Last night put us right at 200 gallons. At the end my old Seprotech HP pump got louder. Hope it lasts.
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Last night put us right at 200 gallons. At the end my old Seprotech HP pump got louder. Hope it lasts.
Hey rusty if you get to tired bring the sap to east poultney.Im loving this,this is what we all dream about. Making two or three barrels a night. Bring it on for another two weeks. Or longer!!!!
FINALLY a good run! 2.5 gal sap per tap today. A few more like this (maybe tomorrow) will definitely put us back on track.
What do you mean by today? What sort of time frame are you referring to? It didn't really get going here today until about 10:30 as the Hogback blocks the sun in the morning. It was running over 100 gph for most of the day but once the snow started it slowed down a bit. It may still be running....but it's kind of nasty out so I don;t want to walk to the sugarhouse.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
With the 200 gal. left from yesterday and the approx. 550 I pulled in by 5 pm, I made another 15 gal. of Golden Delicate this evening. Looks like we will get a freeze tonight. Sugar came back up to 2.2% with last night's thaw. Tonight may be the last freeze for a while, but I should be able to get another week out of the season...at least.
Good day today. 9,100 gallons from 8,000 taps. Filled 5 more barrels. It's nice to be done before midnight.
Good day yesterday and sap ran 1200 GPH most of the day. Got over 9000 gallons. Snowed last night and the branches are covered with snow. Should be another great day. Still waiting for the 1.5+ GPT runs. Good luck everyone.
Spud
A solid 3" of snow here, and a good freeze. Could be a good day again today if it warms up enough. Trees and sap lines are coated in snow....possible thunder storms tomorrow and no real freeze in the forecast. Ahhh April :)
A 24-hr period would be the best approximation. In some cases we have chambers in the woods that collect sap until we measure and then drain them. 24 hrs is typically the maximum amount of time. So that run would have been between 5pm on Tues and 5pm on Wed, with the bulk of that coming in on Tuesday evening from 5-9pm and then from 10am-5pm on Wed. Once the sun hit the trees in good shape it was like a fire hose going in to each of the releasers for a good while. It shut down between those times and then shut down again last night (Wed night) around 9pm. It was the first (and only) good run of this season so far. With that, we're at 46.5% of our minimum goal of 0.5 gal syrup/tap. (Hoping for another run like that again today and tomorrow.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeneralStark
Ok, thanks for the clarification. 2.5 gpt in the span of say a 10-12 hour sap run (like yesterday) would be very impressive at least in my experience. I had two almost 2.5gpt 24 hour runs this season, and hoping for another today into tomorrow...:)Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
25 degrees this morning and another four inches of snow
Had about 4,000 gallons come in yestrrday. Still not running yet, should get going next week.
Considering that this was the 4 hr tail end of one run and about 7 hrs of the next, with an intervening freeze of 14 hrs, and 1/2 full tanks in one of the sheds that we aren't counting (left it last night for today) we were quite happy with it. It was definitely the best run of the season (at least so far), and typical of those that we normally will get only 2-3 times per year. Just perfect conditions for us.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeneralStark
Things just broke open again here today (starting at 10:10am) at about 34-35 deg F with clouds and wind. Unlike the last few weeks, the trees are now just primed to run as soon as the temperatures allow. Doesn't take a lot to get them started....although good vacuum helps too. From the forecast, it should run for at least the next 2 or 3 days.
I calculate my sap for a day from 6am to 6am. The sap is rolling in this morning. Right now I am getting 1350 GPH. Hey Dr. Tim and General I wish I could get the GPT you guys are getting. Yestrday I got 1.6 GPT on my new woods but only shy of a gallon on my old woods. My old woods is 250 feet higher. Still finding leaky CV2 spouts in the woods. I will have it all fixed by May 1st. Good luck everyone.
Spud
It is amazing how a little altitude (temp change) will do.Quote:
Originally Posted by spud
I haven't broken the freezing mark yet (31) after noon. Everything coated with ice and snow. Yesterday boiled for 11 hours to catch up as I can only boil 30 gph. It fortunately only ran for 3-4 hours as I need the break. Forecast shows a freeze for Saturday night for me. I should get two more powerful runs Fri-Sat, and Sun-Mon. I will run out of wood I think. I did not plan proper for my vacuum output potential. I can store up to 700 gallons so maybe I can get someone to come take it if it comes to that.
I live in Monkton and have had a great year so far. Thoughts on today being the last sap run? Temps look to be too high the next few days and all next week. Good luck everyone!
