Extended forecast for NH shows Sunday through Tuesday above freezing with temps in the 20's following. Watch out guys its coming soon.
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Extended forecast for NH shows Sunday through Tuesday above freezing with temps in the 20's following. Watch out guys its coming soon.
Hold onto your shorts Amber Gold. Take look at what is coming out of the gulf for Ground hogs day. I would say either get you boat shoveld out or go fuel up the snow plow! Again! Either way it ain't gonna be good.
Theron,
With those extended runs last year, what was your typical yield of sap/tap/day?
And how agressive did you tap? Did you go after the small cul trees?
Jeff- Last year I had 1250 real nice taps and rougly 300 cull trees. The cull trees were real small and were not tubed in properly. I just went after them with scraps, etc, very long lats with lots of them on the lats. Id say that for the most part on a good run Id get gallon per tap to a gallon and a half per tap during the day and if it ran through the night it could be another gallon per tap that night too. Now lots of times I would have maybe two tanks with say 1200 gallons and sometimes less. Just depended when it thawed out that day. I had a lot of medium runs Id say and a couple humdingers. My best run was the first one in early february. Started running early in the am hours and run 2400 gallons by noon basically. That was my very first run. I think the reason I got so much even with the cull trees was the vac levels. I was always running right at 26 inches of vac. Other thing is like I said before if it was above freezing I never saw it not running even after a few days. Pretty neat. I dont know If I can get those levels again this year with all the new taps. I hope so. Theron
Boy, that first day must have had you thinking!!!
I have a new SIHI oil-bath liquid ring pump, 5 hp, so I am hoping for high vac as well. Getting the oil next Tuesday so I will soon see what it can do.
Made any syrup yet?
I havent made any yet. Im real busy getting ready like everyone else. How many cfm's is the pump. If its 5 hp you probly have a serious pump for 1200 taps and thats good. Youll get a ton of sap. Itll be a blast. Im kind of worried I wont be able to get that big level again. I have a lot of line and connections now but well have to wait and see. Im going to try real hard. Your stuff looks super Jeff. Ill bet your going to be pretty happy. Theron
Thanks SapCsar,
It is a 50 CFM pump. I am up to 1400 taps now, and just finished thinning another part of the woods, so I can go after several hundred more. I am shooting for 1700 by March, 2500+ by next year.
Scary, already talking about next year....
Jeff- Your going to get a lot of sap with that setup and that pump even this year on that many taps. Youve got a half gallon setup there if there ever was one. Just have to wait and see the temps now. Ill bet your dying to see it work. Theron
"Other thing is like I said before if it was above freezing I never saw it not running even after a few days. Pretty neat. I dont know If I can get those levels again this year with all the new taps. I hope so. Theron[/QUOTE]"
I think that is the biggest differance I see with vacuum. Without vacuum, after 24 hours above freezing, sap run would stop. With vacuum, it just keeps coming ...
Checked the weather again. It's going to be in the 40's over the weekend and into next week.
Who's gonna be the first?
BIGSAP WARNING!!!!!, BIGSAP WARNING!!!!! CODE BLUE!!!! CODE BLUE!!!! A warming trend from Northeastern Pennsylvania to all points south is currently being issued do to several days of above normal temperatures. All people with heavy snow cover be warned the roots may not be frozen. This situation could trick even a seasoned sugarmaker. If the roots are not froze sap could come up those roots even with all the snow. This could lead to a lost sap opportunity and no one wants that to happen. You guys need to listen good becouse Im only going to tell you this twice. Im pretty sure it might run next week but I could be wrong. Good luck. Zar
I agree with Theron, There is a BIGSAP Warning in effect for the next 7 days.
Well at least down in my neck of the woods.
My trees are starting to run, the big ones are producing the most while a few of my smaller ones haven't started yet. I got more sap today with the temps only in the mid 30's than I did the 2 day prior with the temps in the 40's.
I think the smaller ones the roots are shallow an are still frozen while the bigg'ins are a little deeper and not froozen, just my observastion.
So, it looks like I might be making more syrup in the next 7 days than I did all last year.
Hey Theron are you ready for BIGSAP?
Dennis- Ive got some test taps out, you know just so I know whats goin on. I keep working at it. Always seems to be more to do but I think things are coming along pretty good. Youll have to keep us posted on the BIGSAP down there. Theron
Looks like sap weather down here starting Saturday and I hope to tap at least my largest south bush if not both of my south bushes on Sat. I can't say big sap weather like Theron since I can't suck it out of the trees like him. LOL! Here's the forecast:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/recre...yLink_outdoors
We will be watching but will probably not tap yet. Need a day or more just to hang the tubing, and most of a day to tap and set the storage tanks.
Brandon hope the start of the season is good.
Regards,
Chris
tapping the 14-22 here sap prob wont run till first week in march
While we may have a few days of warmer weather coming , I am not tapping. I have tapped on Pressidents day every year and have bee froze up for two weeks after i tapped. If I have ever thing tapped bt March 1st i will be a happy tapper.
