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Awoke to what I thought may be frost on the windshield, but it was just dew. 34 for a low which helps sap storage. Pulled in another 250 overnight. Going to boil most of the day today to try to get through everything I have stored. Sap has slowed down but still running.
We had a lite frost this morning. I collect about 40 gallons overnight with the sap puller running. I processed about 530 gallons last night and made 8.5 gallons of syrup. I just picked up 4 more 5 gallon containers to hold syrup. Still making dark syrup with great flavor. I am hoping for a good run today and everything works out through the end of the week.
Mike
Sap has been running 350 GPH for the last 4 hours. Not much of a freeze at my house last night but maybe a little on the back side of the woods. Kinda cool today which is good. We will have another week or two of sugaring for sure in my area. Cold nights starting Tuesday.
Hey Mike do you have a lot of snow in Thetford? My kids were supposed to play baseball and softball there today but the games were cancelled.
Spud
140 gal of 1.8% plus what we gathered yesterday. All done approx. Another 6 to 10 gal dark rich robust. Filling 40 gal barrel for bulk plus 26. Washing membranes getting ready for storage. Hope it runs wednesday. Will know exact total soon bit thinking around 105-110.
Looking for driver to take me to randys or Ryan's can't drive myself.
Still running and pulled in about 250 since 11 am at 1.2%. Making good flavored dark robust and will continue tomorrow.
Got about 3000 gallons today and still running 150 GPH. Don't expect much for the next few days but hope we are back in it by mid week. Still had 1.3% all day.
Spud
made another 3 barrels today. might go until june.
Spud,I also live in thetford. Few miles.from Mike but we have never met. The snow around here is leaving fast with the rain today but still a lot in the woods on the north facing slopes.
I have the same thing going on in my woods. Snow on the back section but melting very fast. Do you think you will get another week? I have been to your area a few times over the years and it is really nice. Hope you have a great season. My sap ran a bit all night and I got another 1200 gallons. If Randy is going to pull spouts June first I think he's quitting too soon.:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by bairdswift
Spud
Sap is still running good. Tapped another eight trees yesterday I'm out of line now so I guess I'm done until next season. The syrup grade is holding in there I think after boiling today I'm going to flush my main lines with water and pray for a few more runs this week. I need to make @ 500 gals more
Declared victory and pulled out. Shut off the
vacuum pump at nine last night, burned the last
stick of wood at ten, dumped the last fifty
gallons of nasty sap on the ground and locked the
sugarhouse.
Not a bad season, but a rough one, I will wind up
with about 250 gallons, down from 300 last year,
but way more than 150 from two years ago.
All done in fifteen days of twelve plus hours per
day. My wood didn't burn as well as I thought it
should, the sap wasn't very sweet, so I wound up
cutting wood in the morning ans burning it in the
afternoon and evening.
I AM NOT NINETEEN YEARS OLD ANY MORE!!! And I
really feel it.
Today I hope to finish my taxes, do my March
snowplowing bills and not move my body more than
absolutely necessary.
Next week I still have to clean everything up,
break down the drums and fill retail containers,
etc., etc. Right now I'm not sure where to get a
little more wood to boil out the pans.
Two weeks to clean up, then the weekend of April
25-27 for the only real time off before summer
craziness starts. We are going to the New England
Folk Festival in Mansfield MA. Two days of music
dancing and performances. We've been going every
year since 1985, can't miss it.
Thought we were wrapping it up buy Nooooooo trees let anotther 250 gal gp over night, just when I thought I could givey kidneys a break
Spud, the baseball and softballs fields are likely too wet. The snow is receding slowly, but everything is wet.
We processed about 300 gallons of sap from yesterday and last night. Turned the puller off for the next 2 days. I will give it a shot tues-thurs when the weather forecast indicates there maybe one more chance to boil. We are up to 58 gallons...a new record. Todays 4 1/2 gallons were very dark with a strong flavor. I noticed a ran a little today under gravity, but with the warmth it was not work running the puller and trying to store it.
Mike
Chooo choo the tsunami has started
Threw in the towel today. Sap still running on vac. but getting tough to store and boil it. Sugar at 1%. Boiled off the last 300 gallons today and then pushed the last syrup out with water. Pans are soaking, pump is off, and sap has stopped coming in. Out of wood and not cutting any more. Final count at about 170 gal. The last twenty was nice dark robust with the last five approaching very dark. Detected the dirty sock pre-bud aroma this afternoon but the syrup still tastes ok.
First boil was 3/12 with about 200 taps plugged in and didn't get to 550 taps until 3/25. Final boil 4/13 so just over one month. Very happy with season despite challenging weather. Put up a new sugarhouse, set up the woods, and learned lots. Need to go over the numbers and records to figure out all the details but for now it is time to rest.
Good luck to everyone still going!!
Not giving in here in Duxbury. Sap is clear, and temps haven't gotten that warm yet. The rain took a lot of the snow with it. But the Sap ran good today. near a GPT. 1.25 % sugar. Made 130 gal of light colored Dark Amber yesterday. Looks like another week here in the mountains.