Where I am, I don't think my sap run has even really started. I know the temps are planned to be high for next week. But there is 3' + feet of snow in my woods. In the higher elevation of the bush, I think it has opened up only two or three times since the start of 2015. It never really ran more than a trickle today as it was hovering at 32/33. I just might make syrup in May for the first time ever.
Spud, sorry to hear about the leaking CV's. I also had some with pin holes and several others that broke when tapping. Think I may have a couple more out there. But the snow is still so deep, it is really hard going. I was thinking the other day how to entice tourist to search for leaks on "sugaring snowshoe tours". Like a free army of leak hunters. I hope the idea works.
Ben
It really started to run hard this morning and then just kind of turned into average (for this season which isn't saying much) flow once the wind picked up and the clouds thickened up. Never went above 38 and now at 35 here in the gateway to the Greens...Here is my hypothesis for the lackluster run despite the trees being primed. Ice and snow do not thaw readily below 38F. We still have snow on the ground from last night and I had to seek shelter in the RO room multiple times today to warm up (before the INTENS-O-FIRE was rippin) because it was so cold (I am sick of cold).
So, if the NWS is correct (which is unlikely based on their record this winter) and it does really warm tomorrow and we experience thunderstorms and downpours and some really warm air (I'll believe it when I see it) THEN the sap is really going to run...If not, then it is due to the annoying as heck south wind, or perhaps it is due to these **** CV2 spouts that Dr. Tim promised would allow me to achieve 1/2 gpt. Paging Dr. Tim...wtf...:)
Anyway, I did make another 15 gal. of Golden Delicate this evening from approx. 800 gal. I collected last night and today til approx. 5:30 pm. 192 for season total.
That's pretty much the whole story this year.Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleBrookMaple
The weather man say's it is going down to 37 tonight. Right now it is 33 and getting colder. My woods already froze up about a half hour ago. The same weather man is saying all next week the night temps will not go below 35. Something tells me we will have 3-4 nights next week that will go below freezing temp. I think I have two full weeks left of sugaring in my area and maybe more. I still cannot drive my 4-wheeler with chains in my woods because of all the snow.
Spud
Sounds like everyone is keeping plenty busy today. Had over 10,000 gallons as of 12:30 am and sap is still coming in at 400 gal/hr. We've made 29 barrels so far including what we've bottled so we are pretty close to 50% crop. Sure hope we can make the other half. Good luck tomorrow.
900 to 1200 every day so dam busy process all night get up do a rinse 2am start processing again. over 200 now. not bAD for only putting up 4 to 5 cords of wood.
need several more 40 gal barrels. hoping to go see Thad this weekend
Thermometer has been stuck at 31 for the past 36 hours. Must be time to replace it?
No freeze overnight, but down to 33. Sap ran all night but slowed down quite a bit. Probably not going to hit 2gpt in 24hrs. , but will get to 1.5-1.6gpt. Sugar was @ 2% yesterday and still making light syrup. I'm interested to see what happens today as it warms up. Will the trees really thaw out and get going? Or, will it continue to be average?
Talked with a large producer today. They said typically they would have made 14K gallons by now. This year they are at 1000 so far.
This is surely a strange year. It seems like in the lower elevations, production is close to normal. Where in the higher elevations, it is way down.
Is there any word on how CA is doing on production. I could imagine a lot less syrup being produced this year overall. The prices seem to depend only on CA production and then the strength of the CA dollar.
Ben
I'm at a lower elevation (hinesburg) - things broke free for us this week. I've had over a gallon per tap each day for the past six days. I'm on pace today to end up with about 8 gallons per tap over a 6 day period. (every day for the past five days has been over a gallon per tap, but no 2+ gpt days here).
There aren't any more freezes forecast for my area - there's a slight chance of a freeze Saturday night here but that looks less and less likely as Saturday approaches. The weather forecast for next week seems unsettled but not generally favoring freezes here (and that is probably good news for those at higher elevations)
I tapped late (I have only 110 taps so I have the luxury of just-in-time tapping before the first thaw) - and I expect my trees to continue to be capable of running until the trees here bud. (They will of course stop running if we don't get any more freezes) They are running at a moderate and steady now - peaked a little last hour but seem to be slowing slightly (I have my releaser set up to post ever release event on twitter and graph the data etc so I can monitor it from work, so I have a good idea how it is running)
The graph of gallons of sap per tap for my location show pretty clearly how it's broken recently:
Attachment 11659
I'm lower than where I want to end the season for gallons of sap per tap - but the sugar content is high this year (either due to seasonal variation, or the new trees I added being extra sweet) so I'm not in a bad situation in terms of pounds of sugar per tap.
