All 23 buckets out in Tamworth

[Mac_Muz]

Well I have all my buckets out, unless I decide to find more. I am not sure if I should find more.

If there is a run, then I will have more than I did last year with 15 buckets, and if there is no run at all I will just have 23 + buckets to wash and put away.

I don't understand why no trees are running with this warm spell. I am wearing 2 shirts and sweating my tail off in the sun.

None to sure there is going to be any run here in Tamworth..

ALl these trees are in the woods trees, but some are in full sun much of the day.

Whats up with my trees?

[KenWP]

I have the same problem Mac. I fogure it has to run sometime. The old timers here abouts figure it should run this week also. I guess when its your first time you have no idea what to expect and of course we are working with nature and she has her own ideas sometimes.

[Stickey]

This is my first year too mac & the sap flow seems funny, according to what I read and imagined. Just when you think you got it scientifically figured out it all flip flops on you. I wouldn't worry, somehow I think you'll end up getting sap.

[Mac_Muz]

Well I don't want to wait! I like the outdoors just fine, but it's nature I hate :razz:
Maybe some one from the Govt will come to help?

[sweetvt]

Patience my friends, sap will come it does every year, one thing I learned over the years is that it will happen, just on its own terms, it didn't run because it didn't want to and something wasn't right, blame it on south wind, no freeze at night, barometric pressure, or the moon, but when it happens it happens, just be ready then.

[KenWP]

That's my next guestion does the fact we are coming into a full moon mean anything.

[Mac_Muz]

I wonder how this effects the trees budding out... it seems budding out means the end of the season.

Now I could use a bit more advise..

My pan more or less is 2 x 3, and wood fired.

Last year I made 3 gallons for lack of sap and wanted to make about 5 gallons.

I didn't want more sap than to make 5 gallons either. Now I have 23 buckets out, and still don't want to make over 5 gallons.

But if the run is going to be short in time, is it wise to find and add more buckets over all?

I have 12 nore taps, but no more buckets right now.

If I hung more buckets and the run is good, I could have more sap that I can boil.

What to do?

[3% Solution]

Maybe this is "THE GREAT MAPLE MOON" alot of folks talk about!!!!

[Mac_Muz]

"THE GREAT MAPLE MOON", That's a joke right? I have never heard of this before. I have heard of sugar snow, before, but never this..

[sweetvt]

I would think that depends on a number of things like, wood supply, your time available and weather you have storage for sap. As a general rule of thumb you should plan on two gallons of storage for each tap in really good runs. I would think 25-30 taps in good healthy sugar maples should get close to the 5 gallons of syrup. Of course low sugar content would effect that some.

I believe that good runs are still to come, this past warm up was just a preview and really although it was warm was not ideal conditions with south wind and no freeze at night. Most of the people who got sap of any significant amount were running vac. and that can make huge difference in marginal weather conditions

When the weather turns right you have have all the sap you will need and unless you have unlimited time to commit to boiling 25 taps will give you 20-40 gals on each run. I estimated that your 2x3 pan will boil 5-8 gals of an hour so you do the math and make the decision.

good luck

[Stickey]

Maybe some one from the Govt will come to help?

I think you're on to something, Sap stimulus package?

[Mac_Muz]

I'ld say you have things figured pretty well. I seem to be able to meet that 5 to 8 gallons an hour.

I have a plastic coffee drum about 55 gallons, a 32 gallon drum, and a 35 gallon collections box that could all be called storage.

I like 40 gallons on hand to start the fire, and call it a batch, boiling to near syrup, and finishing with no more than 2 gallons at fire out to bring inside.

I made markings of 5 gallon increments on my pan, and at about 2 gallons the pan is nearing risk of going dry since the pan is some what warped.

Nothing I have is professional quality.

I have a lot of free time on my hands at the moment. and mnore standing dead than I'ld like to see... So time and fuel is not a problem.

I don't sell any either, so more than 5 gallons isn't what I need.. This house hold doesn't use 3 gallons for that matter but it does come close.

Pints can make good gifts though....

Some years ago in the middle 90's I did this with really good trees that would fill a joint compound bucket every day to sometimes be found over flowwing.

