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Sap still running at 425 GPH and the sugar is 1.5%. Now the weather man is saying it will not freeze tonight but tomorrow night only. I heard the Island pond outfit is doing poor. It is possible Quebec will have a very poor year. Time will tell.
Spud
We are definitely behind since we only really started going last Friday but we normally boil into early May. Relatives in Quebec not having a good year, not much of a snow depth. Doubt a low crop production will impact prices since they have plenty of reserve.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spud
Wow that was a tricky boil! The sap did not want to stay in the pans and I had one foam over that required shutting off the blower to get it back in control. Thank goodness for a floor drain. The sap that came in over night was somewhat fermented by the time I ran it thru the ro, so more defoamer than I would generally like to use was required. I thought I might make rope but fortunately no. I did make about 14 gal. of dark syrup. Right on the dark/very dark line though I will likely grade it as very dark due to the strong flavor. No sign of any bud flavor, but definitely strong. It went thru the press, but very hard going and will have to clean the press before more syrup. I have generally been getting 30-40 gal. thru between cleanings, but not with this stuff.
I'm hoping that with a cooler night the sap that comes in overnight will not start to ferment, but we'll see. It is still nice and clear and 1.5%. I'm thinking I am pretty close to pulling the plug but will keep going through the next freeze which looks like tomorrow night. The peepers are doing their thing tonight...
well I received a very nice letter, it was from my liver. It was thanking me for the end of sugaring season and not having as many boiling sodas each night.:lol::lol::lol:
Quitter....Quote:
Originally Posted by Flat Lander Sugaring
No freeze again last night. Valleys were colder. Got one more shot at a good freeze tonite. If we don't get it, we'll likely be done by the end of the weekend or before.
No freeze here either. Down to 35 over night so at least the sap quality has improved. I pulled in another 400gal. since 5:30 yesterday and will once again go over 1 gpt in 24 hours. Sugar is holding steady at 1.6% which I find impressive because last season we were down to 1 at the end.
Clearly good taphole sanitation and good vac. brings in the sap this late in the season. I have never gone this late before.
It froze in Waterbury. 27 when I took the dogs out.
It froze here on the VT. border. 27 degrees. Prediction was for 33. The valleys and pockets around here are always a few degrees colder. My Dad lives 8 miles downstream from me and is consistently 2 deg. cooler than myself. Predicting even colder temps. tonight then that should be it. Syrup is really dark but still tastes good. My buyer loves it that way so I'll press on to the end.
Decent freeze in my lower woods again early this morning, had 30F at 5am and lines frozen solid, cleared the sap up considerably. This has been an interesting season for us; with no idea what to expect from these woods I can never completely tell what the next day is going to bring. Monday was our hardest run yet, I wouldn't have predicted that.
It seems that the way our valley holds the cold (which killed our early season) is exactly what is keeping us going now.
Hopefully we can stretch it out, I'd like to at least hit 5lbs/tap
27 here in east Montpelier this am. Sap still 2.1%
I got a little freeze last night and it looks like I will get about 7000 gallons for the day. Me. Weather man is now saying freeze for the next two nights. Sap testing 1.2% but would like to keep going through the weekend.
Spud
Attachment 11702
Hard freeze this morning. Getting over a thousand gallons an hour, cold temps next few nights. Things are going well.
Wow. It looks very wintry up there in the NEK. No winter here but I am still 100% a sugarmaker. The sap ran steady all day despite no freeze since saturday night. I actually think that if I left the vac. pump on I could make syrup until the leaves come out. That is how well the sap has been running here. It slows down overnight, and then picks back up in the morning and more than 1 gpt accumulates in the tanks in 24 hours. The sugar is at about 1.5% and despite the fact that the red maples have visually budded, I made over 10 gal. of dark robust with surprisingly good flavor. My wife said it tastes like smores. No bud flavor. We'll take it. It is challenging to boil however due to the foam and after closer inspection this morning I realized that last night I scorched one syrup pan due to foam while drawing off. It cleaned up fine and no harm done. I also realized that last night's syrup was ever so slightly ropey as when I took apart the filter press this afternoon the plates were "strung" together. The syrup I packed up seems fine though. Go figure.
Tonight's syrup was better, I think due to less yeast and fermentation in the sap. I assume the extreme foam is due to alcohols in the sap from the yeast. I have used fermented syrup to make sugar and it foams like heck when boiling. It can be hard to keep in the pan. I learned that I have to keep a very close eye on the flue pan, especially right after firing up the blower. Soon after, I have to shut the blower down, add a good dose of defoamer and then it will be ok assuming I continually add defoamer through the boil.
There was a certain aroma making its presence in the sugarhouse tonight, the one that suggests the end is near and I am pretty certain that a freeze tonight won't stop the inevitable. The peepers are quiet tonight so I will be a sugarmaker for at least one more day. One day at a time from here on in. I'm up to 275 gal. and it seems like at least 300 is likely. I'm feeling good about that.
I got 6000 gallons yesterday and woke up today with 29 degrees. I hope things pick up today and tomorrow with the freeze.
