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We made 62 gallons of AR tonight after making 120 gallons yesterday , sugar has been decent at 1.8% and we saw 3.0% from bucket sap . Going to boil every night over the next few days till this weather changes , sap still running good and may see a light freeze again tonight . We where also taking about that 2012 season tonight also !
Ran really well yesterday, the new home build RO kept up with 48 taps on tubing and the buckets delivered a bunch. Sap still looks good and I am pushing to boil it all before Thursdays 70 deg day. Hoping we get another run, but with close to 4 gallons produced so far I am hoping for 2/3 crop if we don't get another run of good weather. Running the 2x5 last night the stack kept kicking off like a chimney fire... never had it happen so much, but then I had help drawing and was really going after the firing.... fun times !
Fingers crossed the weather turns out colder then they say... people who want summer must think us sugarers are a bit crazy...
Seems as though we had another marginal freeze here again last night. Sap ran pretty well and will likely be another 1+gpt in 24 hours. Boiled about 800 gal today and made 15 gal of DR but only just slightly darker than amber. Sap quality is surprisingly good and it's still coming into the releaser clear. Very little niter so far... drained the syrup pans to clean them and even after two boils they were totally clean with just a spray with the hose. What a weird season so far...
Going to boil again tomorrow and see what I get. I think the cool nights have been keeping the sap quality ok but we're about to lose that so I'm not sure what to expect. One day at a time...
Sap flow was only moderate yesterday (light freeze Monday night) and SSC had dropped to 1.5 Brix by the afternoon. The crew boiled and make 560 gal of Amber/Rich. They'll concentrate what came in overnight and may boil out the pans to keep them from going ropey during this hot spell. Very good quality syrup and very little niter so far. We're at 35% of a minimum crop (0.5 gal/tap). Between the hot weather and low sugar it may be hard reaching that point unless we get some real good weather for a few weeks after this. Forecast looking more favorable after Saturday, but time is the only thing that will tell us for sure.
Later addition: About 1.5 gpt overnight (Tues afternoon to Wed morning) at 1.65 Brix. No freeze. Vacuum down to 25.2" Hg due to warm weather (gas production by trees increases when it is hot).
Can you clarify what you mean by "boiling out the pans"? Does that just mean boiling things to sterilize them before they sit? Or will you be doing some draining of the pans too?
I too am worried about the syrup in the pans during this warm spell- I was thinking about draining the syrup pan for a quick cleaning anyway, but I wasn't sure what to do about the sap pan. I think I have heard folks talk about doing short boils during down periods to keep things from growing, but it is hard to keep from boiling too much when there is only a little sap available to refill the pans.
Given the high temperatures for an extended period of time, we decided to completely finish all the sweet in the pans to preserve all the good syrup we have. We will transfer the backpan contents to the front pan, close off the valve between the pans, and run permeate into the backpan so we can boil. No drawoffs -- all the pan will be relatively homogenous -- we will use a scoop to move syrup around a bit to ensure this. Once it reaches the proper density, it'll go into a drum. We'll then flood the frontpan with permeate and let it soak until we boil again.Quote:
Originally Posted by ronewold
We're doing this because we don't want to risk having any sour sap (due to low flows and high temperatures) coming from the lines contaminate the good sweet in the pans, and don't want to risk the sweet going ropey in the hot weather. Doesn't take much time to sweeten our pans when we're starting with 36 Brix concentrate. Typically only takes an hour to get to the first drawoff.
Boiled again today and made almost 20 gal of nice DR from about 1100 gal. of sap. So, sugar at about 1.4. Still boiling well with little niter. Foaming a little more but nothing too dramatic. Fortunately it was cloudy all day so didn't get nearly as warm as the last couple days so sap quality is hanging in there.
The big news here is that the DeLaval service team set up my new refrigerated tank and it's working great. Just some plumbing, a filter change and a refrigerant charge was all that was needed. They were impressed with the condition of the system given it is 1988 vintage...
