WV MAPLER TAPPED 02/11/06

Im with Rob Harvey,...it is very interesting hearing your progress and how you are winding down as we up here are just hoping to start. I tapped another 75 today. Brook that Im climbing up and down is gurgling but Im walking straight up it on frozen ice without fear of breaking through. It got up to 34 degrees there today with a nasty south wind. I hope to have my first sap and time but none yet, just slight wet trees when I tapped today. Have about 1 ft of snow still in woods.
I greatly enjoy the pics of your footing work on your new sugarhouse. I need to do a similar thing for mine some day. Still working off pillars for a foundation and a gravel floor.

Frank

Brandon, 70 to 75 gallons is very good concidering the low sugar content. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Russ

Russ,

Thanks! :D I collected another 100 gallon yesterday evening from the one bush on the north side I hadn't pulled yet. It has 130 to 140 taps and I left them in. Some colder weather this week, so they should run fairly good as they are on the north side and don't dry up nearly as fast. I wish all my trees were on the north side. North side trees are best in my opinion due to they stay cooler, better sap quality and run longer. Yes, I know they take longer to start, but over the years, they always run the most for me especially more so on really warm seasons like this year.

1100 gallon of sap for the week and boiled off the last 300 or so last night. We'll see what happens over the next few days. 60's to 70 the last two days and that way until Tues. The south side trees were slowing some and after this, they would have basically been finished anyway.

Brandon it sounds like its just about time for you to get cleaned up and start thinking about turkey hunting! Rob

Rob,

I have all but two of my tanks that are still out washed and about 280 of the 425 taps have been flushed and the 14 buckets I had in one bushed washed. I am not much in to spring turkey hunting and haven't went in years. I enjoy fall hunting a lot better. Too much going on in the spring and a little dangerous for me. :?

Wouldn't you know it. After all this 70+ degree stuff for several days and warm days each week of the syrup season, now we are having perfect sugaring weather when the season is supposed to be about over. Got to 19 or below last night which is the first time below freezing in over a week and got to 40 and sunny today, but lots of cold wind. Supposed to get to 14 tonight and 45 and sunny tommorrow. 22 tommorrow night and low 40's and sunny Monday. Then cold until Wed or Thurs and low 40's again all the way into next week. 8O Haven't had this kind of weather in 5 weeks and now all my holes are dried up. :cry: :cry:

sounds like it is time to set up the new area and worry about the underground tubing later.

I pulled the taps on that sugarbush a week ago yesterday. :D

Is there a CPR for tap holes? :lol: If not, might want to try to invent one...maybe a little sap primer injection into the dry holes :P .

Brandon - would be curious to see if you drilled your holesfrom 5/16 to 7/16, if they would run again.

To save damage to the trees, you wouldn't have to do this to the whole bush, maybe just one on a two or three tap tree or trees that you know are especially healthy.

Last year, I undertapped some trees so after the warm spell came, I drilled another hole. Made an extra 7 or 8 gallons of syrup from just drilling a few more holes.

retap them and set up some vacume

I put out 14 new buckets on Tues morning just to play around with things as I always have something up my sleeve and from then to yesterday afternoon, they ran around 1 gallon per tap. 8O There was hardly in freezing during the time, but these are field and roadside trees that normally pour and haven't been tapped for a couple of years and half have never been tapped. Got cold Fri night and last night and a nice sunny day yesterday and today, but temps never got past 40 or 41 and a lot of cold wind continually. I am interested to see what will happen over the next 10 days. Lots of cold weather, so we shall see. Always love experimenting and I have another one going on that I will fill you in on in a week or two. :o

I wonder how long vacume and spile extensions would have extended your season?

Parker - When you and Kevin had the meeting of the minds earlier this season, did you consider the consequences of tapping too early? :P

This year has been a strange one, that's for sure. If the weather forcast holds out, this will be the lastest I've collected sap by a long shot. I've never gone into April, we usually have summer weather by then! :wink:

I am going to throw a good curveball at you. I put out a few of the 19/64 stainless spouts with a short piece of tubing on them in buckets and they dried up just as fast as the regular bucket spouts and the tubing.

