Its very possible with this snow and cold temps next week at night we could see Sugar % raise some . Have seen it happen before over the years . Keeping fingers crossed !
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Its very possible with this snow and cold temps next week at night we could see Sugar % raise some . Have seen it happen before over the years . Keeping fingers crossed !
Sap ran good Tuesday after noon and into the night for my locations . Started early yesterday , done by 1 pm . Sugar % up a little , started to lighten up some on the last draw . Now wait for the next run , next 7 days don't look to good .
Saps running , And its running really good . 38* and sun here 2:00
I have collected more sap so far this week than any week so far. It's really running good. I have over 100 gallons since Sunday on 40 taps.
well , sap did run yesterday but not for long. Only had 200 gallons , sugar 1.7 . fired up for two hours , drew off 2 & half fired till head tank was empty . I run a 3x10 so small runs don't take long .
9:00 and 35* - well we just might get sap to run today , going to go and check about 10:00 .
STILL WAITING for better temps. I'm all gravity , with these temps. , late day thaw - run a little then freeze .
Just got back from removing ice from collection tanks . Local stations say maybe 40* today , turned cloudy . Will the lines even thaw ?? Still waiting .
I'm over in Norwich on vacuum with similar temps, expectations and waiting!Probably thaw for a couple of hours
I'm in the town of Maine and it seems the temps keep getting just warm enough to make the lines run slightly (making the ice in the tanks thicker)
Last boil this morning , with the four places I tap only 1 gave sap yesterday , just enough to fire up . Didn't check sugar content - evaporator told me not good . Had lunch and went back and drained front pan into propane finisher , added four buckets from flu pan . sat and looked at that boiling for couple hours - finish it in the morning . What a crazy season !
Collected 30 gallons this past St. on 24 taps. Boiled Sat. night and Sunday ( two steam trays on LP). I measured the boil of water to be 210.5 boiled till 219, got 2.5 quarts of golden.
The competition results for maple products at the New York State Fair have been posted . There under fruit & farm for those who might be interested .
Thanks. I kept looking under maple products. Didnt realize they were posted there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddy 58
Neil
Bridge to my sugar house washed out last night ! Local rain gauges said little over 4 inches of rain between Midnight and 3 AM . Attachment 18825Attachment 18826
Last summer I helped a friend move his bridge in the Catskills back into position. In a gully washer it moved a roughly 5' wide by 30'+ bridge which had 5 full length logs under it. To start it was several feet above the stream on one end but maybe only 5-6 above the usual water level on the low end. He rented a medium large excavator and we pulled it back thru about 75-100' of trees and brush, then took the excavator into the stream bed and lifted it as best we could into position. After I left he lifted the low end and put heavy flat rocks to get that end up higher then built a ramp to get off. In the end the bridge likely sloped 25 degrees give or take. In the end I think we ended up with just 3 full length logs under it, the other became detached. I don't know if he put them bck in later. His bridge was just for an ATV or snowmobile (or foot bridge)
That looks all too familiar to me. I have a bridge at the end of my drive that leads to the entire property, including our houses. It has washed out twice in 30 years. The second time I gave up on culverts. I had two abutments poured and put steel beams across and built a deck. That has held for 15 years or more. Culverts need wing walls or they will wash. Now that you have that hole you might consider spanning the creek instead of a culvert.
Culverts should be sized to 1.2x the stream bank width. Not to say a smaller size won't work 95% of the time but if you want the overkill approach that is the standard to use. And riprap is a cheaper alternative than wing walls that works good if placed correctly. But it won't do any good if the culvert is too small.
Attachment 18831Attachment 18832Attachment 18831Attachment 18832 Two 31 foot locust trees 16 inch big ends 8 inch small ends , last night found a bunch of 2x8 concrete forms that were free ! 300 taps are pipe lined to a tank behind sugar house the rest I bring in with pickup tank - 100 feet of 1 inch black plastic pipe and I can pump it across for now . Going to try and find two foot x 40 I beam and open deck bridge decking . I have a JD 540 log skidder , when I get that home , going to get down in the creek and pull the pipes up out , there were two side by side - 8 foot dia. One is down the creek sum . After checking things out , two big beaver dams busted out plus all that rain we got here logs and stumps washed down and plugged the pipes . For now my little bridge will work for getting across . Those pipes were put in 20 years ago . Thanks for all the information guys , but I spent 32 years working on roads I know all about riprap wing walls , head walls , plowing snow , ice storms ----- The pipes were given to me and had old side walk blocks so that is what I used . 20 years and mother nature !!!!