So, my plan is to concentrate all the sap I have tomorrow morning into the chiller tank. Then I'll see how warm it gets tomorrow and what the sap looks like. I may end up dumping sap if it spoils in the lines. The syrup in the evap. is good so I want to be sure to not contaminate it so will be test boiling anything I collect from here on in.
There may be a chance of getting through the warm spell if the trees don't bud as by Friday evening the temps. will be much more favorable for sap quality and then we should get some freezing temps. by the end of the weekend.
Made 3.5 gal of nice Amber Rich yesterday. buckets were overflowing last night. will boil again today in hopes of 2 more gal.
Glad it's still running. Many family orders still need to be filled.
sap is still trickling in here somehow. hasn't froze in 3 days. yesterday it was testing 1.75%... this a.m it tested 1.5%. I think i'll keep the pump on until it tests at 1% and hope it freezes up over the weekend... fingers crossed! It's supposed to be cloudy/rainy here for the next few days... hopefully that delays my red maples from thinking about budding. still a decent amount of snow in the woods and my pond is still fully iced over. time will tell!
Has been a challenging week keeping the sap moving and halfway fresh. I'm not too concerned about budding yet because the roots are still fairly cold and the ground frost is just about out of the ground the north slopes. The trees know what time it is and they know that this is just a fluke in the weather after the first week of March we had! However it definitely got their attention that spring is near so I think they are staging the bud cycle. Syrup just went dark Tuesday so that tells me were only about midpoint or a little beyond, that doesn't mean sap can't go bad. No peepers, ponds still iced, frost just out, and just started making dark syrup are all indications to me we have a couple weeks left especially if the weather straighten out Sunday. Also with all this sun and warm weather the grass hasn't even started to Green up yet. but Time tells all so well find out!!
My new bush is all coming into tank like spring water still clear all the way thru. Old bushs are slightly cloudy sap still, makes me wonder how much effect old lines have on sap quality, but the new bush is mainly north slope with some frost still keeping tree roots cool, and likely sap also.
Oh, that makes sense, thanks! I should probably do something similar- the weather looks like it is going to remain unfavorable for several days- I don't see a guaranteed freeze until Sunday night here, the forecast has been drifting a bit warmer.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
My setup is (of course) very different from yours, but I could do a version of this "boil out" procedure. I would have to drain the back pan and feed the sweet into the front over a couple of hours, since the volume in my back pan is maybe 4x the front. I also would have to go through the pan-sweetening process again if we get another run (no RO yet), but that is probably a risk worth taking to save the "almost syrup" I have. It would also give me the satisfaction of finally drawing off some syrup for the first time on my new rig- the run so far this year for me has been a lot less sap than expected, and the sugar content has been low too, so I have been stuck in pan-sweetening purgatory for a week.
This has been a tough first season for me, lots of learning, and many of my optimistic estimates have been REALLY far off from reality. I've still had a great time, but looking at the sap run potentially ending any minute scares the heck out of me, since I have a whole year's worth of work into this all and haven't produced a drop of syrup yet! I've boiled maybe 1000 gallons of sub 2 percent sap in four short boils, but the numbers say that I need close to 2000 gallons to sweeten my 3x12.
The good news is that I now see that I oversized the major components of my system to allow for a lot of expansion next year. The bad news is that when I expand my taps, I might only then hit the syrup target I was shooting for this year. The other good news is that I have gone through less than a quarter of my wood so far, so this summer's cutting can be very relaxed. I overdid that too.
i have sap frozen in 2 gallon buckets. i'm thinking tonight will be my last boil for a few days. i'm planning on putting those buckets in my flu pan tomorrow a.m and putting some foam insulation board over it to keep it cold. i'll boil down as far as i can in my syrup pan tonight and put what's remaining in the freezer. hopefully that strategy works out.
Later addition: About 1.5 gpt overnight (Tues afternoon to Wed morning) at 1.65 Brix. No freeze. Vacuum down to 25.2" Hg due to warm weather (gas production by trees increases when it is hot).[/QUOTE]
Doesn't the general rule of thumb 1.5 to 2 CFM for every hundred taps compensate for that extra gas?
