Printable View
I've been wondering how your making out, Canterbury. Your experience with those early tapholes might influence my future tapping efforts. Keep us posted.
Nice you've got some new taps to augment. It would be interesting to see how the brix from the trees tapped in January compares right now with the brix from these newly tapped trees.
Thanks for the encouragement! I placed a "test tap" yesterday and probably got a pint of sap today, so it is starting to run. Got everything ready to go for tomorrow weather dependent.Quote:
Originally Posted by mainebackswoodssyrup
What other hobbies are keeping you occupied?
I've been spending the winter with my bandsaw mill making lumber for a new woodshed. I have an abundance of pine which I also use in the sap stove. The cants from the mill make great firewood pieces and kindling once worked up.
Fishing this week and snowmobiling up north next week. Looks like we might miss some sap next week. Oh well, that’s the way it goes. Glad we don’t have to rely on it for a living or I would be real stressed out right now!
Looks like its time to get our drill on. Next week looks good and Id imagine it will stay that way. Actually pretty much right on schedule, maybe a tad early. We will start tapping Sunday and hopefully collect enough sap over the week to start cooking the following weekend.
I tapped 35 trees Friday by 3 and Saturday by 3 I collected 23 gallons. With another 18 gallons today I've got 42 in the snowbank. The ssc was 2 to 2.2 for the buckets as a whole which was slightly disappointing. I guess I was hoping for closer to 2.5, but what can you do. It is what it is. I tested individual trees that are usually 3 and they are again this season---apparently the volume of 2's outweighs the 3's.
What are the odds that the January warmth resulted in the best sugar levels found into the tree early? I swear I started out higher last year, but I'd have to go look at last years posts to confirm.
I'm going to try for 75 gallons per boil if possible. By varying circumstances I can't boil till the 24th or 25th, so I'll easily have that volume stashed in the snowbank. Nice thing about this time of the year it's easy to keep sap slightly frozen to prolong its viability. I couldn't do that in a month from now.
I checked last years thread. I started last season with around 2.07%, so it appears similar this year. He refractometer reads to the nearest 0.2 % so I'll get a more concrete number after my first boil. Perhaps I should invest in a digital version.
My plan is to start tapping tomorrow. The forecast looks good for the weekend, but last year started like this and then had a freezeup at the end of February. We'll see how it goes. Good luck to all----------
Yes, good luck to all! Interesting that there was a freeze up at the end of February last year, and I see it looking the same after the 22nd. I watch an online meteorologist named Ryan Hall who gives a really detailed and accurate (as can be) forecast. Today he was discussing the colder than normal March weather related to some weird polar vortex patterns that are forming at the current time. No specific numbers yet, but perhaps colder than the 50 degree weather we got the past two seasons. Time will tell, but his forecasts are worth the watch.
So far, so good. I've collected 100 gallons in 4 days off 35 taps. Nice clear sap. Today was particularly good with a several trees releasing over a gallon per tap. I expect the same tomorrow and Thursday, as well as a few days next week. Luckily I've got a few big snowbanks because I expect 200 gallons in the snow by mid next week.
Today was quite a day----close to 50 gallons off the 35 taps. I suspect there will be more in the morning from late day runners. At this point I have 170 gallons stashed in the snow, some lightly frozen. Another 55 gallons will be 3 boils worth starting next weekend. With even a few days of sap weather this Sunday and next week I'm sure I can gather that amount. The question will be will the remaining 20 five gallon buckets I have be enough till boiling day?
How's everyone else making out?
I am sitting on 300 gallons off 113 taps down in Lewiston right now. Should be a tad more by morning. Missed today due to a dead battery for my Shurflo but its running now. All nice clear sap averaging 2.25%.