NY Tapping 2010

[3rdgen.maple]

I will be putting the first 200 out of 800 in tomarrow. Daughter has had enough and says it is go time lol. I am thinking the 4thgen.maple is taking over at 15. Weather is looking better and high 30's coming up. Not sure if there will be much of a run since we got another 18 inches of snow the past few days but she says it is a good time as any.

[DanE.]

I was think about doing the same thing yesterday as I was putting the barrows out - had to dig out a 4 foot snow drift for one, the snow was packy and the bird were tweeting. It suppose to get up to 38 on Monday or Tuesday. can't remember which but then fall back down. Alas, today I have to work. maybe when I'm done this afternoon I will put out some taps. Dane.

[troes30]

might start tapping tomorrow also, but not sure. have 8000 to tap so cant wait too long but weather reports is holding at about 32-34 for near future. have one more day of setting up my new woods maybe ill do that then tap tues or wed., cant wait to see the sap flow. using the new check valves in this woods, be intersting to see if it helps late in season. what is everyone else thinking up north here. theres only a foot or two of snow in the woods, nothig like last year. good for workin but not for long season hopes. thats alrite...dont want the price to drop too much. anyone heard prices? ill be happy with 275 come april.

[3rdgen.maple]

Got the first 200 in today. Went through the log book and I am thinking now this is pretty much the normal tapping time for here. The book shows the average over the past 10 years I started boiling on march 7 and end about the 10 of april. 3 years ago I did not boil until the 13 of march and last boil was on april 17. So I am thinking it is going to be a normal year after looking at that. Good luck thisseason.

[DanE.]

I looked at the upcoming weather and decided to tap yesterday afternoon. I ended up with 73 taps and have not tapped the trees I plan on culling next year yet. I only planned on 50 taps for this year and I will be close to 90 :o when I'm done. I might have some long nights. Dane.

[colt454]

started fri, almost done only about 500 to go want to get done before the snow makes it hard to walk!

[backyardsugarer]

Tapping the 500 in the woods on Saturday and I will do my 200 roadside taps on Sunday. I hope we do not get too much of that wind and wet snow they are forecasting. Good luck to everyone in NY that is getting started.

Chris

[colt454]

finished up last night about 8:00 that makes me feel better but i just hope we don't have a lot to fix after the storm today we have already got about 5"
so far just have to wait and see

[Riverdale]

Planning on strapping on the snow shoes and getting our 600+ in this weekend. Very thankful that all our lines are permanently installed as of last weekend. I remember lugging around 75+ pound bundles of tubing on snow shoes after the storm in Feb 07. I swore that would be the last time, and it was.

[danno]

Forecast in CNY is mid 30's tomorrow and than 32 - 33 for highs for the next 6 days. I was going to tap this weekend but .... What to do ...

[3rdgen.maple]

Danno Tap. I tapped 200 a few days ago and was able to get another 100 in today. Temps have been lingering right around 33 here past 2 days. The 200 I already had out yielded me around 150 gallons today and the ones I tapped this afternoon were dripping everysecon and some better. Don't ask me why either. Wet snow all day and 33 degrees but seemed to be running enough to make it worth while. Gonna try to get the last 500 in by end of weekend.

[DanE.]

Just got back in from collecting the first batch of sap. started at 5. took 3 hours, mind you it is only a 1000 feet from the sugar house. got the wheeler stuck, then the tractor. then I had to carry the chains, come-a-longs and shovel back to the woods. I knew I should have left the winch on the tractor. Once I got into the woods. the new section I tap was all knocked down by limbs and heavy snow. Did the best I could to clean it up in the moon light. actually that was the most relaxing part. I will have to re-level (slope) it tomorrow. It only ran about 5-10 gallons on 24 tap there. the other section has 45 taps and there was 45 gallons. I brought those 45 gallons back to the SH. and loaded into the head tank. I the 5 gallon jugs i did not empty, i'll check them in the morning. The tractor went through the snow with now problems, well a lot better anyways, when it had the extra ~400 pounds of sap on the back. Decided not to start the evaporator tonight and wait till tomorrow.

Dane.

[3rdgen.maple]

Dan E I felt your pain today. Got another hundred tapped in tonight real slow going with all the snow now. Gathered around 200 gallons off the trees I tapped alredy. Managed to blow out the front hub assembly on the peice of @#()*^% #$^* john deere for the 4th $%&&@*@ time. :mad: :mad: :mad: I am so ticked I will never ever buy another thing in my life with green paint on it.

