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View Full Version : Gettin' ready to tap!



Pete S
02-28-2009, 06:46 AM
Looks like the weather gruru's are predicting some tappin' sappin' weather.

Probably will clean and check stuff Sunday, as it's still cold here.

Hopefully by Wednesday-Thursday,...........she'll be runnin'.

We're west of Plymouth, up awn da mountain, and we do have a bit of different climate here.

Please post when "yous guys" tap.

Happy maplin'!

Pete

WI Sugarpop
02-28-2009, 09:07 PM
I saw the same forecast , maple weather is coming. I got the evaporator all set up today and is working good. My son put all the sap sacks together today. We will probably put taps in after work on Monday afternoon.

C.Wilcox
03-01-2009, 11:05 AM
Put my taps in yesterday just southwest of you in Germantown. Didn't think I'd have time during the coming week. Nothing happening this weekend. Not surprising given the temps.

ryan marquette
03-01-2009, 05:41 PM
Put in a few taps yesterday, probably finish up by the weekend. Yesterday had highs in the 20s. Trees in the sun were dripping a little.

d&d_sugarbush
03-01-2009, 08:30 PM
havent taped in 3 years.. had 200 taps then got the help to do 250 this year... wuts the price of sap

Jeff E
03-02-2009, 08:06 AM
A price I heard locally is 0.15 per 1 percent of sugar.

It looks like show time. I will be tapping this week.
Even Saturday with a high of 16 or so, the warm sun had a tree leaking out of a wound....I got excited!!!

"Johnny you rozen up your bow and play your fiddle hard, cause saps broke loose for cheeseheads and the maples deal the cards.

And if you tap you get this syrup of GOLD.....

Chemist
03-02-2009, 05:34 PM
I have 32 taps in. I am also getting a second stove and pan. It is 16 inches by 36 inches and is short enough that I can drain partially finished sap from my larger pan.

I ordered 20 taps for tubing and 500 feet of tubing as well. Most of my trees are up a nice little hill, so what the heck, why not try some tubing!!

Might go to 50 taps!!

SHOCKERS
03-02-2009, 05:43 PM
Put aboat forty in so far aboat ten or so to go. The funny thing was when I was tapping today with 20 temps sap was running!!:o

SHOCKERS
03-02-2009, 05:55 PM
Hope to have first boil on my home made stove this weekend. We will see have to have about 40 gal of sap I'm thinking.

Jeff E
03-03-2009, 02:23 PM
I am going to start tapping on Thursday, or maybe tomorrow...

Packerfan
03-03-2009, 05:06 PM
Southern Wis.
Wed.- 42
Thur.- 51
Fri.- 51

20 more taps in today

Hope to cook on Sat/Sun.

Pete S
03-03-2009, 05:12 PM
JUST got in from tappin'. We were a bit cold, holding about 25*, but a few of the trees started to run but the taps froze up. Tomorrow, supposed to be 40* and holding, heavy rain for Sunday.

Looked in our "log" from alst year and we didn't tap till 3-11-08.

We're purty small, but are hoping to have enough to boil by mid next week.

We boil in the open, so we'll have to say our prayers and ask for some bluebird weather, as we've had in years past.

West of Plymouth about 5 miles, on the "mountain".

Pete

WI Sugarpop
03-03-2009, 08:58 PM
We put 60 taps in this afternoon. Ready to start the fire.
About 5 miles west of Plymouth. Can see the mountain.

Pete S
03-03-2009, 10:14 PM
Ron
How's everything across the street! Ha! (If I got the right guy)

If you run low on wood, let me know, as I'd try to help out a fellow maple freak, if I could!

Pete

marky the mapler
03-04-2009, 11:57 AM
Put in 95 yesterday. Not a drop yet.

C.Wilcox
03-05-2009, 05:09 PM
I haven't seen how much we got, but my wife says the taps were running at our place in Germantown today. How'd everybody else make out?

WI Sugarpop
03-05-2009, 08:07 PM
Put in 60 taps on Tuesday and collected 25 gals today. Some taps were dripping every 2 seconds.

markcasper
03-05-2009, 08:40 PM
I tapped 1 sample TAP AT 5 OCLOCK and it was running 30 drips a minute, 3 hours later it had slowed to 10 drops a minute.

Pete S
03-06-2009, 07:57 AM
Tapped on Tuesday, just got in and had 35+ gallons on 24 taps.