Last year that never happened not once... With the 15 taps I considered myself lucky to get sap enough to 3 gallons of syrup.

The folks at Remick Farm Museum felt as if this area didn't have the right run last year too.

[Mac_Muz]

I think you're on to something, Sap stimulus package?

LOL. Maybe, but I hope not. Seems to me just about any help 'they' give either has a cost too high, or it just messes up what ever did work ok before.

One of my pet peeves is that red dye in keroscene, which cloggs the wicks in my oil lamps bad..

[oldemaple]

The old timers believed that you wouldn't get a good sap run until after town meeting day. They also didn't tap until after the town meeting.

[Mac_Muz]

First I ever heard of that little tip. Town meeting day huh?

[KenWP]

Right now I would consider anything. Trees ran a tiney bit today then stopped. The temprature actually has gone up since 8 tonight. Its 40 degrees so that means no sap tomorrow again. I have maybe a quart of liquid from 63 trees so far.

[Russell Lampron]

Did you get anything yesterday Mac Muz? My sugars on buckets were running but not great and my reds on buckets did even less.

[Mac_Muz]

No not really... of 23 buckets only 4 were dripping, and of them only one was about 1 inch deep... The only one to cover the bottom of the bucket.

My buckets are white plastic joint compound buckets and 2 buckets have a brownish fluid, i am sure isn't rust.. I find that odd.

Today of course I had snow to sleet to rain, and nice and wicked mess this stuff is, but oh well...

I am going to see if some local construction has any more buckets I can hang up.

I have 3 buckets I could use if they had lids, and I have 12 more taps.

Might as well go for broke, which I will be if suddenly there is buckets full at once.

I always thought I knew march 1st was the traditional day, but it sure isn't around here this time. I noticed some of the trees are seemingly getting bigger red buds.

All of this causes me to wonder if I will have any season.

Reading back I have about 1 qt of sap like Ken.. I can boil that off on the kitchen stove I guess.. 1/40th of a qt isn't going to be much...

Maybe Thursday huh? It looks about right for these next several days according to the weather.. maybe...

A friend came by the other day and borrowed my snow shoes.. When he came back he asked if I was running a plastic line on the far side of the brook. I am not so there is a new guy in town.

When the weather comes around as snow shoeing in rain is no fun I might hop the brook and see if whom ever has any sap...

[Mac_Muz]

Well still the maple Gods are frowning on me... I have 31 taps for buckets out now, and about 4 gallons of sap for them ALL... Well that sap is rock hard ice in buckets.

I hope today there is my first run..... please? :?: :cry: :?:

Mac if you read this about where are you in ossipee? I am just north and west of the Yankee Smoke House off Rt 113 and below Tamworth Village.

Are your trees south facing in the sun? I don't see how you got any sap.

..........................
on edit: What is the meaning of "sweeten pans"?

[KenWP]

Sweeten pans means to boil enough sap so the pan is ready to start pouring off syrup. Other words if its a big pan with lots of surface area then to get to pour off stage with the sap even only 1 1/2 inches deep would take a couple of hundred gallons of sap to make up the 5 gallons or more it takes to get to that level after evaporation. Clear as mud and I am not a genuis yet.

[Mac_Muz]

Ok.... Well see I do batches.. i start the fire when I have as close to 40 gallons as i can guess or more. When that batch is done so there is very little fluid left in the pan, but the pan bottom is still covered in it, I draw off sugar water and hope that amounts to something less than 2 gallons, and also hope 1 gallon will be syrup when it gets to be 1 gallon in the house.

I was wondering if "to Sweeten the pan" ment adding finished syrup in some amount to create a higher sugar concentration on other wise straight sap, which may tend to raise the boiling temp, and so perhaps drive off water faster. That was a guess..

Say for example if adding a pint of syrup to 5 gallons of sap would make the sap boil at 213 instead of 212, maybe that would speed things up some.

I have my doubts that this ratio would be accurate, but somewhere or another there could be such a ratio... maybe..

[PerryW]

Ok.... Well see I do batches.. i start the fire when I have as close to 40 gallons as i can guess or more. When that batch is done so there is very little fluid left in the pan, but the pan bottom is still covered in it, I draw off sugar water and hope that amounts to something less than 2 gallons, and also hope 1 gallon will be syrup when it gets to be 1 gallon in the house.