[jdj]

So far we have about 1900 tapped in, all with CV's. We have some where around 1000-1500 gals of sap in the tank. This year is my first experience with vacuum and I have to say it is awesome! The weather has been marginal at best for sap flow, snow everyday but start the vac pump and in comes the sap! This is also my first year with an RO and by the looks of the sap I have in the woods I'm going to get to try it out soon.:D

[colt454]

filled the pans last night with the 400 gals we had at the sap house and boiled about 2 hrs till we were out. to day we gathered about 1200 and will run it through the ro in the A.M. and boil todays and sundays all together

[briduhunt]

I put in my first half of taps today with the help of the middle son. Had fun but am I out of shape. This snow in the ground is killing me. Must be getting old. All in all it was a good day. Going to have my smne help finish tapping my trees tommrow. Still have a few last thing to do in the sugar house but I am about as ready as I am going to be. Today was my last day sleeping in (till 8:30) untill the end of the season but thats ok. My first taps were not producing sap as I tapped but as the day went on they were flowing good. Hope to have enough sap to do my first boil this Wednesay, also hope to have over 200 taps this year all yard trees with 2 and possibaly 3 familys bringing me their sap.
I look at last years records and I though that I tapped earlier last year but that was not the case as last year I tapped on the 28th so I am one day ahead of last year.
Lets all pray to the sugar gods that all of our sugar runs high and long.
Hope everyone has a safe and fruitful season.

[stoweski]

Tapped back on the 20th & 21st. They ran well over the weekend and first half of the week then quit. I think I collected 15 gallons over the past four days after collecting 90 gallons total from the 21st - 23rd. Been trying to watch temps and I haven't seen anything below 31.

Everything has been boiled now, got about 2-1/2 gallons of syrup so far. Not a bad start to my sugaring career (hobby). Can't wait until it really starts dripping!

[3rdgen.maple]

Brian when you say middle son are you refering to my nephew? Told Jon if he was coming home to swing over but he said he was helping you. How is he working out. If he gets out of line just give him a swift kick in the butt and tell him I said it was ok. Let me know how he works out.

[troes30]

disappointed in myself....wanted to tap monday but talked myself out of it. now im behind...got about 2500 tapped, 5500 to go. they're running good. glad we got that last 6-8 inches of snow....not happy to work in it but it will help the season. worried it will be a short year with lack of snow. probably 2 foot in the woods. well i gotta go start the vac...

[Bucket Head]

Well, we planned on tapping a little this weekend too. But then the snow came. Were buried here. Everything is just covered with some of the heaviest snow I've seen in a longtime. We've spent the weekend plowing and shoveling. Just trying to get the banks back and clearing off the roof, along with everything else, has'nt left any time for tapping. And I hav'nt even drove around to see what the banks look like at all the roadside trees. I'm almost afraid to go look. Its not going to be good. This snow has been a low blow for our sugaring operation.

Hopefully it does'nt get too warm here too quick and we won't lose out on too much sap.

Steve

[danno]

[QUOTE=3rdgen.maple;100942]Danno Tap.

3rdgen - took your advice. Put in 2 18 volt batteries worth today - how many taps is that? And will finish tomorrow with 3 batteries charged. Sap was running nicely, not gushing, but nicely. Looks like it will be gushing by Friday through the upcoming weekend - if the weathermen get it right;)

[dnap63]

This snow has been tough, we have about 3 feet of heavy wet stuff in the woods and even the snowmobiles are getting stuck. I think i bought the last pair of snowshoes in the area just so we could get some taps in this weekend.

[3rdgen.maple]

Danno wise choice I think. It did run pretty good today especially when the sun came out. Got some 40's coming up this week with nights in the 20's. I started tapping at 8 this morning and just got done gathering the few hundred I already had tapped in. Got done at 10 pm. Long fustrating day. I blew the front left hub out on the deere a few days ago and with the lack of time I had our local dealer come in and gave it a fix job. Well today around 10am the other side blew out while driving down the road. Tire went one way and tractor went down. Nothing like driving home backwards with the bucket holding the front end up and steering with the brakes. Borrowed the neighbors brand new Montana. Thing has like 6 hours on it. Nice little tractor just undersized for my needs. Needs to get some better tires on it for traction but nice little ride. I think I got 150 taps to go. Hope my luck starts to get a little better.

[Riverdale]

Got about 300 in this weekend with two of us working at it, only one drill. Awful tough going in the woods, still sink in 18" even with snow shoes. Sap was running hard. Will keep plugging away at it after work today, maybe enough to boil tomorrow night.

[colt454]

made 20 gals last night willrun the 1500 from today through the ro in the am will have our first big boil tomorro night

[maple flats]

Tapping late week or weekend. Clean tanks tomorrow and set Wed.

[stoweski]

Sap stopped. I've been waiting since Thursday to collect sap in my buckets and as I walk past five or six this afternoon there's nothing in them. I have not registered any temps below 31 now since Thursday! High temp today was 42. Sure would be nice to have to collect sap!

Guess I'm conserving wood. :)

[chrisnjake9]

tapped my 250 on vac in 2hrs with two guys on sunday

[DanE.]