West of Plymouth, WI

Pete

C.Wilcox
03-06-2009, 08:02 AM
I'm not sure what you guys are feeding your trees, but out of 10 taps I only got 1 gallon of sap yesterday. Some of the 10 taps didn't run at all. Maybe I need to tell them to WAKE UP!! If I don't see progress soon I may try moving some of the taps to see if I just hit dead zones.

Pete S
03-06-2009, 08:16 AM
ya gotta talk nice to'em,................and dream at night of full buckets!

For the next week or so it will be like Christmas morning for me!

Work, and haul, work, and haul,...........boil-n-boil, work, and haul. (we carry 5 gallon buckets back to main tank)

Pete

MERIDIAN MAPLES
03-06-2009, 08:25 AM
We've got about 2000 tapped so far this week, was running into the tanks slowly yesterday. Didn't try any vacuum yet. Got about 500 more to tap. Hopefully will be done tommorow morning. Hopefully it will run enough to start the vacuum and check for leaks. Most trees were dripping after we drilled them.

Pete S
03-06-2009, 08:30 AM
Oh,...............my message was a bit mis-leading,................this was our first "gathering" since Tuesday.

But they were drippin' purty good!

Sorry!
(but ya still gotta talk nice to the trees, and dream BIG) Ha!

Pete

Packerfan
03-06-2009, 09:20 AM
Heading out now to check. 20-30 more taps in today. It almost hit 60 yesterday. 50's today.

Packerfan
03-06-2009, 04:22 PM
Running nice today. Slopes facing west ran best. Taps put in at 11am, had over a quart by 2pm. Gallon per tap from yesterdays run.
Bank in Spring Green shows 59 degrees at 3:30. WOW!

Monroecheeseman
03-06-2009, 06:44 PM
I've only got 10 taps in. Last two days got about 15 gallons of sap a day. The 10 taps I'm using are on bags, might put a few buckets out later this weekend after the rain goes through.

C.Wilcox
03-11-2009, 01:03 PM
I swear I saw Dorothy and Toto blow past me in the yard this morning. Glad I pulled the buckets last night and put them in the shed. I'd have been wandering the neighbor's property searching for them tonight if I hadn't. Anybody else get hit with those gusts?

Started the first boil of the season last night and already panicked the neighbors. It was dark out and I was wearing a black coat so they couldn't see me standing in the yard. They could however, see the sparks flying up in the air and thought that the large tree I cut down in the yard last weekend had somehow spontaneously caught fire and was burning wildly. They actually came over and knocked on the door. My poor wife had to try to explain what I was up to and that I was back there somewhere so there was no need to call the fire department....yet.

Pete S
03-11-2009, 05:13 PM
..........followed by a cow, and the wicked witch!

What is goin' awn! Too darn windy!

The Boss suggested that we pull our buckets, and lids, but I thought there'd be enough sap to hold'em on to the tree. Checked mid day today, and the one's that held had about 3" (if leved sap) in them. Froze IRON HARD!

Had a few scattered,................two of them yanked the taps out too!

BTW, yesterday took an average of 1.5 gallons per tree off, within 24 hours almost to the hour. VERY happy!

Hope to boil in a day or two.

Ran to Fleet Farm for another garbage can,............live is good!

Pete

HowSweetItIs
03-11-2009, 05:19 PM
The wind is still howling. I'm glad we didn't tap yet. Our bags would have ended up in Lake Michigan. Friday is the day.

WI Sugarpop
03-11-2009, 05:25 PM
Got 95 gals. for Mon. & Tuesday from 60 taps. We collected last night while it was foggy & rainy. Still ran a little till it got cold. The weight in the bags kept them from blowing off. Got 180 gals. for the first week of running.

ryan marquette
03-11-2009, 06:59 PM
I was gathering last night & along came the wind. I hurried & got the heck out of the woods!!!!!!!! Saps been slow about 165g total the last 2 nights around 200 taps give or take a 100 haven't been counting.
PS, don't forget your chainsaw the next time you gather to clear wind fall.

C.Wilcox
03-11-2009, 09:17 PM
I know I'm breaking the 11th commandment, "Thou shall not covet they neighbors sap supply", but I have to admit that I am feeling slightly jealous of the volumes I'm seeing listed here. I need to get more taps next year!