Tapping in Northern MN

[BriJack]

Well with the nice weather the last 3-4 days, I had to put the taps out. The bug has been biting my neck and I was sick of itching it. I know it is still early but I will know that I didn't miss the run. My journal from last year is saying that I am on track. I went and checked out another tap area by me and they have opened up their road the the shack so they are getting ready so I can't be to far off. I came home and found that 8 out of 14 are dripping some sap!!!! So we are off and I just hope my burning process is better this year!!!

BriJack

[BriJack]

Well since my last post the sap run hasn't changed!!!! We have either had weather to warm all the time or to darn cold to run. Had some in the buckets early but due to a fluke rain storm (no covers on bucket/bag) I just threw all that was in them, out???!!!!!
Now finally today and B4 another fluke (now this time) snow storm, I collected about 5 gallons of sap...!!!! Hopefully after this 6-12 inches of this white #@%$, I may have a sap running season.
I know there are others on here that have had a weird season also. That's why we are all into the maple bug for all that we can be or as much as our wive's let us be!!!!

BriJack

[StewieSugar]

I'm on the southern end of the state, but I'm not getting the "big runs" I was told to expect. The most I got from any tap is about 1 gallon a day, and only one tree has produced that well. Over half my trees have been under a quart of sap per day - on a good day.

One problem I think I'm fighting is that most of my trees are on a northeast facing slope, so they don't get much sun. As a result, the snow just melted this past week (it was nearly a foot deep last weekend).

The weather the past few days should have been good (40's during day, 20's at night), but I'm still not seeing much sap. Also, the sap is starting to turn color, and a few of the trees are starting to have swollen buds.

This was my first year, so I'm still learning and experimenting. My plan next year is to try different trees to see if that helps, and I'll double the number of taps (heard that before?).

Whatever the volume, I'm still enjoying the time in the woods. With 23 taps, we've got about 1.5 gallons of syrup and a lot of fresh air.

[StewieSugar]

Okay, I'm eating my words now...

I went out after dinner tonight to check my 5 gallon jugs, and all but three were full with sap dripping over! With poor weather forecasted tomorrow, I won't be able to cook it until Wednesday, so I expect to be putting in a full day making syrup. Can't wait!

[PerryW]

I remember my first season sugaring at my current location. Tapped march 1 and check the buckets & tubing every day and see only a pint or quart of sap at most. Then on April 1st, I started looking in the buckets and most of them were over 1/2 full and some were running over. I immediately thought it was an April Fools Joke (somebody filled them with water), but it turned out to be real sap.

[RileySugarbush]

In East Central MN, Twin Cities. We collected 150 gal yesterday and from 3:30 pm to 7:30pm and made 4.6 gallons of very light and mild syrup. As we shut down (need to clean the syrup pan) we had 220 gallons for tomorrow!

[SilverLeaf]

Since yesterday, taps are running big time out in SW minnesota too...
And once we get through this blizzard, looks like the next several days will be good weather for sap too.

[markcasper]

On Sunday between 3pm and 9pm, my vacuum tubing trees yielded exactly 1 gallon per tap in those 6 hours! Stewie------Be ready for BIGGGGGSSAAPPPP this week!

[StewieSugar]

Compared to many on this forum, my operation is quite small, but it feels huge after yesterday.

It took about 8 hours to evaporate what I had from Monday/Tuesday. I then transferred it to a turkey fryer for finishing it off, and that took another hour. Add in two hours for prep, bottling, and clean-up, and I was there for 11 hours.

Being my first year (excuse!), I wasn't sure what to expect, and I ran out of firewood the last time I evaporated. So, most of yesterday was spent getting more wood. I would load the pan with some sap, run to the woods to cut down some reasonably-dry deadfall, haul it back to the shed, cut and split it by hand, load up the arch, load in some more sap, and do it all over again, again, again, ... In the 11 hours, I sat down three times: once to fix my chainsaw, once to eat half a hotdog, and once to rest my back for 2 minutes.

For a guy that sits behind a desk all day, I'm sore, stiff, and tired - and loving it.

That said, if the runs get any bigger than Monday's, I'll have to enlist some help - either manual labor to help chop wood or medical help to fix me. ;)

[RileySugarbush]

I just got in from finishing another 9 gallons! I wish I knew how many gallons of sap we ran through, but the kids keep refilling half emptied tanks! Finished every drop of sap we had, though.

Total so far is nearly 26 gallons, nothing darker than medium, most light. I guess we need to continue until we get some dark. Any signs of budding on sugars in the twin cities or southern mn yet?

[markcasper]

John, If your trees were changing, you would have smelled it in the steam. I have not noticed anything yet other than my syrup went from light to dark in one day. Sap quality really went downhill today on my south sloping tanks.

[RileySugarbush]

Mark,

Mine aren't buddy at all, still clean sweet syrup. I was just looking for signs of when it's headed this way. I haven't heard any peepers yet, I think we are ok for a bit.

John

[Peepers]

Stewie - If I was closer or swinging by your way I'd drop some wood off for ya. If you will find yourself by Hastings in the next few weeks send me a message. I borrowed my neighbors wood splitter last summer so I have plenty of split elm and also a bunch of cut and dried poplar. I was splitting as I go like you last year (my first year sugaring). I enclosed my arch with more blocks this year as well so I'm burning less wood to keep it fired up and with more surface area my boils are shorter. Now I need to find more trees to tap! :D

A neighbor with a wood splitter and a sweet tooth are the perfect match for me!