Sap stopped. I've been waiting since Thursday to collect sap in my buckets and as I walk past five or six this afternoon there's nothing in them. I have not registered any temps below 31 now since Thursday! High temp today was 42. Sure would be nice to have to collect sap!


I seeing the same thing here. I was able to collect 45 gallons on Friday night and 25 gallons on Saturday and not a drop since. It may run today, there was a crust on the snow this morning. I think there will be a better chance later in the week if the forecast holds up.

I fixed my lines on Saturday and got the last taps in on the cull trees. I had my daughter do the drilling with an old brace. That only lasted long enough to get a picture of her then we switch back to the drill.

Dane.

[NYMaple]

Hopefully tapping this week... before the weekend. Temps look to be shaping up 40 day / 20 night Fri, Sat, and Sun. It would be real night to start boiling this weekend. I'm sure the sap is running, but we can't get to the trees!

We really got stuck with this last 2 feet of snowfall on Friday - which is quickly melting, but not quick enough!

[3rdgen.maple]

Got all but 40 taps out. Ran out of taps. Guess I gave too many to the neighbor. Not sure on tap count but has to be close to 800. Sap has been running everyday but nothing to brag about. Sugar content up to 2.1 today so still seeing the tenth of a point raise everyday. Boiled 3 times Propably up to 18 gallons. Sitting on the fence for next year about tap count. Walked my woods and guessed around 2500 tap potential, walked the neighbors and looking at 600 there. I want to increase tap count by a few hundred to grow into it but now I am thinking go big. Farmer down the road passed the farm onto his son who I went to school with stopped by last night and asked me if I would consider tapping his land. Said all he wanted was a couple gallons of syrup. The last time those trees had seen taps was atleast 10 years ago and he claims that guy had 400 on roadsides and had another 800. The way he talked they rotated between 3 different bushes and only put out the 400. Also said his neighboring farm would let me tap their also. I drove by tonight and his trees look like all roadside trees and there was alot of them. Both farms are all sugar maples to boot. So if my guess is right I could be looking at close to 5000 taps. Got to do some serious sole searching and decide wether or not to grow into it or break the bank and go for the gold.

[danno]

All tapped in. Ran Sunday night on gravity into the ground to clear the lines. Turned on the vacuum yesterday and went on leak patrol. Picked up another 7" of vacuum and have collected a few hundred gallons (1/2 gal per tap) since yesterday. Vacuum is back down again. Argggg! Whose got a spare vacuum?

Did a rinse on the RO last night. First boil probably Thursday?

3rdgen - tough luck with the tractor. Both hubs? I would have gone ape. It will get better for you.

[3rdgen.maple]

yes sir both hubs. I keep asking myself at what point is enough enough. Hard enough to keep throwing away hundreds on hubs every year. Hundreds are cheaper than thousands for a new ride but at some point my raging hate for this tractor is gonna get the best of me. This time around it hit the wallet hard. When the front hit the road it bent the spindle shaft and ripped out a few teeth on both pinion gears. So the hub is at the welders cause John deere doesn't like to make parts for their tractors after 10 years and who knows when I can locate one. Pinion gears they have left on the shelf luckily and the bearings I got a Kaman. Stupid bearings alone cost me almost 200, pinion gears 350, shaft 150 and the weld job a quart of syrup. So in the past week this peice of Junk Deere has cost me over a grand. Thankfully I have great neighbors and have been using his brand new Montana.

[colt454]

collected 2500 gals yesterday boiled last night made 47 gals

[3rdgen.maple]

Okay I cannot keep up and I have yet to get a good run. Do not run 800 taps on a 2x6 unless you are insane and your body does not need sleep. I should be boiling right now but I need a break. Holding tank is full and gathering tank is full. If I get another run tomarrow Im in real trouble. And no I am not gonna get an RO. She who must be obeyed forgot I lived in the house. Dad helps boil when I cant but dang it takes him 6 hours to draw off when I can get drawoffs every hour. It makes me insane. Sap stays in the pans so long when he boils for 6 hours the niter is built up so bad I gotta do a shutdown and clean up. I boiled for 8 and had very little niter buildup. I guess he is so use to batch boiling the slow firing is very unproductive and I have showed him so many times how he needs to fire it my head hurts.

[wnybassman]

Okay I cannot keep up and I have yet to get a good run. Do not run 800 taps on a 2x6 unless you are insane and your body does not need sleep. I should be boiling right now but I need a break. Holding tank is full and gathering tank is full. If I get another run tomarrow Im in real trouble. And no I am not gonna get an RO. She who must be obeyed forgot I lived in the house. Dad helps boil when I cant but dang it takes him 6 hours to draw off when I can get drawoffs every hour. It makes me insane. Sap stays in the pans so long when he boils for 6 hours the niter is built up so bad I gotta do a shutdown and clean up. I boiled for 8 and had very little niter buildup. I guess he is so use to batch boiling the slow firing is very unproductive and I have showed him so many times how he needs to fire it my head hurts.

