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It's supposed to be in the high 30's today, but it doesn't feel like it yet. It's a nice break from the cold, but it isn't a January thaw around here.
You guys further south are going to have some nice weather, but we're locked in winter until some time in March here.
Spent some time today getting my sugar shack ready(10x10 leanto). It's kind of hard shoe horning a 30" x 8' evaporator in it,but I'm gonna have to make do. Built a little roof on the end to run the stack up through, hung a tarp around the one side, have an old door set up on barrels for a counter, it ain't pretty but it'll work. I got permission to tap about 40 big roadside sugars,
this year and about 20 on another property, gonna try for about 70 taps in red maples on my land.
Hey Paddy, How close are you to Penns Creek? I try to make it to Poe Paddy every couple of years to depress myself with my fly fishing skills. Sure is some beautiful country. My dad took me there close to 40 years ago. One of my favorites for sure!!
DanW I'm about two miles north of Penns Creek in western Union Co. Actually I live right on the east end of Paddy Mountain, hence the name.
I know what your talking about with the fishing,not a better stream in Central Pa. I grew up along Penns Creek,spent many a day swimming, fishing and ice skating there.
I am hopeing you never swam and ice fished on the same day. If so your a better man then me.
It tried to rain here all day today and stayed above freezing. Was damp but at least warm. Hopefully get some stuff soldered up tomorrow.
Man I am liking this weather. Snow pack is disapearing. Something I need. Gonna get the sugarbush paths plowed out this weekend before the cold sets back in and make the snow a big block of hard pack. I never took the test buckets down from the fall tapping joke and went for a stroll this morning and dang if the sap was not running. Really makes a maple producer think should I or shouldn't I. Hmmmm I gotta ask what would Patheron do????????
Well it is rather mild out today. Just had a bagel and read the Saturday paper. Gotta go pile more slabs in the sugarhse...should have been done in the fall, oh well. A 12 pack, 2 family members and a couple hours is all I need.;)
Theron probbably has a half million taps in already and 300cfms of vacuum going. That or he fell asleep and the rest of use have a chance to beat him to the sap. I doubt it's warm enough to even think about sap untill the end of Feb here. The forecast says it should stay reasonably warm untill Feb or more now so am hopeing we don't get the big cold again. That and if the roof melts off I like to do the chiminey mid winter just for safteys sake. Better safe then sorry.
Went for a walk and checked those buckets again a little while ago and dang if the sap ain't dripping like crazy. One bucket was half full. Was very suprised cause there still is alot of snow on the ground but I am guessing since the ground is not frozen the sap is running. What does a man do? The weather looks like there is a potential for 6 days of nice weather by the end of the month.
Five weeks from when I tapped last year. By the weather today you would think they should be in. Few things to do yet mostly just clean and tap. Nothing that couldn't be done in a morning and then tap that afternoon. So I feel good to go. Tryed out the horses and sled this morning just in case the tractor is out of order for sap pick up. Was a nice sleigh ride, had about 10 friends and family on it... I'm going to walk the line in the morning give it a good once over. Need to get in shape for season...
Hi all,
Here we sit chomping at the bit!!!
Knowing what's just around the corner.
Can only wait,it's not going to get here any quicker.
It could be 4 weeks or it could be 6 weeks.
Dave
I have a sugar house!! Or at least a right pretty frame of one. We went from a stone base to framed in 9 hours. Not bad especially if you factor in the 3 extra lumber runs.
It was hard not to tap a few today, it was perfect. While fixing up the wood pile I saw a nice buck that was no more than 100 yards from my back door. I also saw a very confused woods frog in the bush, he was moving really slow.
Dan and paddy how close are you guys to tapping? I'm thinking I will tap around presidents day weather permitting. I'm pretty much ready just need to clean buckets and taps and were off to the races!
Today was a very good day. I got all the rafters up and put up pine boards over the whole roof. Tommorow I will paper it. This way it is water tight and I can put the metal on when I finish the building. Hopefully I will get most of it finished over the long weekend. I also got a 3X5' flat pan from the local sawmill for $5 he hasent used it in a while but it will work for me. I will concentrate the sap on it outside then bring it into the sugar shack and boil it down with the half pint. I can't wait till tapping time.
I was in the bush today cutting Beech trees for the 2011 heating and evaporating season. The wood is frozen solid. No chance of a run up here unless this spell goes on longer than the current forecast
It's only been a degree or two above freezing the past few days and that's all that is forecast for the near future so we're holding tight. It always gets warm for a spell in January so the batteries are sitting on the shelf for another 6-7 weeks!
Even with a week of good weather in March last year I still got diddly so with the sun this low in the sky it would never thaw out the trees. I am betting that it will be somewhat like last year. One week of good sap and 5 weeks of wishing. Actually last year I spent a lot of time wishing for a freeze at nights once in a while. Spent years wanting winter to end and now wishing for it to stay. Go figure.
Started building my evaporator today. Yes, I know I am late but that is the way I always do things. I won't tap until Presidents day weekend anyway so I think I will be ready by then. Will work all day Sunday on it so I should put a dent in it. Building a arch for a 2x3 pan but making it longer so upgrading in the future won't be a problem. Found out today there is going to be a lot of cutting of angle iron involved. Will post pics this week.
Paul
Cleaned the head and collection tanks yesterday. Also, hauled wood next to the sugar house. Will clean buckets and taps this week. It's been above freezing for about 3 days. Hopefully tapping in the next couple weeks.