Dave- How many buckets exactly do you think your going to run? I wish I had time to do the buckets too. I love the buckets. Maybe next year. Your going to be the one with the BIGSAP. Maybe Ill come over and help you boil this June. Theron
I'm with you Dave!we are going to resist tapping until Valentines day(even with four days above freezing) makes more sence to have the holes open on the back end as to get a small run now and a freeze up for three weeks and then have the holes dry up too soon in March.It's going to take the trees a week to thaw out any way from that 20 below stuff we had just two weeks ago!
Jim
Theron,
I have 1800 taps on tubing and I hope to put out 1200 buckets. It will probably be more like 1000 though. What ever the case may be I probably wont be with out sap at anytime though out the season.
You must have a whole crew to collect all them ? do you collect them all in one day Dave ?
Dave- I like your stategy. Id rather have to much to boil then nothing to boil. Can always tank it for a little bit. I cant imagine the sap off them on a good run day if they are the big trees like you usually tap. Theron
We ran 500 buckets one year and it sucked. I said to myself one night in the lights of the tractor I'm not going to do this ever again. Ayear later I met a guy who has been doing TEN THOUSAND BUCKETS for about 40 years he said he doesn't like tubing andthe bucket collecting gives everyone something to do.
10 000 must be nuts , the guy must have tons of help i had 300 out and i got off the bus at 315 and i didnt get back till around 430 and tons of work but i love buckets probably gunna a run and the rest is on tubing for this year, should be tapping in the next two weeks
Is it going to be in the 40's here? In Maine? Really?
It would be awesome if the weather broke right during my February vacation.
Crazy is the word for it. Could you imagine collecting 30,000 t0 50,000 gallons of sap out of buckets, boiling then starting over the next morning.I think that puts you in the "real go getter" catagory.
Most people who have large amounts of buckets also have road systems in their bushes and a good work force. I have a good work force, and the majority of the buckets are in a manageable distance from the road.
My parents used to put out 1300 buckets. It was no big deal. Dad and a couple of the farm hands would do the gathering while my mom and grandfather did the boiling. My grandmother made candy and cream and I was too young to much of anything.
Russ,
Taste testers are important!
BIGSAP WARNING for south central PA. I would be really thinking about tapping in this weekend if I were you.
Just finished hanging the rest of my buckets and the sap is aready running at 11:30am this morning!!
If it keeps running the way it is right now I may be boiling this evening.
Nice job Dennis! CODE RED!!!!! CODE RED!!! BIGSAP!!!!! BIGSAP!!!!! This is the highest of Bigsap alerts. Southern regions of the maple sugaring areas could experiance heavy runs do to these warming temps. Be on the ready. Get those tanks clean. Get that pump running. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Theron
What are you doing still in the house?
Why aren't you in the woods?
Russ Lampron here and I am honored to sitting at the comand center of the BIGSAP ALERT SYSTEM where weather conditions are constantly monitored and BIGSAP ALERTS are posted. Boiling sodas and the Captain have been flowing as final preparations for the first boil of the season have been under way. It is getting close now and the list is getting smaller. Keep an eye on your computer screens to be up to date and prepared for the BIGSAP!
You listen Dave Y and you listen good becouse Im only going to tell you this twice. This is a serious operation and constant monitoring of weather is no lie. I even check for changes when I get up to pee in the night. We KNOW whats goin on here. Ive got some serious individuals on this at every moment. Were a little slow in the morning but were hell on fire once we get goin, could be the KILLIANS. Well keep you guys posted but we are thinking BIGSAP is coming. Zar
well it good to see you have someone there who can bail you out Theron. LOL ... now the question is there a third musketeer there to help bail the sinking ship. Good job Russ keep him in line.
Dave- Im going to Richards today Ill take your barrells over with me. Theron
BIGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!! SAPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!- For the love of God people tap every freakin tree you can get your hands on BIGSAP next week! Buckets, natural vacuum, unnatural vacuum at least try to make it look like you WANNNNNNNN IT! Im going to try to have my sugar house all streamlinedby the end of the week and then Im going after more taps once I think I can actually process this stuff. Yesterday changed out the double bernard in the sugar house with a big belly releaser. Really neat to watch. Kind of like looking in fish tank. Need BIGSAP stories from you guys so I know whats goin on. Zar
Your killing me up here!!!
We have another cold front coming through, highs in the teens for the rest of the week. CODE BLUE!!!! CODE BLUE!!! Freezing fingers on the wire ties (as reported from my 10 yr old daughter.
Next 10 day forcast says 1 day next week may get to 33 deg.
BUT I know it is coming....
GO GET EM! Ride the Tsunami, we can sleep in the summer!
I am taking the afternoon off work and pulling tubing...
Jeff- Thats the spirit. Wouldnt it be great if a guy could tube everyday? Theron