Get some sleep, I think it will run today too. They are saying a few degrees warmer than the last two days, and it ran decent the last two days. Then over the weekend the trees will explode! :lol:

[briduhunt]

This season is off to a bad start for me as what ever can go wrong will or has gone wrong. Last night I got home around 6:30 after tapping 26 more taps at a guys land and I go to turn on my sap valve and low and behold I forgot to drain the lines the night before and sure enough I had an elbow blow out due to frozen lines. The worst part about the broken line is that where it is I have to some how get the elbow off the pipe with out breaking the pipe as I have no room to rework it. Now with todays flows I will be boiling all night juts to catch up and tommorrow night I have to bartend at 5 so the night boil is out. I do have a college kid helping me but I have not had a boil with him to make sure he can handle it properly. My fingers are crossed that he can catch on very quick then he can boil for me on Sat. night. If not I will be boiling all day and night Sunday. I might just have to be sick on Monday.
Well now that I have vented I feel better and hope the rest of my season goes off without any more problems. Looks like I will be spending my lunch hour getting parts at the local plumbing house. Just seems like everytime I think I am done spending money I find another emergency to spend it on.

thanks for allowing me to vent.

Good part is that I will have about 250 taps this year up from 175 last year and hope to make more syrup.

[danno]

[QUOTE=3rdgen.maple;102779]Okay I cannot keep up and I have yet to get a good run. Do not run 800 taps on a 2x6 unless you are insane and your body does not need sleep.

3rd Gen - I was wondering what you were going to do with all that sap. I have a 3x10 and I promised myself last year that I would not go over 400 taps without an RO, bigger evap or steamaway. I went with the smalll, used RO and added more taps this year, all on vacuum.

800 taps = 800 gallons of sap on a decent day. 800 gallons of sap / 35 gph's on a 2x6 = 22 hours of boiling. Yikes!

[3rdgen.maple]

800 taps = 800 gallons of sap on a decent day. 800 gallons of sap / 35 gph's on a 2x6 = 22 hours of boiling. Yikes![/QUOTE]

Well Danno for once in my life I am glad I have not gotten a decent run yet. Been around 400 gallons a day on average. That old arch and the pans I have in the garage are looking pretty dang good right now:D. Been getting 40 gph on average when I am boiling. What hurts is Dad boiled for 10 hours while I was at work and just got less than 200 gallons boiled. His firing technique is less than desireable but hey that is 200 less for me. It really does not help being on call 24/7 for the past 8 days but that is behind me now and I am not scheduling any work till end of month. Just taking emergency calls. The best thing that has happend so far is the neighbors brother who has a handicap comes over and helps alot. This guy is one hard worker. He helps gather, keeps the wood in the sugarhouse filled. Heck when I get up in the morning he is in the sugarhouse sweeping the floor and cleaning up. I keep offering to pay him cause it is well worth it to me but refuses. He came to me today and said if I fix his tractor and give him some syrup he will help in anyway he can. He doesnt know it yet but I already looked at his tractor while he was gone and ordered the broken hydraulic pump and was planning on fixing it anyways. Well anyways at this point I think I will be caught up by the time I need to gather tomarrow night for the big sap coming. I have sold every quart that has come off the evaporator and have plenty of preorders to get filled yet so that is a good thing. Best of luck to you guys.

[danno]

Ummm - with the taps I added this year, I think I need a bigger holding tank. Figure on a good run, I can fill my releaser tank in 6-8 hours. I've got another 400 gallon tank next to the sugarhouse to feed the RO, but the 400 gallon releaser tank ain't gonna cut it.

Sweetened the pans tonight - we're off and running! Good season to all.

[3rdgen.maple]

Never got the big run this weekend. Still hanging around the 400 gal mark. Sap has been 1.9 to 2.1 past few days. Been some long hard days. Everytime I see the head tank almost empty it is time to fill her again. Sugar sand has been a pain to boot. I have to pull the syrup pan and clean about every 5 hours to clean the build up. Doing that 3 times a day gets old. I had an old friend of my grandfather's stop by and offered to boil for me today so I could get caught up on bottling,labling etc. He has not tapped yet so he was looking forward to it. Lit the fire this morning and shut her down at 10 tonight and Im still waiting for him to get here. Oh well. Told dad I was worn out and he said just think son we are just getting started.

[Riverdale]

Finally all tapped in after saturday. 24.5 gallons to this point, all light amber. Had 7 degrees Saturday morning, took awhile for things to get going. Looks like a great week ahead.

[NYMaple]

30 taps in last wednesday... got 70 gallons of sap up until Sunday morning. There is still a lot of snow in the woods here, which seems to be slowing down production.