Started tapping Sunday , finished today . Sap was running some mid afternoon . Supposed to warm during night and get into the mid 40* tomorrow , Goal is to flush lines and test sugar content . And then wait for mother nature to join the game :confused:
Just got back from getting some samples of sap from the 4 places I tap , sugar content is up for me from last year . #1 2.1 -- #2 2.3 -- #3 2.0 -- # 4 2.5 . Last year , never got over a 1.9 . :lol:
Hung 30 buckets last night in Delaware County. They were all dripping pretty good.
Got 45 more buckets to hang in Broome County tonight after work.
A Noreaster Sunday into Monday -- Cant wait for it !!!!! Come on winter , its time for you to end !!!!!!!
Should run this weekend!!! One boil so far this year for me. 1.25 gallons of golden. Yeah!
I'm in Afton,NY, made 2 1/4 gallons of amber on 2-24, and 1 3/4 gallon of golden on 2-24, looking forward to a steady stream of sap
Hi Tom, I know Afton well. went to school there for a few years. Family has a house in town since 1969. I play in a golf league there still. I now live on Belden Hill.Quote:
Originally Posted by tombaisley
Sounds like your off to a good start.
Started in at noon today , walked every place I tap , found a few chews and limbs down - fixed - Im 60 years old , some days I feel like Im 30 , right now I sure as heck feel 60 :(
Sap started to run good about 2:00 this afternoon for me . Woods that are piped to the sugar shack hang cold until things are right . Well things are right , she let loose this after noon , like a garden hose left cracked open :lol: The other 3 places are running good too . Game on ! Good luck guys .
long day today , best run in 24 hours than I have seen in a few years . Two places I tap ran all night , still running . Valley where sugar house is froze for a brief time , started running about ten , all sap combined tested 2.6 on my Hanna Dig. :lol: Back at it in the mourning . Hot shower - eat - good night !! Frist draw dark - went to amber rest of the day .
Only had 250 gallons today , sugar went down to 2.0 . Glad to see freeze coming . Maybe Sunday into Monday another good run . Still pulling off Amber .
Had another 250 + gallons this mourning , would have had more but found two drops pushed off at one place . wasn't in the tank that should have been , so went looking . just checked sugar content on my Hanna Dig. , holding at 2.0 . Sap is running good here today , really did not expect it to , Sun and warmer than forecast called for . back at it in the mourning . :rolleyes:
Sap ran decent Monday , but not so good yesterday , held every thing till today . Had a little over 250 gallons , still drawing off Amber . Didn't fire up till noon , while I was boiling kept checking mainline from woods , took all afternoon to start but when I got done boiling about 3 checked and sap was coming in pretty good . Sugar content was a 2.2 in the stuff I boiled today .
Buddy 58 I think we are in it for a couple weeks yet, our 2 main bushes finally broke loose yesterday, we have been making amber all year, last night we made almost 35 gallons of some great golden, keep chugging!
Finished amber yesterday in Tompkins and boiling today. I think this batch will be dark. Sap is running clear but changes are occurring; trees with good southern exposure are slowing down and a few have shutdown. Trees in the deeper woods are going strong as frost and snow held longer. Sap will probably start turning color next week. One more good run to go.
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Hello Windy , out of the 4 places I tap only 2 of them were running yesterday . One that wasn't is a south slope . Thought something was wrong so went in looking for lines apart or what ever , decided to pull some drops off taps and nothing . Sooooo walked out got in the truck went back to the Hollow where it was running . I should have around 300 to boil today . Your just east of me , interesting what different locations and elevations change things .
The hollow gave me a little over 300 , didn't fire up till 11:30 , pulled off the lightest syrup of my season . Didn't make golden but dam near it . sugar was 2.1 . I have hanna light tester so it will be checked . Don't see a freeze until Sunday night . Glad to hear from you guys - Windy Acers - YBSean - Was wondering how others around here have been doing .
good freeze last night , and looks like another one tonight ------- lets see what happens ;) buds are holding tight on soft and hard maple in this little neck of the woods .
Same in Tompkins. Another boil or 2 this week and then we are pulling taps before it turns funky. Our last run ended up being even lighter amber than the one before. Really surprised me.
I have one bush that is running today , and that is the one that is piped to the sugar house . Tomorrow will most likely be my last boil for the season .
Just got back from getting a sample of sap that running to the sugar house . Hanna says 1.8 , not bad for last boil .Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddy 58