THESE WERE BRAND NEW STAINLESS SPOUTS. It just goes to show when the weather is as warm as it was here this season, not hardly anything you can do. :cry:

Brandon-

Have you or anyone ever tried screwing around with something like you mentioned with the small piece of tubing, but say for example:

Put bucket on tree, attach small piece of tubing but long enough to hit the bottom of the bucket, then when you dump the buckets, leave the tube still under the sap level, kinda making a sealed environment?

May be a pain in the a$$ leaving the sap in the pail, but wonder if it would prolong the life of the tap hole?

Sweetwood- I was not aware there was a "meeting of the minds" until I read about it here,,,as this is my 3rd year doing this on my own I try to keep my opinions to myself caus I realize I dont know what I am talking about,,lets see,,I tapped on jan.22 that gives me till,,,,,,,,OH NO,,MY SEASON IS ALMOST OVER!!!! 56 gallons off of 2000 taps,,1500 of them with some ammount of vacume,,,,AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Hope the splie extensions work,,,

Parker - Just kidding, of course. Kevin posted a while back about your "meeting". :wink:

The sap extension and vacuum must be working as you have been tapped for 2 months and still getting sap.

My last post was incorrect,,should have wrote I tapped on FEBUARY22,,woops

When i brought Parker down the Pick-up tank that night we talked for about 1 1/2hrs so meeting of the minds just sounds good. It's an expression when 2 or more people get together and exchange ideas.

One last hooray on Sat. I should have around 200 to 250 gallons of sap to boil. It is amazing as it is supposed to start snowing tonight and snow all the way thru Sunday and it has been too cold nearly all week this week for sap to run. Probably won't get a lot of accumulation but if the weather would have been normal this year and not gotten a lot of warm weather, I could have made syrup almost all the way to the first of April which is crazy for here. Quite amazing, shame we got all that warm weather in the peak of the season and throughout the entire season, but that's the way it goes. Just thankful for the opportunity and the good amount of syrup we made with conditions that were not favorable for syrup. Should be somewhere around 75 gallons once it is all said and done! :D

...I can't believe this year either. It's almost daylight savings time for Pete's sake! Never made syrup this late.

Curious to see what grade you get with that sap and if you have any buddy flavor. Have you tried to boil some in a pan and smell the steam?

[quote]brandon I started tapping on feb. 2nd. at my camp in Grant County WV. Its been a good season so far, and its not over yet due to those Beaver River inserts. I expect to make syrup to the end of March. Everything I make from this point foward will be marketed as commercial, My friend H. Breenaman of Salisbury, Pa. has always treated me fairly, He quotes me a price per pound, I back my truck up to his warehouse unload syrup and load up tubing and jugs and other goodies.
I have him two barrels now and possibly a third by next week. Last years price was 1.10 a pound. May be higher this year. 880 pound at 1.10 will get me 900 plus dollars, or 900 dollars worth of supplies. Henry does not sell Beaver River Inserts. 19/64 to 7/16 They are running just like new holes, Clear water because of the cold weather and the vacuum pump. Probably a category 3 storm surge. I have started refering to my runs in storm surge categorys so the people who don't make syrup have a better understanding of how much water am getting. /quote]

220,

Give Henry my regards. How is he doing from his accident, is he able to make syrup and get around without crutches?? :?

Yes, and his poor wife who has trouble getting around as well, but now has to walk for the both of them.

Very nice people.

Boiled off around the last of the sap I yesterday from the past 7 days which was close to 300 gallon. All low sugar content even the 14 new taps I put in on new field and roadside trees that hadn't been tapped for a couple of year or most that had never been tapped was only 1.6. Did check 5 gallons off of two large woods trees and it was just over 2 percent. Guess I will have to get the sap hydrometer out and check the sap more often next year to see what different areas are producing. Kevin sent me one a couple of years ago and it has gotten very little use, but might see a lot more in the future for the fun of it. :wink:

Guess I will end of somwhere around 75 gallons once I boil out the evaporator later this week. I need to finish off what is in evaporator and around another 25 gallons and clean the evaporator and I am finished completely for the year. After that it will be time to start getting wood in for next year. I am going to build a wall across then end of my woodshed and leave the two small sides open to be able to back into and for air circulation. Considering the temps and the lack of freezing all winter and during syrup season, I would consider it a very good year. Also, collecting all of the sap and doing most of the boiling by myself since my dad wasn't able to help made it more difficult.