Exactly, except don't add all your sap to the pan at once. I would put about 2 inches in the pan at the beginning and get it boiling. The add a dipper of sap every few minutes; trying to maintain about 2 inches in the pan. When you are out of sap, I would stop firing and let the fire die down (being careful not to let the sap get below 1 inch deep.) Just DON"T draw off the sugar water when the fire is still going or you will burn your pan.


I was wondering if "to Sweeten the pan" ment adding finished syrup in some amount to create a higher sugar concentration on other wise straight sap, which may tend to raise the boiling temp, and so perhaps drive off water faster. That was a guess..

Nope. For us NON-BATCH guys, Sweetening the pans is done of the first boil only. You have to boil & boil & boil & boil and FINALLY you can take sap off. From then on, there is partially concentrated sap in the pans, so the batches will come off every 30 minutes or so.

[Mac_Muz]

Perry, Since my pan is small 21 inches wide 34 3/4" long by 6 inches tall after i have drained by a spigot and valve all I can safely I risk burning me by pulling the pan off the barrel, and place it in a snow bank. I have no shack.

Then when I can I pour any fluid left into the pot that goes in the house.

At that time I have filtered everything one time.

The filter is washed then, while the finishing boil in the house is taking place, and about 218 degrees I filter again, which is a bother, but something I seem to need to do, and reboil for that last degree, and all those nasty spoon and apron testing where I need to taste the sample... :D

I don't clean the pan much either, unless there is a specific need, so there is dry sugar and some crud from the froth still on it.

My pan is mild carbon steel, and the syrup is for just my needs and a few gifts. I tell anyone not living here that the pan I made is not stainless steel, so it is up to them as to whether or not the product is safe.

The steel comes from NAPA auto supply for body working repairs on cars. Not and never was galvinized...

I leave the carbon from the fire right where it is... I leave a sugar coating in the pan the whole time it is in storage too, which sems to prevent rusting fairly well. The pan is left upside down in the barrel stove. The whole thing is left in a open side shed, like an Adirondack Shelter, so the whole thing is in the sun any day the sun is out and dry.

In use the barrel stove is outside nearer the wood pile, but can be moved from wood pile to wood pile since the barrel is on skis.

[KenWP]

Mac today was my best day yet. I got a whole 5 gallon pail of sap. I found another bucket and tapped one big tree out in the open today after wadeing thru snow to get to it. I gushed sap when I drilled it and the sap started in the bucket as soon as I got the tap in it. I figure it will be my best tree for a while as a lot of my trees are hid away in the cedars and spruce trees. I have to find a couple more buckets soon and will tap a couple more and will be done for the year. I haven't had this much fun since I cut down my first big tree last summer and it hung up on another one and took me two days to get in laying on the ground.

[Mac_Muz]

I am sort of duplicating myself as I answered your thread too, but yeah I drilled 2 new trees yesterday to move 2 buclets from trees not doing anything at all, and in my opinion not going to ever do anything ...

For kicks and grins i chose 2 young trees about 8 inch diameter, and both of these were dribbling while the drill was still spinning.

I have only collected once before with the ice cakes.. Like i said that was less than 10 gallons counting the ice..

I will check the buckets today, but don't believe i will gather any, but will Tuesday after noon sometime.

The way I measure how much sap I have is once it is in a 34 gallon barrel which I don't quite fill to be full, and again in a larger blue barrel of about 55 gallons.

The smaller one is a common trash barrel I bought at a Walmart, and the larger was a commercial coffee barrel I cut the top off off since I need a open top barrel.

With that bigger barrel I flip the top over upside down and it coverers pretty well. I add a bit of plywood for more shelter once sap is in it.

I still have at least crotch deep snow everywhere, more like a good 3 feet, and must pull a ice fishing sled with a sap container and any tools by hand on snow shoes.

My farthest buckets are 1/2 mile away, so to keep thing as light as i can I walk out there to collect first, and begin to come back.

I bring 2 carry buckets and go to each tree and then go to the sled to dump what ever I collect, leaving the sled on the more or less main trail.