I bet this week is going to flow really good!

[Riverdale]

Finished off 10 gallons last night, still light amber. 20 degrees last night another solid run should be in store for today. Doesn't look to get down to freezing after tonight though, plus some rain, could be big big sap for a few days.

[3rdgen.maple]

Well sure been a challenge this year so far. Evaporator has been running since monday morning. Dad fired it up a 5 am monday I went to work for a few hours relieved him at 10am boiled till 8pm had a quick hour with the family while dad took over for an hour than did a marathon boil till 5am this morning till dad relieved me again. Shut her down at 10 this morning with 200 gallons left in the head tank. Will collect again before dark and do it all over again. Sugar content is still around 2. Cant wait till I get a good run.

[DanE.]

The trees still are not running the best yet. I have collected 240 gallons of sap on 87 tap so far. I have made 3.6 gallons of syrup. I took Monday off from work to get caught up on the sap, I have 20 gallons left in the head tank. maybe there will be sap more sap in the woods to make it worth while to start the evaopator up, otherwise I will work on the preheater.

I have also been having problems with the niter. I have drawn syrup off three times and each time I also cleaned the syrup pan and the "not quite syrup pan" (the middle pan). I probably collected 8 - 10oz of niter so far. I did not make any light syrup, all medium. The little evaporator is doing about 8 gph once it has started boiling.

Dane.

[gator330]

I'm going to walk down to the tank here in a few, just to feel worse about it being empty. I'm shure the pals are too. But the walk will be nice. Not looking good for a week or so here in central New York. Bottled up the last batch this morning 2.5 gal. A Dark. Great tast. Not shure why every one around is making light Mine went dark fast. Did so last year too???

[3rdgen.maple]

Gator I have made nothing but medium. I will take that anytime. Maybe 2 days of sap yet before the warmup but extended forecast shows it getting cold again at night. Will be a nice break to get caught up. Burned through half my wood already so I am guessing some of those dead hemlock I have standing are gonna find a new home in the arch. I got into a wood pile today that I think my grandfather stacked 15 years ago. Some of it just crumbles when you pick it up. Oh well the sap doesn not seem to mind and it will be nice to get it gone. Sap flows are definetly on the low side this year and so is sugar content.

[danno]

Sap flows are definetly on the low side this year and so is sugar content.[/QUOTE]

The low sap runs I agree with, but today may be good. Than after this few day warm spell, if long range is correct, we may get good. We still have time.

The sugar contant - I wonder if the sugar content is low this season, or just our memories. Seems like our sugar content is low every year, and we are just hoping that it will be high. I have been running the same low sugar content for as many years as I can remember - 1.7%. But my trees are in a stand, not field trees. I do have some field trees that will run 3%, but only a few of those.

[troes30]

should finish tapping the last thousand tomorrow....i know i'm behind. ive made a third crop outta the first tapped woods already though. sugar seems same as last year. been running alrite but still not as good as middle of last week. 375 gallons made and counting...all fancy

[sapman]

Wish I was at a third crop! Hopefully I'm only at like eighth of a crop! Broke 100 gal tonight, and adding another 400~ taps this weekend.

[Riverdale]

Sap has slowed down quite a bit. Finished off 10 gallons on wednesday but only enough sap for one batch yesterday. Need a frost I think, doesn't look good for that for a few nights. 54 gallons to date, mostly light, almost to dark yesterday.

[danno]

Vacuum is helping. I was expecting very little sap yesterday due to no freeze Wednesday night. Yesterday was my best run of the week with about 3/4 gal/tap. Sap slowed down after dark last night and I turned the vac off - I should have let it run all night, but I do like to give the pump a rest.

Turned it back on this morning at about 6:30 and sap flow started, not gangbusters, but not bad.

[3rdgen.maple]

Well I just do not get this season at all. No freeze here for 2 nights and woke up this morning and I have buckets overflowing. Time to collect and see what I got. Snow is down to about 6 inches so hopefully things will pick up after the warmspell is over. No signs of budding and long range shows nights hitting the teens coming up.

[backyardsugarer]

Same here in Rochester area Danno. Nothing without vac. Turn the vac on day or night and it pulls. I am getting about 1/2 gallon of sap per minute on 600 taps. Not an epic flow but it adds up over the course of a day, or night.

Chris

[danno]

So, what's this storm gonna bring us today for sap?

Low pressure and winds from the east usually mean low sap day - we'll see. This year - who knows. I see winter strom warnings up for that higher elevs of the catskills - with up to a foot of snow and flooding beginning tonight.

No more turning off the vac. She's going 24/7. Collected just under 800 gallons in last 24 hours, now running it through the RO. Woke up to a nice sap shower this morning - great way to start the day (remember the old folgers commercial):)

Now see no freezing temps here through next Friday ... ugh! And if this keeps up, two Marchs in a row with 0 snow (our big storm was last day of feb?), now that's just weird.