Spud
had 24 degrees here in Derby this morning! got 190 gallons yesterday outta my 210 taps... good day! should be more of the same today! sugar content has been right at 2%. should surpass last year's #'s this afternoon! didn't think that was possible a week ago!
Last boil today.Couldnt filter yesterday. Only boiled on 5800 taps this year and i am at 2280 gallons before todays boil. not bad with all the problems i had.
No freeze for us last night, although a few of the colder areas might have gotten a light touch of frost. Won't do anything for us production-wise. I suspect we'll get another few days out of it and that'll be the end. Syrup yesterday was dark, but very good tasting with no hint of any late-season off-flavor, so we'll keep boiling for a while yet.
NEW Efficiency Vermont Program starts today for Vermont Maple Syrup Producers
Sugaring season is currently winding down, but it’s a great time to start thinking about next year!
Never had a maple reverse osmosis (RO) system before?
Did you know it could cut your boiling time by 50-75%, using less fuel/wood and freeing up your time?
If you had more than 250 taps or 60 gallons of syrup produced in 2014 a RO might be right for you.
Get a quote from a vendor and fill out our Maple RO Pre-Qualification Form.
The Form can also be found on our website here:
https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/do...-qual-form.pdf
Rebate Levels for Maple RO
Gallon per Hour (GPH) Rating Rebate per System
50-149 $1,000
150-299 $1,500
300-599 $2,000
600-999 $2,500
1000+ $3,000
Please keep in mind:
• Must be a first-time RO purchase for an existing sugaring operation.
• RO system must be purchased between 1/1/15 and 11/30/15.
• Funds for this program are limited. Preapprovals are required and rebates will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. If necessary, a waiting list will be developed.
• Maximize your chances and submit a pre-qualification form for approval as soon as possible.
• This rebate can be used in conjunction with other grant/loan programs; for example the USDA Rural Energy for America Program.
We will be out-and-about the weekend of the VT Maple Festival spreading the word. Hope to see you there!
If you have any questions about this program or other Efficiency Vermont services do not hesitate to reach out.
Thanks, Jenn
Jennifer Osgood
Program Manager – Agriculture
Efficiency Vermont
128 Lakeside Ave, Suite 401
Burlington, VT 05401
Toll Free: 888-921-5990 x7814
Direct Dial: 802-540-7814
Fax: 802-658-1643
Good freeze here, dry lines were hammering so I know the upper woods froze too. Sap went to 1.5 yesterday but tested 2.0 this morning, I have a feeling this increase is because a section heavy to soft maple either hasn't started to run today or is nearly done for the season, we'll see.
I have a CDL vertical releaser with a manifold and 1.5hp submersible pump. I had heard that these can be easily overwhelmed when lines thaw and have witnessed this a couple times, the worst was today when I actually had to almost close the valve on a 2000 tap wet line or I would have set off the moisture trap, it just couldn't pump fast enough.
This releaser is rated for 8000 taps but if it needs to be babysat on 3050 that seems unlikely. I've also had issues with the lines to the tanks freezing and backing up the releaser and closing the moisture trap...but that's more to do with my setup.
Anyone tried dropping a second pump in one of these? I guess CDL is telling people that is the solution, from what I've heard.
I don't think the pumps CDL is using in those releasers are really adequate for the job. If it were me I would get in touch with Clayton at MES and look into one of his electric releasers. I am using one of similar design and it has been awesome. http://www.mapleexperts.com/
We had a marginal freeze here last night and it was enough to pick up the sap flow a bit but not enough to bring up the sugar content. Down to about 1.4 and sap quality is dropping off. Its getting too warm to store sap and I don't want to make ropey syrup. I'm going to keep the pump on through the afternoon so I can make some permeate for cleaning the RO, but tonight will be my last boil of the 2015 season. I'm going to chase the sugar out of the rig with water and let it soak for a couple days. I'll start pulling taps tomorrow. It's time to get ready for other projects including building a house this summer.
It has been a great season for me. Good luck to everyone still at it!
I wish we had a similar rebate program up here in Ontario. People complain about subsidies for maple in Canada, but those are probably in Quebec, though I have yet to see any hard facts on those supposed subsidies. Here in Ontario the provincial gov't. Is way behind when it comes to supporting the maple industry. They are on pace to be the last in line to put the mew grading system into effect. I wonder if the advertised RO rebate program will be available for purchasing Ray Gingrich's ROs, since the info. Sheet states ROs must be commercially available and not homemade.
We have a CDL 20 x 48 with two pumps in the bottom with 9000 taps. When things let loose we have to babysit the releaser for same issue. Its rated for 15000 taps, hate to see that rodeo when 15k let loose.
After complaining for the past month about all the cold mornings, glad to see they are still coming. Down to 24 degrees this morning, took until almost 10am to thaw lines. Plenty of sap coming in, late night boiling. Next ten days look good, cloudy most days and most nights around 32 or colder. Just might be an ok season for us if things work out.
8400 gallon tank nearly full.
