Wow could the end of the season be so near?

Despite temps here near 70° on Wednesday and lack of freezing weather for several days, I'll think I'll have a decent week here. Temps look ideal through Tuesday and it's been below freezing for several days so I think the sap will flow into Wednesday. After that, things don't good good until about the 20th so I'm hoping that things will hold out till then.

I remember a season about 10-15 years ago when I was still using buckets and we went through a warm stretch with limited freezing weather and I did not get much sap but I remember talking to a fellow producer who was on vacuum at the time and he did OK. That convinced me that vacuum was the way to go. Now I have vacuum on most of my lines so we'll see how things go.

I understand people who tapped early "pulling the plug" but I just don't think the season is over until it is over, regardless of the forecast.

Hope is lost for Thursday night. Now showing a low of 40º Actually, after tonight, no notable freeze until March 21st. I'll leave taps in until at least the end of the week, then I'll base whether I pull taps or not on the forecast then. Hate to be done, but I don't want to linger around for week or two hoping to make a couple more gallons. I would have to extensively clean everything for that last bit of syrup and just not worth it for me. I'd rather clean up and get the boat out :lol:

I'd settle for 2 more gallons...heck even one more gallon. Only made 3 qts so far. Wish I hadn't missed out on those early runs now, dammit. Stoopid forecast keeps changing.. for the worse. Still hopin tho..maybe it'll change again.

Let me guess, your around Florida? lol
In Amherst it's in the 70's today.
Sap running like crazy, but all cloudy.
It's still over 2% sugar though, :)

Well, I think my first maple season is over. I boiled yesterday all the sap I had. I even collected from the taps towards the end of the boil.

What I've collected since I don't think is staying cold enough. I been putting bottle of ice in the buckets but it got over 80° today and the sap is about 60°.

I kinda doubt it will be any good.

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Originally Posted by campus189

Let me guess, your around Florida? lol
In Amherst it's in the 70's today.
Sap running like crazy, but all cloudy.
It's still over 2% sugar though, :)

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70+ here in Acton. Collected 17.5 gallons since Monday morning, that's more than I collected the prior week... This past Sunday's boil was only 11 gallons and half of that I hadn't gotten to on my first boil.

My freezer is full, and my fridge is getting there. My teenage and tween boys are wondering where all the food is. :lol:

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Originally Posted by saphound

I'd settle for 2 more gallons...heck even one more gallon. Only made 3 qts so far. Wish I hadn't missed out on those early runs now, dammit. Stoopid forecast keeps changing.. for the worse. Still hopin tho..maybe it'll change again.

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I'm with you... I have 4 times the number of taps that I did in 2014, my first year, an I have roughly the same amount finished... 78 oz.

I am in wny and tapped around February 10th and have only finished 11 gallons of syrup, with around two left to finish, from 205 taps. I did not collect yesterday so I may have missed some, if it even ran, but otherwise I have not missed any runs or had to dump any sap. If the weather holds I may be done, next run might be late next week, that is if the buds have not pushed, my silver maple in my lawn completely pushed buds yesterday, my sugars have not yet, yet. Oh well you can only get what Mother Nature gives and be happy with it.

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Originally Posted by DoubleBrookMaple

Full post omitted
Bottom line from someone who's hobby besides sugaring is weather watching.... I would not bet a thing on very much past next mid week when it warms up again.
I truly hope I am wrong, and etching my thoughts in stone here will make me wrong. I would like to use my freshly made RO a lot this year!

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Boy am I glad I was wrong!

Just did my last boil last night!

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Originally Posted by DoubleBrookMaple

Boy am I glad I was wrong!

Just did my last boil last night!

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How many weeks did get sap? Seems like it must have been a good long season for you.

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Originally Posted by red dorakeen

How many weeks did get sap? Seems like it must have been a good long season for you.

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WOW... 12 weeks for my vacuum taps.
I tapped on January 29th and just pulled them today, and sap was still running, but off flavor now. Seems like I never hardly had a break either.