It seems like I have the same weather as you do here in Westford, Ryebrye. Hoping for a freeze tomorrow night but I doubt it will dip below 30. Things really broke free for us too last week, following those 50 degree days. I really am hoping to make some Medium tonight but we will see. So far we've made 13 barrels of Fancy and that's it. I am sick of drinking Fancy all night when we boil. I love how the elevation varies the season for producers here in VT. I'm going to take a trip north once the season ends for us. Or at least a trip up some big hill.
I had the same issue here.Quote:
Originally Posted by northwoods_forestry
My weather station showed a high of 31.8 yesterday, but all hell broke loose today, and I got my first view of what my 260 taps on 24" could do. It scared me thinking what the hell id this rookie going to do with all this sap? I was at a flow rate of almost 4 gpt for a couple hours there. Of course things slowed down in the evening, but I filled one of my 275 gallon totes in 7 hours! I won't know until tomorrow what my daily average was.
Boiled off 245 gallons for 5 gallons in 8 hrs. Thats my 30gph boil rate again.
NWS, and Weather Underground both calling for 29 Saturday night here, so I am good!
43 gallons, shooting for 75
I'm with you DoubleBrook. All tanks are full this morn. Had to empty one twice last night. Poised to set a new production high today if the wood holds out!Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleBrookMaple
Broke 200 last night, head is thumping can't imagine why, running out of wood at least 600 gal to process still
280 total Did not run as much as I expected over night. But 500 gallons with what ran after I ROed last night.
Sap still coming in steady. Was 2% yesterday but not sure about what came in overnight since processing yesterday afternoon. Finished ROing what I had pulled in by 4pm so I should easily get over a gpt by 4pm again today. My two buckets have stopped. No freeze in two nights but perhaps tonight. After that it may not be until next winter...
Made another 22 gal. of Golden Delicate yesterday which brings me up to 214. I'm happy about that given the nature of the season. I have been hoping to get to 300 and I just might do it. I need to make some dark syrup, and lots of it.
I think we are coming to the end of the season. 1125 taps and we have made 535 gallons to date. Probable finish up this weekend.
From what I have heard California (CA) has had a rather poor maple syrup season so far. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Scribner's Mountain Maple
For Canada, it is far too early to tell. In many places they really are only just starting.
Canadian prices for the 2015 season crop have already been set. They won't change. U.S. prices might change slightly, depending upon the 2015 U.S. crop and the 2015 Canadian crop, but they won't stray too far from the prices already set after factoring in the exchange rate.
I hope you're right Spud. The NWS has been off (prediction too warm) by several degrees each day for the last few weeks. At this point I'd like that to continue so we can get a few more decent freeze-ups. We'll be OK if it doesn't (hit 63% of our minimum crop last night, with a good amount of sap to boil today), but would be in much better shape if it does freeze another time or two.Quote:
Originally Posted by spud
Something in the weather models may be shifting. I've been watching a few raw weather site and aggregators - forecast.io is predicting a freeze on Wednesday night now. Things may change between now and then.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
I'm hoping you guys get good weather so that whatever studies you are conducting have data that applies to more than just strange years.
Think there is a slight chance of a freeze tonight (NOAA's rapid refresh data model is predicting slightly below freezing. Higher elevations may be more likely to freeze tonight.
Sap is running 400 GPH today. Was able to get 3500 gallons over night. Yesterday's total was 8000 gallons of sap. Dr. Tim if we don"t have any freeze ups this coming week do you think we are done. It still seems very wintery around here. I really don't see the buds coming out this week even if it stays warm. What do you think?
Spud
Sap still running well, though sugar has come down to 1.7 from 2 yesterday. Boiled today and made another 10 gallons. Right on the GD/AR line. I'm hoping for at least one more freeze and tonight seems like 75% chance of that happening.
It'll keep running for a while with good vacuum, but the sugar content and sap quality will decline. Much depends on the high temperatures reached.Quote:
Originally Posted by spud
We have had a great run since Good Friday. This Fridays low temps never materialized. 38 degrees here at the moment, really need to see a cold one tonight. We are at about 75% of last season but, all our sap has been clean and clear.
That's it for us. Sap is still running but just swept up the woodshed and threw the sweepings in the firebox. Burned every last wood scrap in sight. Our best season yet for total production.
Good luck to everyone still going!
Ryebrye, I agree with your thoughts on a possible freeze midweek. Here are the forecast lows across New England tonight:Attachment 11684