On some of my larger trees and what is a larger I mean 25 to 30 in I have struggled this year with deciding whether or not to drill a new hole which I have a couple times or leave it be. And what I'm referring to is full Columns of sap in the tubing that are moving faster than I would like them to be because of these big trees in my opinion are still thawing out and aren't leeks consistent with a hollow tree. I noticed a couple times when I pulled these tabs the wood in the tap hole had split. I redrilled probably about a dozen of them probably left two dozen others, my release is running around 28 to 29 in and in the woods I show 27 to 28 so apparently these larger trees were the sap is moving faster than I'd like to see can't be too awfully bad?
Also on these bigger trees are the only ones I ever see that the ice pushes the Taps out and have to be reset, I never once have to do this on trees smaller than 14 to 16 in only the Big Daddy's- does anybody else find this also?
blissville maples
I'm glad its not just me. The larger trees always give me problems pushing spouts out. I tell myself its because of the thicker bark as I'm walking around resetting them all. I think tapping below the tubing comes into play with this on the larger trees to because they are peppered above the tubing but what can you expect to do in an old bush.
The general rule is 1 CFM per 100 taps. If you've got 1.5-2 CFM, you'll see less of a drop for sure. Some people who run really tight systems will go lower than 1 CFM per 100, but the vacuum level will really drop off when it is hot. That's why folks running Sap Pullers/Guzzlers (diaphragm pumps) will see a sharp drop off in vacuum during warm spells....they just can't move enough CFM (from tree gases) out fast enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by blissville maples
The difference in pressure (vacuum) is what drives the sap to flow out of the tree, but it is the CFM removal rate (and the inherent capability of the pump to reach a certain level of vacuum) that allows us to achieve a certain level of vacuum. When it is hot, the trees put out more gases. The pump can only take a certain size "gulp" or "bite" of air in each rotation and expel it. That "bite" size doesn't change, but the # of gas molecules and their dispersal in the air does when it is warm, so the "bite" isn't able to remove all the air that is present, so vacuum level drops.
Larger trees with thick bark do tend to have more problems of spout heaving. We have a study ongoing for this now. Perhaps we'll start talking about it in the next year or two after we have sufficient results in hand.
I agree....trees are "smarter" (I should say "better adapted") than we give them credit for. In the 40 yrs I've been studying trees, I've only seen frost damage on maples twice -- one of those was 2012, the other, I think was 1983 or 1984. There is a really huge disincentive for trees to bud early....cold temperatures just a few degrees below freezing will kill new leaves, and it takes a LOT of energy to make new leaves. It's analogous to like building a new engine, tossing it out before you ever start it and building a new one without using any parts from the first one...would be very costly for the trees to do that. We still have some really cold days to come.Quote:
Originally Posted by blissville maples
Ahh some relief!! LolQuote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
I am still worried anyway, especially with all the rain coming tommarrow
decided to pull the plug and boil out, final syrup was not buddy but pretty dark and strong, just under our .25gpt goal so im pleased(3/16 gravity), 1/3 of the season in 4 days, ripping the 2x6 12hr boils 4 days in a row, almost no niter at the end, we are toast and almost out of dry wood, ready to move on to manure spreading and spring field work, good luck to all those sticking it out
We boiled tonight and made another 90 gallons of DR with a great flavor , probably some of the darkest syrup we have ever made . Sugar was 1.4 and sap is starting to look a little cloudy but everything filtered fine . We will see what tomorrow brings .
Same song and dance here as well. Still getting over 1gpt, yesterday the sap turn cloudy but went through the RO just fine and the press. Sugar is down to 1.4, and we are making DR now. I’m hoping that is rain will help us today. I was just outside with the dog this morning and there’s a cool damp feeling. So maybe the trees will hold on a little longer. No buds or off taste yet. Next week looks like good syrup production. Just got to get there, still got snow in most of our woods so that maybe be helping to roots out.
Not throwing in the towel just yet, just hit 50% of our usual crop, need another good week and I think we will be smooth sailing.