[gator330]

Well I just do not get this season at all. No freeze here for 2 nights and woke up this morning and I have buckets overflowing. Time to collect and see what I got. Snow is down to about 6 inches so hopefully things will pick up after the warmspell is over. No signs of budding and long range shows nights hitting the teens coming up.

I didn't understand the bucket thing eather.:confused: My Tank was empty (75 on gravity) just for the heck of it I checked a bucket and 23 out of 25 of them were four gallons full of 1.6 sugar???? Not one freeze in over a week here. Allmost hasn't even been cold???? 1.5 gal B For the BEST tasting syrup this season.

[barkeatr]

our ten day way up in NYS north has a lot of 32 degree lows. I have always thought that that it needs to be lower than that for the trees to get the pumping action..but im not all that experienced.

what all you folks think? will 32 degrees be cold enough to activate sap?

Tim

[Fred Henderson]

If the mud puddles will skim over it is usally cold enough.

[KenWP]

We had a good frost last night but that east wind didn't help. Even the stupd evaporator was slow today.

[Wanabe1972]

I'm not sure what to do. I have not had a very good season. First real strong run was Wed for me. I collected Tues night about 90 gallons and boiled it out in a few hours Wed morn. They were running so hard Wed I collected again 3:00 pm Wed and boiled out another 120 gallons and made about 4 gallons of light. My evaporator is running great close to 50 gals an hour after start up. I just dont have the sap to keep it running more than a couple three hours at a time. I have a vaccum system that just needs some plumbing and setup but opted not to run it this year because Ive taking a two year break from sugaring and wanted to start slow. This may have been my downfall It seems the guys with vacuum have had much better luck this year. Well at any rate Monday Im going to clean my tanks and drain my evaporator to try and save the sweet in my cooler. NO freezes in the forcast for another week. My taps have only been in 17 days so maybe the weather will switch over in a week and the taps willl still run.

[DanE.]

Just to help everyone out with better temps; yesterday, I removed the snowblower from the tractor and put the mower deck on. I also put the rototiller on the other tractor and removed the plow from the wheeler. I just drained all the "sweet" from the pans and will start cleaning them this afternoon to get all the niter out of them.

By my calculations we will have snow and freezing temps in the near future.;)

Dane.

[wnybassman]

I just drained all the sweat from the pans


Sounds like you have been working hard, but you should stop sweating in your pans :lol: :lol:

[danno]

Still flowing - about 300 gallons (1/2 gal/tap) every 24 hours. Vac. has not been shut off since Thursday night. Sap down to 1.5%. After yesterday's blow storm, time to go on leak patrol. Tim, you must have a 1' of water in your bush - do you use a rowboat this time of year:)

[Riverdale]

lines have been dry here in DelCo since thursday but starting to drip again this afternoon. Got all the tanks cleaned out and ready for fresh stuff. Should freeze the next few nights and sunshine on Tuesday. Wish I had vac to suck it out! Maybe some day.

[sapman]

Not funny, Dan! If ONLY it was just a foot deep! I spent all day walking in waterlogged Muck boots! For all that effort, I've got another 150~taps online. Dad went to Wal-Mart halfway through the day to get hip boots so he could finish wire-tying. Guess I'll be using them myself in the near future.

Sounds like your getting similar results to me, Dan. Can't wait for the BIGSAP to hit after this warm spell. You know, this could all work out really well for me. It's taking me this long to get all the taps online in the swamp. Do hope the sugar comes up, though. 1.6% today.

All the best,
Tim

[3rdgen.maple]

Well gents hold on for the big one it is on its way!!!!!!!! I spent all day today cleaning up. Got the evaporator all shined up and cleaned inside and out. Washed down the floor, Cleaned all the tanks, got the lables on most of the bottles just got to put tags on the glass and make deliveries tomarrow between work. Accuweather shows below freezing in the upper 20's most of the week now. Just seeing that renewed my excitement. I want to get so much sap I won't be able to shut the evaporator down for the rest of the month. On a bad note I really mis calculated the amount of wood I would need and burned through more than half of it. Gotta spend a day dropping some of the dead pines and filling it back up.

[DanE.]

Woke up this morning to find that it was 24 degrees outside this morning. There might be a good run today. keeping my fingers cross.

Dane.

[briduhunt]

I never was so happy to wake up today and see a frost on the ground. I have not had any sap since last week Wed. I hope that my buckets are overflowing when I get home tonight. I have only made 6 1/2 gallons of syrup this year and the weekend forcast does not look good for sap runs. I figured that when I increased my tap count from 175 to 206 I would be boiling all night and every night. But sad to say I have had to much sleep for a sugar season.
May the sap gods be looking down on us today.

