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We did get a good freeze over the weekend and the sap started running again today. I only got 55 gallons today, but I hope for a big day tomorrow. The forecast gives a couple freezing nights this week, but temps as high as 65 so the trees are not going to hold back the buds much longer. I have boiled just over 1,000 gallons and usually boil 1,600 - 1,900. I sure hope to have a few good days before it is all over.
My sap is getting cloudy . I only got 15 gal. From 60 taps today .
Mine was not cloudy today, but it was foamy when I dumped it into the tank. I have seen that before so I think I have good sap. I will start boiling again tomorrow after work.
Some of my sap today was slightly yellow, but not cloudy yet. I got 110 gallons today and it is supposed to freeze tonight and get very warm again. I hope I can keep up. I am not a fan of weekday boiling, but I have no choice. When the sap runs, we run!
my taps are running good here in knox county collected today collected around 750 gallons off 600 taps cooked all day made 7 gal of syrup my syrup is still nice and light im between vermont fancy and grade A medium so im hopen it will last a little wile yet,stopped cookin tonight i still have 425 gal of sap to cook tomorrow plus what we have to gather tomorrow.
Collected 70 gallons yesterday - sap getting darker. 70 today with storms and no freezing nights until at least Saturday/Sunday is not encouraging.
It looks like my season is comimg to an end sap from my tubing has a yellow tint to it sugar at 1.5% syrup is grade "B" cleaned pans on saturday pressure washed all tanks etc. with hot water and after boiling 1500 gallons pans look worse than before I cleaned them. My buckets are at 2.5% so I probably will boil what I can get from them, but the tubing has been shut down what a disappointing season. Some tell me I should be running vacuum and an R.O. and I wouldn't have this problem. Anyones input on this would be much appreciated. Hope everyone is having better luck than I am.
I cannot help you about an RO, but I would not do without vacuum . I make as much syrup from 400 taps on vacuum as I did 750 buckets. There is no better and cheaper up grade than vacuum.
You guys are about done and we have not had a first run yet!
Woodburner, are your trees still holding out, i don't think we're seeing any openning buds over here. But then my eyes are that good.
definetly vac will make your season as woodburner said . I switched over to tubing afew years ago and vac is the secret to success on tubing. no sighn of budding here at all red and silvers are swelling today though. sugars are tight but that dont mean anything. been a great season so far despite the breakdowns. looking for a couple more runs for march. just tapped on the 15th so just getting going here.
I brought in 30 gallons today - much turning yellow. It was almost 70 here and warm days ahead so even if we get a freeze in a few days, I am not sure we will have much. I will hold out through the weekend and see what happens. I have had 1300 gallons of sap which is 300 - 600 below average.
The sugar maples are tight here so far and the sap started to run later this afternoon and is still going steady. The sap started at the same time the fog rolled in. Temp only made it to 50 here today.
We had a decent run this week and I'm holding out until the last drop. Hoping the cold weekend will get a run next week. the silvers are starting to bud here and the sugars are just starting to swell, so maybe we have a couple of weeks if the weather works. We have a mix tapped on tubing so I'm planning on pulling taps by tree as it buds. look like the silvers will get pulled first, probably next week. sap is getting yellow on those.
Might have to try growing sorghum just to use the pans in the fall.
I would like to try sorghum, but I need a press before thinking serious about it. I hope the storms don't get too nasty tomorrow. I want to empty old sap out of the bags and buckets before it freezes again. Bags and strong winds don't get along very well.
so because after a run,the sap remaining in the tubing acquires and grows more bacteria which leads to darker syrup this is what I have been told anyway does this sound like what is happening and also what do you use to wash out the tubing at seasons end
mapleguy, that sounds about right to me, we should have at least a week or to left of the season easily. I see a alcohol that is used to clean tubing that i am going to try this year sold by lappiere. erwin gingerich has it at his place on georgia rd.
The tornado's missed us and we only had to deal with 2 inches of rain in about 15 minutes. I have never seen water like that. Some serious damage within a couple miles of us.
I emptied the old sap out of the bags and buckets in hopes of one more run this week. They are calling for three freezing nights beginning tonight, but the temp is only supposed to be in the low 40's tomorrow and Monday. We will get what we can and hope for the best!
I got a surprising 80 gallons today after the warmup. Some of the best trees are dry and others running like crazy. I don't expect much more and this will be Grade B, but I will boil one more time. The sap is darker, but not cloudy so I hope it turns out OK. 70 degrees tomorrow so I will start boiling as soon as I get home tomorrow afternoon.
I brought in 35 gallons this afternoon and pulled the taps. I am way below normal, but might hit 75% of a normal year. My wife is getting me a total in the next few days.