Collected 150 gallons of sap late yesterday, and boiled off today along with some leftovers from last boil. Yielded 4 gallons of amber. Still all amber for me. Sap was still running today a little, and with 3 sub-freezing nights coming up tuesday night, it looks like I will get one more good run. I am over 20 gallons.
Snow is nearly all gone now.
Yes I buy sap. Though most all of my sellers have given up. My woods are still producing 1.3% sap. Making Amber Rich color with strong maple flavor. Just under 2600 as of today. The forecast looks good starting Tuesday through Thursday. Could be some monster runs.Quote:
Originally Posted by DucFight
In the last 24 hours I have gotten 5000 gallons of sap. Testing 1.2% but still making good tasting dark amber syrup. Sap running right now at 250GPH. Tuesday were back in business for sure. I have been told to never shut your vacuum off at this time of the season or you will not be able to regain for the next sap run. Not sure if that is true or not but I am not taking the chance. My pump has been on for almost a month.
Spud
Sap still coming in steadily , but a long ways from a gusher like it has been. Spud- I am a firm believer in running vac until the sap stops, whether its from freeze up or its just plain done. I've been told that if you turn it off and allow the vac level to return to 0, you wont get the sap flow back up to what it was. Don't know if its true or not, but I'm not going to risk it now that my pumps are dependable enough to run for a week straight, and electricity is relatively cheap. 2000 gallons to turn into a drum- not too half shabby for a whole weekend without a freeze!
Finally got some "dark - robust" today that I had boiled yesterday. I had posted amber, but after filtering and bottling today I found it to be dark. It would have graded as dark amber. Very good flavor! I will make some folks very happy.
Almost all the guys around here are all done but not me. I made 3 barrels yesterday and 2 more today. It is C for crap but i want it. Sap is running pretty good but i dumped 3000 gallons on the ground due to it looked like cottage cheese. My pumps are on but my valves are open. It hit 82 here today.Come on cold air.
I did not run my sap puller today. I plan on starting it back up tomorrow. I should be able to store/process as I am able to over the next couple of days. I had not heard about not shutting vac/puller off and then not getting it to start back up. We will see.
Mike
I got about 4000 gallons today but the quality is not real good. We may have to dump tomorrows sap and wait on freeze up again.
Spud
That answers my question. I will dump all my sap tomorrow before the freeze up.Quote:
Originally Posted by spud
It reached 67 yesterday, and 69.9 here today.
Made 280 gal so far today and still need to boil again in 20 min. Should make another 100. I am hopeful for a good year yet. .4gpt or better is not out of reach for me.
Hey two guys just south of you are boiling tonight and one made a barrel of syrupQuote:
Originally Posted by Randy Brutkoski
Made 2 gal tonight and friends son was in crocks stocking wood for me . Picking up all the sweet out of a 4x14 tomorrow big guys can't run with out big sap. I should be around like 107.
So the sap ran very well yesterday, unfortunately it is testing around 1.2 -1.3%. It was pretty cloudy with a little aroma but we were able to make 90 more gallons today. Still a medium amber although darker with a stronger flavor. Most of the buds still looked pretty tight today so if we can make it to tomorrow night we should be good for awhile longer. Had to make a run down to Barre to get some more barrels as we were almost out. Our total to date is 1563 gallons which is only 411 less than what we made last year so if things go well this week we should be able to pass it.
I know you 2 are still going. I meant from me all the way past middlebury from what i am told. The sap is going to hammer this week.
Dreaming....i'm just dreaming....
I have been getting between 3000 to 6000 gallons a day since the last freeze. The sugar is between 1.4% and 1.6%.
Done. Taps are all pulled. buckets washed. Even tore the shack down. Here's to next year. 2.5 gallons. One of medium, one and a half of robust. Best first year ever!!!
I have been getting 3001 to 6001 gallons a day sugar is 1.5 to 1.7. And by the way my dad can beat up your dad.
i am going to barre to start pulling taps tommorow.
You would be getting close to 12000 a day of your sugaring supplier would get you the electric motor he said he ordered 2 weeks ago and a ordering confermation number .
This guy past Middlebury is definitely done. I can't believe how quickly trees here started budding. Yesterday morning the red maples were very swollen and today they are starting to flower. Sugar maples are visibly swollen and aspens are starting to flower as well. It hit almost 80 here yesterday and the previous night didn't go below 60. Same last night as well.
This afternoon I'm draining the slime out of the pans and boiling some water to start cleaning the rig. Probably won't get to pulling taps until next week as I am taking a little "vacation" from sugaring this weekend. Good luck to all of you still making the C.
Boiling again today- 2500 gallons. Looks like we've got plenty more coming, our forecasts look solid for the next week!
Have not got to C yet. Last night it came back up to dark amberQuote:
Originally Posted by GeneralStark
Sorry. I was referring to Champlain Valley sugarmakers as I can't imagine anyone in this part of the state is making anything but C. Good luck east of the greens too! Seems like you guys might get through the heatwave.Quote:
Originally Posted by wiam