[danno]

Gave the vacuum a well deserved 3 hour rest from 5-8 this morning. First time it's been off since last Thursday. Woke up at 5 and everything was frozen solid. Man, sap was running nice under vacuum last night. Best all week.

Seen some doubting the upcoming cold. Supposed to stay warm (too warm) through Sunday, but still looks like next week will be cold and maybe even white for some.

[3rdgen.maple]

All I can say is this is the worst season I have ever seen in my life. Yeah great got cold lastnight but when it hits almost 60 it means crap. Took a walk and the buds on the reds are swelled. Cant figure it out not a single one was swelled last night and this morning around 10 they are showing. Some of the sugars have a quart or so in them and it is all milky. At this point I am thinking there is no recovering from a very sad season. Lost my @$* this year. What an absolute joke of a season.

[wnybassman]

We hit about 31 last night here. Got the buckets dripping some, most everything has at least a couple inches in them an a few are 2/3rds full or better. Everything very clear, well, except for the bugs lol

They were saying even colder tonight, but that forecast changed today.

Low 20's next week? Maybe I'll hold out a bit longer. Maybe not.

[stoweski]

Was ready to pull taps this past weekend but decided to wait. Collected a measly 12 gallons today... but at least it's something. Calling for freezing temps tonight too. Maybe I can pick up another 12 and make a couple of quarts. Hey, I'll do anything to extend the season.

On another note, my bees were flying like crazy this afternoon. Even though I'd love to see colder weather it sure was nice to see the bees out and about. After syrup comes honey.

[3rdgen.maple]

Well out of 800 taps I bet i couldnt fill a 5 gallon pail. Oh and since the last post a few hours ago my sugars are starting to get swollen buds. What sap Is in the buckets is cloudy. Anyone have experience with what happens when your trees are budding then you get ideal sap temps for 2 weeks with snow in the forecast. I have never seen the sugars start to swell same time as the reds let alone second week in march. Me thinks there is gonna be a ton of mersh on the market this year. You know what is really sad 3 years ago I had 200 taps out and made a heck of alot more syrup than the past 2 years. went from 400 to 800 this year and still made less than last year. I really hate to say it or admit but once I see the buds swelling it is over. Got some hard thinking about where I want to go from here. Maybe I will get a half pint and stick 2000 taps out so I can spend more time boiling next year.

[DanE.]

Just got back from the woods. only 15 gallons of sap. it was clear, I forgot to taste it. I loaded it into the empty head tank and hoping for more tomorrow. None of the sugars buds were swollen here and I only spotted a few red that were swollen. Dane.

oh, what stinks about it is, i spent all day thinking about at work and then come hone to just a little. maybe some more tomorrow and what is in the evaporator and I could make a gallon.

[stoweski]

Got some hard thinking about where I want to go from here. Maybe I will get a half pint and stick 2000 taps out so I can spend more time boiling next year.

OH MAN, I definitely can help you out!!! After hearing the horror stories of Patrick & his customer service I think we can work out a deal.

How 'bout a 2x6 - 1/2 pint exchange? I'll even deliver it! :D


But seriously, this season seems to be a bust... so what happens to the price of syrup in the next few months? Does it typically follow production fluctuation or do people thing it will stay pretty much even with the past year?
We also bottle honey. The US data released last week shows that the 2009 honey season was terrible due to the weather. The price of honey in our area has gone up because of the supply. It would seem to me that the price of syrup would also go up based on the lousy year.

Thoughts?

Oh, and 3rdgen... I'll be awaiting your decision! ;)

[3rdgen.maple]

Man what a way to take advantage of a guy when he is so darn fustrated lol. I was at the point today I told my dad to hide the keys to the loader cause I was thinking about a demolition job. There is only one thing in this world that I cannot handle well and that is disapointment.

[MillbrookMaple]

I just got home late but about 300 gallons appeared in my tank today and the mud is starting to freeze at 11pm. It's not breaking any records but at least we got some sap for a change. I've got 400 taps out and have made 16 gallons so far. Let's hope this week will be better!

[DanE.]

Looking at the forecast for next week; they have Tuesday with a high of 36 and a low of 26. I think it will be too late for my reds, they will be fully budded by this weekend and that is mostly what I have. If I don't get a run today I think it is over. Dane.

[Fred Henderson]

I am not pulling my taps until the leaf on a willow is the size of a mouse's ear.

[lmathews]

Fred,
Where did that analogy come from?

[danno]

huh- sugar up from 1.1 to 1.5, scratching my head here, can't figure that one out. I guess it's just a matter of perspective - I can't recall in the past being happy to see 1.5, but I was this morning. It must have been the below freezing we got Monday and Tuesday nighs? Low last night was 39.

3rg gen - surprised your sugar buds are swelling. You're colder than me and mine are still tight. But I may be just a day away with these obsenely warm/sunny days.

