Big Run this weekend ??

[johnallin]

Just got this off the noaa site and it looks like "big sap" for northeast Ohio at the end of the week!!

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 42.

[wanting to get into it]

I watch that website religiously. They have been the most accurate from what I have found. I thought the same thing when I saw the forecast:) We put in 360 taps yesterday, went back today to check, gathering tomorrow for sure. This was before that big fireball in the sky came out about 2:30. Wasn't sure what that thing was at first:o . The bags may just be busting at the seams now.

[Buckeye mapler]

we have pretty good temps in southwest ohio too, but I am just afraid for us that the weather may go from one extreme to the other quickly. Hopefully not, but I bet that will be the case. We may have a week or so of decent temps, but it will probably work it's way to no freezing nights pretty quick. Fingers crossed I am wrong!:-|

[johnallin]

The sap ran a bit up here in Lake county today. Checked tonight and there's about 4-5" in the sap bags...measures out to be close to a gallon. With 70 tapped so far that's almost 60 gallons today.

If it keeps up I will be gathering tommorow!

[WoodButcher]

ya , ill be putting in my 30 taps friday afternoon, my official tap day . itll be running for sure...

[Buckeye mapler]

We are going to have temps in the 50's this weekedn. Cold today with barely any sap running.

[maplehound]

I am hoping to get tapped this weekend. I need to flush my lines, should do that on Thursday, and check some of the lines for leaks and cut in some new drops yet, will do that as we tap. Lots to do before we can boil but at least the sugar house is ready to go.

[Buckeye mapler]

Maplehound,
so the snow finally melted enough to allow water to flow away from the sugar shack so you could clean huh? At least you got that outa the way before the chance to tap came. I am expecting to have something in the bucket by tomorrow. I have been at a stand still for a few days now and Brutus probably thinks I forgot about him and the sap that was boiled down.
Poor thing is probably starving for some firewood. Never complains, though I know the heartburn must be horrible. :lol:

I posted an ad on craigslist for land lease or "agreement". I had one response so far that I just wrote back to. Said he has 30 acres of LOTS of Huge sugar maples. If I could get 50 taps per acre, I would have plenty of room to expand there. I will have to see what he says when he write back. I am pretty happy that 1 day after I wrote a posting I got a reply. I like the chances of me getting into some agreement before next season. I also talked to a couple of the people on our board of trustees and they are going to check around for me and let me know what leads the come up with. Best case scenario I GET TO BE CHOOSY!

[Frank Ivy]

This weekend will be good.

[jasonhudgins]

I got about a gallon out of two trees, the third one has drop taps in it and isn't producing anything, wish I knew why.. but I'll take what I can get, I'm fearing the weather in southern Ohio is going to warm up too much next week.

[heus]

Got 100 gallons from 190 taps in Ashtabula County yesterday and it was only 31-32 temps. Ran some today but not enough to collect. Hope to be swamped with sap this weekend. My sap is still only 1.9% though.

[heus]

John,
My dad said they were at someone's sugar house in Kirtland yesterday on the morning Cleveland news.

[Jeffery G.]

Channel 8 was at Lake Farm Park's sugarhouse. I brought in about 150 yesterday off of 180 taps. Warm spell ahead, big sap coming!

[WoodButcher]

forget tomorrow, im cuttin work early and tappin today!!!

[newman_maple]

I have brought in 400 gallons so far this week with the warm weather yet ahead. I cannot keep up, but I will give it my best effort. I just hope the weather will give us another couple weeks at least...

[Buckeye mapler]

Wow, 400 huh. well thats where all my sap went then. I got around 90 gallons today. I expect that will be the norm over at the new place I tapped. I hope to get the same or even 10 gallons more to make it an even 100 daily for the next week. Should be fun. I will keep my fingers crossed. Sounds like you will be boiling soon Newman, or your boils will be real long. Would be nice to have a R.O. now wouldn't it?:lol:

[newman_maple]

I have over 200 gallons today and will collect again tonight so I can handle that much at one time tomorrow. I cannot keep up. I have your old cooker out and ready to go Buckeye. It is going to get some serious action this weekend. I just hope I can get through this. I need someone to work the mid shift!

[maplehound]

I finally with alot of trouble got my lines flushed. tommorow I will Tap NO MATTER WHAT. I even went today and borrowed the neighbors generator since mine had many issues to be fixed, repair man says he will have it done sometime next week so untill then I have the neighbors 8000 watt electric start generator (maybe I will just keep it and tell him it was stolen :) )
LET THE FUN BEGINE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!

[maplemat1]

my woods is still freezing cold tapped on teusday only have about 600 gals of sap from 750 tapped so far the woods is north facing with not much sun at the base of little mtn.the woods in newbury with 1000 taps that i rapped yesterday ran about 450 gallons on gravity .got the vacum there this afternoon snow was to deep for 4 wheeler had to have landowner with his 4x4 tractor with loader plow and take vac down to dump shed.good news thought will be ready now vac is pulling 23 inches and releaser is working great.wainting to finish wood in chardon waiting on vac pump.may do the madin boil tommorrow:o :D :D :razz:

[johnallin]

Mat,
I have collected only 70 gallons in the past two days and am about 1 mile north of you. I was running pretty good tonight though and I expect to collect a ton tommorow.