Attachment 11709
[QUOTE=sjdoyon;281973]After complaining for the past month about all the cold mornings, glad to see they are still coming. Down to 24 degrees this morning, took until almost 10am to thaw lines. Plenty of sap coming in, late night boiling. Next ten days look good, cloudy most days and most nights around 32 or colder. Just might be an ok season for us if things work out.
8400 gallon tank nearly full.
Thats a nice tank you have. I am looking to due away with my 4250 and my 3250 tank and buy something in the 9000+ range. I am glad things are going well for you. My sap ran today and will run all night. I think tomorrow I will be done. Overall it was not a great year for me. Between the defected CV2 spouts and the poor weather I only had about a 60% season. I will be planting apple trees in a few weeks. The kids have next week off from school so they will pull all the spouts for me.
Spud
We're still plugging along here... closing in on 2300 gallons made so far, the majority of it Golden Delicate. Started making some Dark Robust yesterday and the day before but both days it lightened up after awhile. The filter press is plugging up quicker thatn it has been we'll boil tomorrow then see where we go from there.
Quick question.. how in the hell do I change my signature? When I go to my profile there is no little pencil thing next to it to click on in order to edit it...
need a 20" press like thads.Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy Brutkoski
I did officially pull the plug yesterday as the syrup flavor really started to drop off. Not too bad but definitely a hint of bud and it is just not worth the time to me to make commercial. It was also very difficult to boil with all the foam and the varying draw off temp. Almost scorched a pan once again due to the foam. I had to raise the level in the syrup pans to 1.5" just to safely boil the stuff. I also was only able to get about 7 gal. thru the press before a paper burst. I pushed the sugar out of the pans with water and drew off a total of about 20 gal. Going to try to get the rest thru the press today.
Now it's time to start cleaning, pulling taps, and get ready for the market/retail season. I ended up at about 305 gallons for the season but still need to crunch the numbers. Looks like I will end up at about .4/tap which I am happy with considering the weather this season. Most of the syrup was Golden Delicate but I made some of every grade, even some Very Dark Strong which some customers will be happy about.
Go to setting and edit signature down on the left side.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chevypower
Made some really nice dark/robust syrup yesterday. Not a hint of off-flavor. Today will be our last boil, although we'll transfer the sweet in the evaporator over to the finishing pan tomorrow and boil that off. Should end up with about 1,900+ gal off our 3,674 gaps this year, or about 0.52 gal syrup per tap. That's a little off our long-term average (0.59 gal/tap) , but pretty close....especially considering the equipment issues we dealt with this season.
Now it's time to sit down and collate all the data, analyze the results, and figure out what to say at the Leader Evaporator Co. Open House next Friday/Saturday.
Do you know if there will be any discussion about results comparing 3/16 on a combination of natural + mechanical vacuum vs 3/16 on gravity alone there?Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
I did 3/16 onto a mainline under 27.5" of vacuum this year and had what I consider to be very good results for this weather - 23 gallons of sap per tap on 107 taps - but I didn't do it in a scientific way (I didn't do any 3/16 only lines). Last year I got close to that in gallons of sap per tap using just 3/16 on gravity - but the season was much different last year.
I was achieving at least 27" on all the taps I measured throughout the season, and had vacuum readings at the top of my lines that were higher than 28" or 29" - the Leader catalog has a little chart that makes it sound like >27" should yield around 30 gallons of sap per tap - but I suspect that this year that would not be the case.
Since I trade/sell the sap, the gallons of syrup per tap is really just the upper limit assuming there was no processing waste - in that I hit 0.62 gallons per tap (calculating the syrup value using the "new jones rule of 88.2" in http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/jones.pdf ).
I got a flyer from Bascom & Tim Wilmot is going to be at their open house discussing 3/16 tubing with & without Vac Pumps, first weekend of May.
Approaching 2,500 gallons made. All our trees on the north facing slope and above 2,000ft are running hard. Still have over a foot of snow in this section.
Well we're done here, sugared off this morning and ended up with a little over 2400 gallons for the season. Pulled a few spouts this afternoon and will be back at it tomorrow.
I am glad you had a very good year. Is it safe to say you're changing your name to DodgePower? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by chevypower
Spud
That is primarily the work of Tim Wilmot. He won't be speaking at Leader Evaporator this year. I may have some results to discuss on using 3/16" in a vacuum setting, but given that the analysis is just starting, I can't say for sure yet exactly what will be presented. If anything is presented, it'll be fairly minimal.Quote:
Originally Posted by ryebrye
Attachment 11717
yesterday and again today shortly
Late night boiling, sap has been coming in hard all day. Temps going down to 25 tonight, should be a good day tomorrow.
How many gallons are you up to.Quote:
Originally Posted by sjdoyon
Spud
Spud, you are behind the times.... I traded the Ram in for a Chevy about a month and a half ago, I couldn't continue driving around feeling like a trader :lol:. Took me awhile to come to my senses but the grass isn't always greener on the other side :). Sorry you had the troubles you did this season, I thought you would have been able to go another couple days after we were done. Anyway, have fun with the kids this week and good luck to those still going.