[adk1]

Been one of the worse seasons on record here in the Southern Adirondacks:cry:

[Fred Henderson]

Fred,
Where did that analogy come from?

I don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fred Henderson]

Things got started a little to early. The old timers said that they would rather see the devil in March than to see the sun. I am an old timer now and I do beleive they were right. I am just wondering what a poor season it going to do to the price per gallon/ pound.

[wnybassman]

I don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Probably the same source that said not to plant corn until the oak leaves are the size of squirrels ears. ;)

[3rdgen.maple]

Danno I sure wouldlike to know why my sugars are starting to show budding also. It is not all of them but enough to dissapoint. Reds are swelled pretty good and not giving any sap. So gonna pull them this weekend. I have some more sugars kinda out of the way but since snow is gone I am thinking about tapping some of them. Just not sure if it will be worth the effort.
I avoided the closest disaster I have ever had tonight. I only collected 140 gallons today and sugar content is back down to 1.7. Well Im boiling along and after 3 drawoffs I look at the sight guage on the tank and it still showing 80 or so gallons. Thought that was weird but continued bottling. Then it hit me smack in the face. There is no way I can draw 3 times and have that much sap left. Quick look in the flue pans and dang if the sap is not just below them. Sure am glad I hooked up the garden hose tonight before I boiled. Darn tank was empty and the ball was stuck to the side of the sight tube. No damage was done but a lesson learned. Oh and before I lit a fire I was putting some new bearings in the John Deere and the dog was running around in the garage messing with the cat so I thought. Well dang if a skunk did not go flying by me and next thing you know I get a smell of it. Got the dog out and grabbed the 22. Got me 2 skunks and a smelly garage out of tha deal. Dog made it out without any smell on her. So twice I got lucky in one night. Sure am glad the day is over.

[Woohoo]

Went out today and checked a couple dozen taps on buckets and seen that most of the sugar maples are starting to bud. Several taps are dried up and a few had yellow sap. Yesterday I averaged 2 gallons of sap per tap on the ones that were running, I'll most likely get about 1- 1.5 per tap today. I'm thinking that the last several days of real warm weather just put a end to having good sap for next week.

[danno]

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/warm_weather_threatens_local_m.html

[danno]

Took a trip up to camp yesterday - no more snow on the Tug. This is by far the earliest we have ever been able to drive in. Usually snow pack is not driveable till the 3rd week of April.

I could not believe the tree budding on rt. 81 north of Syracuse. Holy cow - looked like the end of April. Red's were budded even up at camp which is at higher elevation and routinely 10 degrees colder than Syracuse.

[3rdgen.maple]

Danno you would be spot on with that report. First year ever that I can remember the Samon River not flooding either. Heres the deal as of 1 today. It got below freezing for the past 2 night and been in the 40's during the day. Sap is not running at all. I guess it is over and the warm weather was just too much for the trees. It is pretty bad when you love doing something so much you hate it.

[wnybassman]

Danno you would be spot on with that report. First year ever that I can remember the Samon River not flooding either. Heres the deal as of 1 today. It got below freezing for the past 2 night and been in the 40's during the day. Sap is not running at all. I guess it is over and the warm weather was just too much for the trees. It is pretty bad when you love doing something so much you hate it.

We got a good frost two nights ago, and it only made the few taps I got left out drip a few times. Enough to feed the ants, maybe. Good hard freeze coming up tonight and tomorrow night, will be interesting to see if that makes them run a bit. No more syrup for me though, the few taps I have left out are for experimentation purposes. Maybe boil a little on the stove to check sap quality. Tight buds yet though.

[danno]

We have not made it below freezing this week - but was able to make 6 gallons last night from what I've collected on vacuum the past few days.

3rdgen - see what the real cold does tonight/tomorrow. I expect I'm almost done, but want to see if this real cold snap breaks something free.

[maple flats]

I see the early signs of bud swell today. Not open yet. Hopefully the cold tonight and tomorrow will stop them a few days. I collected 12% of my season's sap to date total last night. In a couple hours I'm going to collect todays. It started to run today at my bush that did not run yesterday at all, my bigger bush was also running as of 11:30 but had just started. The temps rose into the low 50's. If my buds hold I think I may get sap thru about thurs next week, then too warm and buds will certainly open.

[maple flats]

Correction, after I posted my previous entry I rechecked the forecast. This morning 3 of the 4 I check called for too cold Friday, good sat and should run into part of sunday, then restart Mon, tues and carry thru Wed then restart Thurs. Well guess what, It has all changed. Now Fri will still be too cold to run, then should have good Sat and likely flow into Sunday. After that it now looks rather marginal that I will get sap flow at all. This will likely be the end.
Because of the real bad season I had decided earlier today to make a day or 2 of buddy, never did before, but with such poor yields from everyone I think the commercial will pay record prices along with every other grade.