Be well and think positive. It’s all up to Mother Nature
we had our best run of the year yesterday without a freeze since Sunday. sap was testing 1.6, which i was pleasantly surprised with. pretty darn rainy here today with an expected 1.5" of rain to fall... we'll see how the trees react to that! supposed to be a light freeze here tonight (fingers crossed). we've boiled 6 times this year and have yet to have a need to clean the pans. i don't ever recall a year with as little niter as we're getting this year. it's pretty nice!
Stanbridge Station, Quebec (5 miles north of Highgate, VT):
Sugar maple buds have started to swell. Snow cover is gone. Sap has stopped running Monday overnight. 60% of average crop this year. Can't always have a record year...
Trees in my area in Randolph vt haven't budded yet. Sap didn't start running until sun broke out-permafrost must still be there somewhat.... so hopefully I get 2 more weeks. (weather looks good -fingers crossed)
Sugar maple buds were still tight (in winter condition) in Underhill when I flew the drone up to take a look the other day (see photo). Sugar maple buds still very tight in Newport, VT, this morning. Red maple flower buds are swelling a little bit, which is normal for this time of year and conditions. Still a little snow left in patches here and there.
Attachment 22296
The crew is boiling today.
make that syrup Tim. I just make excellent waffle syrup yesterday and finished this morning. I tend to label my syrup by taste. If it tastes slightly carmel-I say pancakes... if robust-waffles- if light -crepes, but that's me being a culinary guru. Wish more people did this.
Has anyone tried to make mead (same recipe but use maple syrup)?
I was thinking of trying this but I have no idea what the outcome might be.
I plan on some of my end of season sap to concentrate it to about 20% and use the mead formula.
When do/should you pull the taps on the Reds?Quote:
Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins
We don't. Red maple flower buds don't seem to affect flavor. Once leaf buds just start to break, it's game over.Quote:
Originally Posted by MJPJ Sugars
There is a small scale meadery in my area that has a maple mead. They said they still have to use a % of honey to get it to work right for them, but that doesn't mean a maple only mead isn't possible. Give it a try and let me know how it works out.Quote:
Originally Posted by tapdrinker
So you don't worry about a few reds budding?
About a third of our bush is red maples. The flower buds don't seem to affect the flavor. Typically our sap doesn't go buddy -- the flows slow down enough to the point where we get sour sap before that, so we stop at that point. Towards the end of the season we will boil a bit on the stove each morning before we concentrate and boil in the evaporator to see if it has turned sour or buddy. If it has, we stop. No need to make commercial syrup -- although if the season ended early this year we might continue as long as possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by hogisland42
1.5 gpt of sap since yesterday afternoon, although the sugar content is averaging 1.45 Brix. Takes a lot of sap to make syrup with that SSC.
Afternoon addition: Reached 50% of our minimum target crop with today's boil, now at 0.25 gal syrup/tap. Still some sap in the tanks, plus what we have in the evaporator, and sap still coming in slowly, so we're gaining on it. Hoping we get some cold weather soon to bump up the sap sugar content and yield.
Good to know, thanks Doctor
Still hanging in there for now. Boiled this morning about 1500 gal of sap that came in from Wednesday afternoon thru 9 this am. So, have been getting over 1 gpt despite no freeze since Monday night. I ran three separate batches through the ro into the chiller tank at about 6% and test boiled some last night. It boiled surprisingly well given the sap quality. The warm afternoon yesterday brought the sap temp up to 63F but fortunately storing the resulting concentrate at 36F seemed to do the trick. Made a little over 15 gal of nice dark syrup which means ssc is probably a little under 1. Not good but I'll keep the pump on for the next few days and see what happens. I'll probably do the same thing and concentrate into the chiller tank and test boil each batch before doing so. There's good syrup in the evap. and this is not the year to risk spoiling it.
Lots of signs of spring that usually indicate the end is near. Red maple buds are definitely popping and I heard the first few bold peepers tonight in the wetlands below.
It has definitely been a weird season and perhaps the weirdest part is the fact that there is still very little niter scale on the pans. While this won't be a bumper season, the quality of the syrup so far has been excellent. At .25 gpt right now and probably won't get much more, but given how weird things have been so far, who knows...