[StewieSugar]

Peepers: Yeah; we burn about 2 cords a year in the fireplace, and it looks like about a cord a year in the cooker. I'm getting too old and soft to be splitting that much by hand, so I'll be searching for a good neighbor or bargain this summer to ease the pain/stiffness next year. I've got many, many aspens to cut/split/burn (too much, if anyone is interested in some); so it's just a matter of getting prepared for next year without killing myself.

Riley: The silver maples are leafing out, and the sap smells terrible. I pulled the taps from them last weekend. The sugar maples are still doing quite well, though, and the syrup is still light in color (as of Wednesday this week). I collected sap last night from the sugars, and it all smelled/looked great. The forecast for all next week looks pretty good, so I'm hoping to keep going for another week.

[BriJack]

I think the run is here now!!! I just emptied 14 buckets and all had at least 4 gallons of sap in them. Need to think about burning sap, but need to go cook some Bullheads, maybe tomorrow??!!!! My sap is sure some sticky sap must have alot of syrup content. Funny to here you guys talkin about buds already when I still have 4-6 inches of white stuff on the ground!!!!! Wish we heard from more mapleheads in Minnesota other than the ones that are already speaking on this thread!!!????

BriJack
14 taps on 14 trees
Homemade Barrel Evaporator (Bricked this yr 4 free)
2 Season

[twigbender]

Brian: This maplehead over in Blackduck has got a good run the past three days. I suspect that it is slowed down today but should take off again on Tuesday if the forecast is right. Dropped the sap hydometer in a cup last night and got a 4% reading. I've talked to two guys from here that have cooked down batches and got 25:1 ratios. Looks like I'll get about 2.5 gallons off my first batch of 62 gallons of sap.

My brother in Rochester just quit. He was getting 75 gallons a day on 40 taps. Got tired of hauling sap and cooking so he pulled 'em for the year. I'm just starting my second batch.

[mntapper]

I collected about 360 gallons of sap the last 3 days off of 300 taps. today i boiled 300 gallons,and got 8 gallons of syrup all of it fancy. Not to bad i didn't think.

[RileySugarbush]

I just returned from another 8 gallons, bringing our total to 33 for the year. I'm not sure whether I should say "so far" or not. Almost out of wood and enthusiasm, but this isn't the right time to make that judgement.....

I would like to make some dark syrup so maybe one more firing is in order.

[Peepers]

One of our three Silvers with more South and West exposure than the others is done for the year - it is totally budded out and the sap is cloudy with a funky smell. Two other silvers are still running clear/good and their bottom branches aren't fully budded yet. With 50's in the forecast this week I'm guessing they'll be soon to follow. Our big box elder still has tight buds however.

I'm glad to hear that things are running good for you guys up north now!
Happy Syruping :)

[KenWP]

When does a box elder bud out. I see no sign of buds let alone them opening up.

[BriJack]

Another slow morning of flow that led to a decent afternoon (30 gallons).!!!! Finally was able to sweeten my pans!!!!! I think I will have a big day of burning tomorrow after a couple more tweeks to the barrel burner...??? I think this week will be a good runner of the sap.

[Peepers]

I don't know about the box elders, this is the first year I tapped one. I hear they bud out later than the silvers. The buds on mine look pretty tight still as well.

All my taps are slowing down here South of Hastings. I tapped the first week of March so I guess my time's up. I could try boring em out again but since the sap from my silvers is getting buddy I think I'll call it a year. I'll finish my last small batch tomorrow and will end up with a little over 3.5 gallons of syrup of which 95% came from 8 taps in my 3 silvers and 1 box elder.

I'm more than happy with my second year. Thank you everyone for sharing your wisdom and support! :D

[benchmark]

I've got sap now. Skipped collecting monday, didnt run very well. Got a late start collecting yesterday finished up a 10:30 last night, thanks to the full moon, and came back with 265 gal. off 160 taps. Looks like today is going to be good also. Made 32 gal. of syrup so far. Ran out of wood on monday, got a little yesterday and this-morning. Sap is still been holding at 3% the last few days, which is down from 3.75% from the beginning of the season. Well better get boiling.

[BriJack]

Well Happy Easter to all.

It is getting to warm up here in the North!!! Have been burning sap and now it seems to have dried up???? So far I have gotten 4 gallons off of 40+ gallons of sap, much bettter evaporator makes for better results of syrup.

I finally feel I have accomplished some of the key things to making maple syrup. Now I just wish I had more sap to burn, funny last year at this time I was full of sap and couldn't burn it fast enough!!!!

[StewieSugar]

BriJack: It looks like you tapped on the 16th last month, which was about four weeks ago. Think you got many more days left?

I tapped on the 3rd, and I pulled my taps last weekend on 4th, so I had about a month. I think there might have been one or two runs last week, so I might have been able to get five weeks in if I pushed it.

Anyone know if four to five weeks is a "normal" season?

P.S. Last few days have been georgeous with lows in 30s and highs in upper-50s. Looks like some nice days ahead. Checked buds today, and Silvers are leafed out, but Sugars and Box Elders are not showing much for sign yet.