Funny thing just happened. There is hope for one of my five children yet! Out of the blue my Nine year old daughter justed asked me "Dad don't you think it is warm enough to start and tap?" She is about the only one that brings up maple around here kinda cool. Well her mother brings it up now and then but it's not so cool when she does it.
LOL yes when she who must be obeyed brings up something it can be a few scary hours.
I try to not mention those kinds of things until after meal times.
I got a few more things to clean up this morning and I should be ready to go.
I am seriously thinking about tapping in this week. Do here where I am we tend to have milder winters than the rest of you. All the snow is now going and it is raining, I checked the forecast and man does it look good!
There is no one else right around me that I can gauge on go-time. They are either out by Somerset in the mtn's or up north toward Theron's. What to do??
Anyway I got some cleaing to do, good luck.
Well it has been like 4 days in a row and the test taps from the fall have ran everyday. She who must be obeyed is liking her morning coffee made from fresh sap. I am still on the fence. Dang I know it will not last but at the same time I am losing out on now. This maple thing is a love hate relationship.
#3rgen. It's just a late fall run. Hard to say what the weather will do. Was pretty warm here today. A high of 40 degrees. I looked at a tree and figured nahhhhhh to early and who wants to boil sap in the snow anyways. Will be colder end of the week here to.
It is a bit early, but I remember hearing about a bunch of people a couple of years ago over in Vermont and NY State who tapped in January and made a bunch of syrup.
It depends on how long it stays warm.
If it warms up any time in February we tap.
Wouldn't it be great to tap in mid February when I have vacation?
I know guys but man when you see it run and look at the 15 day forcast and there are 10 potential days of sap weather you gotta really question your sanity. What is holding me back is the sugar content. Not Good At All it has been 1.2 and under. I do not recall seeeing it that low since I started testing for sugar content.
It's back below freezing here. It was a couple of nice days though. I stocked up on firewood for the house. I don't want to run short for She who must be obeyed while I'm trying to boil sap in March. The snow has settled to about a foot and should make a good base to pull wire and mainline on next week. The galvy sheets for the back of my arch should be ready tomorrow mid day and the new stack and taper should also be ready for pick up this week. I need to pick up about a dozen more half fire brick and a bucket of refractory cement for the re bricking once I get the back re pop riveted into place. I think I will set the arch up four inches from the floor. I'd go eight but some of the help isn't six feet tall so four is a good compromise. I want to add one more dead dry pine tree to the sugar wood pile then that should be enough. This next week things should start to come together. I hope.
Well we got 90% of the roof and the 2 gable ends sided. I wish I had went with shorter walls. I didn't need a 20ft tall sugar house. But wicked good progress considering it started snowing at noon.
Quit teasing, Dill, and post some pics!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dill
Go dill!!!! maybe you'll be ready for the season git r done.
I had I think 1.25% sugar in late fall on reds and tapped a few more reds way out on the edge of the property the last few warm days and got like a qt of sap(just not warm for long enough) and they were at just about 2% happy with that for reds. so we'll see in another month or so or when the weather is ready to let the trees run!!!
I'm getting there. Nothing like have a good crew of buddies to call on when you need to put up a building. Got the stone down friday afternoon and 2 days of 8 til dark, we put on a good show yesterday hanging off rafters and cutting with chainsaws. I have to upload some pics. Looks like a bunch of snow this week but a decent weekend. I'll have to bribe my neighbor to go up on the roof to put down the roofing this weekend.
I guess its time to make more drops in front of the woodstove. Just got done plowing the driveway, I figure we got more than a foot last night.
gotta about a foot here too tough to peel it up because the bottom is about 1 inch of slush. hate that!!!
WHERE ARE THE 2010 TAPPING THREADS? After a consult with my advisor, I put all my (160) buckets out yesterday. Speculation is a crazy thing. Anyhoo, collected today and only got about 35 or 40 gallons. The next several days look pretty promising though. Time will tell. Can't wait to start a fire in the new rig!!!
Dan W, PM me when you get some sap to boil. I'd like to stop in and check your set up out. Thanks!
This weather in CNY in quite a tease. Looks like some of the guys south on NY are starting...
Anyway, I could use a few more weeks to get ready. Did finish the RO room today and put a hole in the wall of the sugarhouse and ran the 32' wood conveyor from the wood pile right through the wall - conveyor will dump fire wood into a box that sits about 4' from the arch doors - no more haulin' wood.
Started putting the garage door up on my sugar shack. Brough some of my rusty taps to my grandpas to run in the cement mixer with sand in it. Also got a 55 gallon drum so I can use it to replace the back of my half pint. I need to clean the inside of the taps with a small wire brush. I have 70 buckets with lids and taps. I have 30 food grade 5 gallon buckets but they don't have covers. I mite get up to 100 taps this year I just need to find enough trees in my neibors yard.
Dan W,
Good luck I think I'm going to go with tradition. Even though it's hard to say no to this weather. Let us know how your making out over there.
Looking forward to seeing a lot of friends at the Northwest PA maple meeting in Edinboro PA this sat starting at 8:00 at the Fire hall. Jim Bortles and I will be trying to make maple sugar (Crumb) good thing we will be in a fire station.:)
Regards,
Chris C
That's a pretty good idea to get rust off taps! I guess putting them in a case tumbler used to polish spent brass for reloading rifle or handgun cartridges would do the same thing, just in smaller quantities.Quote:
Originally Posted by Farmboy