We boiled 6 days in a row (Sun-Fri) to keep ahead of the warm temperatures. Sunday was a full boil with over 2,800 gal of raw sap. The subsequent days were about 1/2 batches processed to a lower sugar to keep the boil at about 2 1/2 hours. The syrup turned to DA on Wednesday. It was more effort and not cost effective but we maintained the syrup quality. The flow has dropped off and we won't be boiling today (Saturday). We hope that the cooler temperatures will preserve the sap so we'll have at least another 1/2 batch for Sunday.
I shut off my lower woods which is on a mechanical releaser and contains mostly soft maples in the wetter part of our property. Besides the flow dropping way off, the mechanical releaser was giving us problems due to the warmer weather (primarily expanding sap lines pushing the releaser off level). I hear lots of peepers in the lower bush and the reds are pretty buddy looking.
I hope we can see production on the upper sugarbush during the coming colder nights. Overall I'm at 0.23 gpt.
Ken
We also boiled everyday this week till yesterday , We had a major malfunction with our mechanical releaser on our main bush sometime over the night on Thursday night which left us with very little sap yesterday . I dumped what we had as it wasn’t enough to boil and looked pretty nasty and didn’t want to hold it since it was 68 degrees again. I think the reds look fine some buds may have swelled some but I have seen them bigger. Let’s hope these cooler temps help some with the sap quality .
looking at the weather-it looks like the last week of sugaring.
Looking forward to gardening, flyfishing, golf, but I have to get this done first.
I want to thank everyone for their help on this forum and here is to another decent season.
I expanded by 550 taps this year on a new electric releaser with the pump station right behind the sugarhouse. I love it. I diverted my existing upper bush onto the same system. It is far more reliable than the mechanical releaser I use for our lower woods and easier to monitor. I monitor both with an internet camera but it's hard to see what's going on besides a few tell-tail things. However, on the electric releaser I also watch the operations with a Sense electrical monitor in my breaker box. The sense is a smart web-based system that monitors voltage and amperage and looks for unique signatures. It easily picks up pumps, garage doors, refrigerators, ovens, etc. I use it to see how often the electric releaser is running. I've measured each discharge as a minimum of 4 gallons each.Quote:
Originally Posted by sugartree310
Attachment 22297
Attachment 22298
I can monitor on my phone or computer.
I also have an electric releaser at the sugarhouse with about 800 taps on , I really like how the electric releaser works , I plan to add more taps to it in the future. This sap comes from the hill above the sugarhouse. My mechanical releaser is down at the bottom of the hill close to the interstate and I have about 3200 taps on it , its been pretty reliable over the years, I have had it for over 20 years , its been rebuilt a few times. I may move my operation another 300 ' lower to add the last of the maples on the property I may be looking to change the releaser out then. My station now is 1800' from the sugarhouse , I ran power down there a few years back and I run a 1hp Goulds deep well pump layed flat in a SS round bottom tank with a float set up . it works great . I run cameras on all the tanks ,Vacuum pump and on the RO and can monitor with my phone or iPad at the house .Quote:
Originally Posted by TapTapTap
If I have it right Ken the property you are on was the old Browns property or part off and I remember the old sugarhouse up there in the woods and when I was in Boy Scouts the scouts used to help them. That was in the mid-to late 70s. I also helped Steve Boutin once or twice when I was in high school who tapped up there. he ran a main line down to the old farm house on South Rd . I have had the Maple bug since then. Good luck I hope we all keep the sap flowing for a while .
Oh I forgot todays sap has cleared right up and sugar is 1.7%
Yup, it sounds like you know my trees really well. Not only do we own 87 acres of the old Brown Farm, I lease the sugarbush from the Boutins. I've heard others talk about their Boys Scout years and how it started their maple bug. You're also dating yourself. Like you I was in Scouts (Troop 122, South Hero) back in the mid 70s. This May I'll be the big 60!Quote:
Originally Posted by sugartree310
And yes, sap has started to clear up. I'm at about the same sugar. Coming in slowly but I should have at least 1,500 gallons for tomorrow morning. I like to have more like 2,500 but it'll still work.
Ken