, haven't finished it yet but probably a Dark Amber, actually I'm getting a strong redish tint this year.

[lacewood]

HI Gregg

Going pretty good so far, have roughly 60 gallons so far and this weekend will be the first time we fire the evaporator....I was planning on only boiling one day seeing as we have only collected the 60, but if I get the sap from you I would love to boil sat and sun. Where abouts are you located, I probably would not be able to grab the two barrels until late Friday or early Saturday morning if that was ok...I have plenty of help!

I tried to respond to your PM, but I am not sure it worked or not. If you can give me a call we can set something up that would be great!

Call my cell if you get a minute 617.412.7566

Thanks!

[Rockingham Maple]

Sorry about not responding a thread that I started guys. I have been pretty busy I have bottled about 5 gallons on my 84 taps so far. I have only about a gallon and 1/4 of it light, the rest is a medium. I didn't collect again tonight so that the wind wouldn't take my buckets away. Maybe tomorrow I will collect once they have de-iced themselves.

I am curious, do any of you guys find that you boil off more sap when it is cold or when it is cloudy? Some times I am 17 gph others it seems I am at 10 or so. Maybe it is just me going crazy staring at the steam cloud....

[Dill]

I really didn't get much of a run today. The buckets where good, nothing really on the tubing. It took to long to thaw. Tomorrow will be big sap.

[Dill]

It's been running today. Made 3 gallons so far, probably be boiling for a while longer tonight. Sap's running between 2 and 2.5 so far.

[lacewood]

Wanted to give a thanks to Gregg (Steam) for giving my brother and I 80 gallons of sap last weekend, nice to meet you and love the set up you have...and I gotta make one of those yokes for carrying the buckets!

Gord

[Dill]

I haven't boiled since Sunday, I'm just not getting a decent run on my tubing. Hoping to boil tomorrow.

[Amber Gold]

Alden, you need to get vac. I got 50 gallons on Monday, 150 gallons yesterday, and over 300 today. Not sure if it's all due to vac, but I'm sure it helps.

[Dill]

I'm done, pulled the taps on saturday. I was burning straight pallet wood, got a wicked boil going on. But then I tested the sugar content since I just couldn't get it sweeten up. Well the sap was around .5 so it got tossed. Pulled enough sweet off to make a couple of gallons on the stove, its wicked buddy though and I'm trying to decide if its worth it.
Seems like a pretty lousy season.