How are your January taps doing? Still producing?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost
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How are your January taps doing? Still producing?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost
Volume a little less than as trees tapped later, based on drip rate from 3/16. Have not tested brix, they all flow into the same tank.
A while back I read a study from Cornell that trees tapped early never fully catch up to trees tapped later. Still I like your “value” metric to get 80% of a maximum season in 4 or so boils.
Brix are hanging around 2. Three days of collection have been 2.1, 1.9, and 2. The 30 taps in the woods on 3/16 have been flowing all 3 days really good. The buckets and bags a little less until yesterday, which was good The 11 on 5/16 in the woods just started to flow yesterday.
Are you implying that if a tree looses some of its sap earlier in the season ( to a person or woodpecker ) it may reduce its brix on the sap it runs today??Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost
What if it runs the sap in January but does not loose it. How would that effect the brix of sap run in March by that tree?
My TTT date was Monday.
Yesterday was my best running sap of the week on about 3 out of every 4 taps and perhaps at 60% to 70% of capacity on those.
Was hoping for full capacity on all by yesterday. A bit more thawing to go I suspect.
My brix on some BIG trees is slightly over 2% have not tested the smaller trees, but I bet a bit less.
Hoping for 3% by early March.
My 250 gallon tote is almost full, expecting it to reach capacity this evening as I'm still collecting today. I was lucky enough to hit 29F last night.
Seems I'll be running the RO tonight and firing up the evaporator for my first boil tomorrow.
I hope the rains stay away tomorrow...
Yes, based on the Cornell paper.
Today’s Brix 1.3, and I don’t have an RO. Oye.
Collected 450 gallons this morning, ran it through the RO twice and lit the fire of the year. The collected sap was around 2.2 brix but keep in mind I still have sizable ice blocks in all my collection tanks. Didn't test it out of the tree. Drew off 3.5 gallons ready to bottle. Should have another 400+ gallons to boil tomorrow morning. With a sweep I hope to draw 5 or more gallons tomorrow? Guess we'll see!
I'm not sure what paper in particular you are referring to, but I don't think that is what they were saying, or that is what would happen. I think you are referring to a paper that says if you tap earlier you'll make about the same amount of syrup as you would if you tap later. It is not what all the research has shown. Typically, IF you use vacuum AND you use good sanitation AND you tap early AND there is good weather for a few runs early, then you will make more syrup tapping early. Wilmot (UVM PMRC/UVM Extension) did that research several years ago. https://mapleresearch.org/pub/m0608tappingtiming/ Cornell (Orefice, then later Wild at Uihlein) repeated that https://mapleresearch.org/pub/retapmd1220/ A lot depends on how the year plays out, which you can't tell ahead of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost
First boil of the season... It was a success.
I cant tell you how nice it was to spend time outside with the kids, especially my son who is bravely fighting cancer for the second time...
Two gallons of syrup, a pan full of sweet, and some fun lessons about RO, evaporation, and what makes sap good on pancakes!
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Sounds like you had a perfect day! Just think... this is just the beginning of the season. May you have many happy family boiling sessions this season! :)