Time to start planning for next year. I plan on adding around 75 more taps on tubing to get me to 500 which will be my max. I was going to last summer, but due to having to move everything and build a new sugarhouse, it didn't happen. 500 taps is too many for me, but on years like this one and 2004, it is not and it helps to bring up the bad years. I would much rather dump sap than not have enough and I have dumped it more than once. :)

DUMP PERFECTLY GOOD SAP??!!! Bite your tongue! :P

You got plenty of room in your place for a larger evaporator or plenty of headroom for a steamaway. :wink:

10' celing and room for a 12' evaporator! :D I built the sugarhouse section plenty big so I would have enough room if I ever did go to a bigger evaporator. Actually, I could probably get a 16' evporator in their if I wanted. It is 24' wide and 18' long as far as the sugaring section of the building. I am very happy with my current setup and no reason to go bigger. The guy that helped me boil some this year in up in 60's and my dad isn't a spring chicken either. I guess when it gets to where the help is gone, then it will be time to get a bigger evaporator. Now, I have someone I can trust to go over and boil from 8 to 6 and knock of 500 gallons of sap while I am working! :D

As far as dumping sap, well it is not likely for me, but I have a few times. Better to have too much sap than not enough! :)

I ended up boiling off 4100 gallons this year and only fired the evaporator 8 times. Not a lot of boiling in a 6 week period and a couple of those boils, I only boiled off around 300 gallon. Always room for improvement and something to look forward to for next year! :D

Good for You Brandon, you did well for the first year in the new setup!! I knew you would get more boiling in...,I was hoping for more sap tonight but will have to wait for the freeze tonight.. should be around 77 gallons... was hoping for 80 by tonight but oh well.... yes many plans for next year ...do we ever stop??

Wouldn't be much fun in stopping, I guess that's when it's time to quit. :lol: :lol: I will be running out of things in a couple of years, but always room for a couple of little things each year! :wink: :wink: Of course, a bigger evaporator is not one of those things like someone I know! 8O :wink:

Brandon,
Henry is doing pretty good however he is still on crutches. He was boiling Sat. when I was there. I visited three other camps that day one in Maryland near the West Virginia. They were at half crop, only boiled 40000 gallons of water this year but hoping for some big runs this week. Their trees was to cold to run. Last year they made syrup in April, and are planning to do the same. Mckensie's Camp on river Rd. in Salisbury was Three barrels short of last year. They believe they will make it this week.
Milroy Farms also on River Rd. in Salisbury had only boiled 65000 gallons of water which is half crop, They also are hoping for a couple big runs.
Henry is also hoping for some big runs, however some of the people he buys sap from did not open their trees due to the weather.
I questioned the price of Commercial syrup, unless something unforseen happens, it is probably going to be at or near record price. 1.30 a pound
Mark 220 maple

Finished canning everything last night and cleaned up evaporator. Thanks to mapleman3, the vinegar does work great and pans look like new. I have some buildup like calcium on the 2 center divers in the syrup pan that it wouldn't take off, but everything else is clean as new. Next year, I may try to leave it in there for a few days and see what happens. I brought it up to a boil for about 20 minutes and it cleaned up pretty much by itself.

I finished up the year at 73 gallons. I have never seen so much sugarsand in all my life. I probably had 2 or 3 gallons or more last night and it was such a bear filtering. It backs up my theory that I have always thought was the case. The most of the sap that I canned last night was slightly cloudy and lower quality and had a much higher bacteria count and overall as a season, was by far the worst sap I have ever seen. Temps to warm nearly every week and the sap had no choice. Ended up at a 56 to 1 ratio which is the worst I have ever seen. Producer south of me with 1700 taps was 45 to 1 last year and 60 to 1 this year. 8O 8O 8O Goes to show what this warm weather is good for. Last year, cold all winter other than 2+ weeks first of Jan and extremely cold entire 6 week season and this year, the ground never really even froze other than a little on top. :?