[WoodButcher]

tapped 30 on buckets and bags at noon on thursday, got 25 gallons by 6pm .
not too shabby for a couple days earlier than i expected.
it was biterly cold thursday night, which i think impacted friday temps a bit.
bags were 1/4-1/2 full with all day hanging . . boiling for the first time tomorrow. :D

[maplemat1]

didn't get as cold as i thought it would had 24 @6:00 this mornin . might thaw out a little more today.

[newman_maple]

I have brought in just over 800 gallons this week. I hope I can keep the sap cool enough to get it all boiled before it goes bad. I will have 800 gallons boiled by tomorrow evening, but I have 50 + gallons at my sister's and a guy I know might bring me another 50. I will take it all and see what i can do! I am afraid this will be it so I have to have a big weekend!

[maplemat1]

:lol: well finaly got some syrup .boiled last night and made about 15 gallons .didn't get that warm yesterday as i thought it would but i can say the new rig realy boils will probly fire up the r.o. today and get it washed for the coming week. sugar content was 2.7 %:D

[heus]

Even though it was 40 at my sugarhouse it is still real cold in the woods. Only got 90 gallons from 194 taps yesterday. Friday night got down to 8 degrees.

[wanting to get into it]

We ran into the same problem. Out of 350 taps we only collected about 300 gallons Friday. Didn't even gather yesterday. We are up to 10 gallons of finished product so far. Half of the trees are still not running. Been too cold at night here I believe. They run, but they don't start until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Takes too long for the temperature to rise getting that cold at night. Looking at the forecast for this week looks as the lows will be above freezing for 5 days straight with the highs in the forty's and possibly the 50's. We seem to be going from one extreme to the other here. Oh well, I am expecting big runs tomorrow:) and expecting to get quite a bit today since we didn't gather yesterday.

[Buckeye mapler]

the past 2 days 90 taps has given only 30 gallons each day and the other 40 taps have given 30 both times give or take a gallon respectively. I am very disappointed in the sap production of these trees. Will be looking for a new place this year.:confused:

[Buckeye mapler]

well so far today the 40 taps that only produced 30 gallons per day the last 2 days produced 42 gallons. I am going to collect the other 90 taps around 4pm.

[johnallin]

Collected a total of 175 gallons on 80 taps since Thursday and boiled all but 35 of it today in 4½ hours. Sugar content was 2.0 to 2.3%.

Had a boil over in the flue pan within the first hour - our son says " hey dad is that supposed to happen?" "No where is the defoamer, open the fire door, flood the back pan!" All of that said at once and could not find the defoamer to save my soul. Pushing down on the back float valve let some cold sap in there pretty quick and with the fire door open, it settled all right down.

Funny thing was, before we fired up, I purposely cut the tip off the defoamer and had it ready to go, just couldn't think where I'd put it???

[Buckeye mapler]

keep mine right next to the fire hydrant!:lol:

[maplehound]

We tapped on Friday and Saturday. As of tonight we have brought in around 1200 gallons of sap off 650-700 taps. It seemed to flow real good today. Started the fire today around 10:30 and came in the house around 8:00 with all tanks empty a sweetend pan and 17-18 gallons of finished light amber syrup.
It has been a hard year to get stated and I am hoping that I am able to make some all month long but we do have a warm spell starting on Wed. and lasting till next Sunday or so it is being predicted. (if I was wrong as often as the weather man I probably wouldn't have a job)(OOOH thats right I don't)( so I guess I should say the teachers at the collage would fail me)
Buckeye Mapler don't give up just yet!!!!! The jet stream is still hanging to low for that.

[maplehound]

Boiled more today. I now have 30 gallons made and it is all light :) After not making any light last year I am going to make my customers that want the light syrup very happy. Now if the weather would just cooperate so we can make alot more.

[johnallin]

We boiled off 100 gallons last night and finally got syrup! Sure felt good to pull some after the 4 month odessy building the new shack and setting up the new 2x6. It is also light amber and has a great taste.

Trees were running good up by us on Monday and hopefully will do the same today. I don't want to stop now that I know I can actually make syrup on the new rig.:D

[maplemat1]

been a busy week so far wieh little sleep been getting out of the sugarhouse the last 2 nights after midnight .has payed off thought up to 95 gallons of finish product .boy do the r.o.s help out great .hows everone else in the area doing i hope all is well.

[WoodButcher]

Hey Matt,

Been busy here too. Boiling in Chardon right now. Have my smartphone with me..checkin the Trader...
I'm at 650-750 door temp, about the same stack temp... still tryin to get used to this 2x4 divided pan with the arch i made.... started boilin at 5, and its 10 now. So 5hrs of boiling should mean atleast 30 gallons gone, but don't see any syrup forming by the draw off end . Probably because there would only be 3/4 gallon even close to ready... I just hate drawing when its dark tan and finishing on the propane burner. ..

Guess I need to start at 8am Saturday to actually see something forming in the draw off divider that looks like syrup :( .
Ide just LOVE to draw off right into a hydrometer and see that bugger at 67....
Then draw it right into some orlon , and ONLY USE the propane burner to reheat the golden goodness to 185 to can it...

Made some Sunday.. man was it good . Buttery this year.

heres some action shots from this past weekend. ..

[WoodButcher]

no sap today, only about 2" in the buckets . dang weather. im assuming itll be like this until monday once it turns back to below freezing lows, eh?

[WoodButcher]

Man this weather is nuts. !! Thirty buckets hanging for 2 days and only 10 gallons of sap. .. sheesh. At least next week well get a cold front