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Happy New Year everyone!
I recall last season, tapping started very early, second week of January I believe. Now that it’s New Year’s Day and it’s 52 degrees out and the forecast does not show for freezing temperatures anytime soon, I was wondering if sugaring season is projected to start early again. Should Intap my trees in two weeks or wait until February? I’m located in Southwestern CT.
Anyone with insight would appreciated. Thank you!
Its good to be ready but I expect ol' man winter will set in before to long. If you tap in too early, the holes will prob dry up on you potentially in the prime part of the season. Last season, I tapped at the end of January and had a great season even though some dried up on me. I like to save some trees as backup for later run.
Hope it's later. Scrambling to pull all my equipment together. Got out 3 years ago valleyman but this year I got sucked in again just because I had so many down trees on the farm. Got to do something with all that wood, right? I too am a one person show.
Hey CT,
Welcome back! Sounds like you're a busy solo show with a 2x5, nice ! Yea, funny how sugarin' is like being in the mob...once you're in there's no getting out. And Im just a small time hobbyist with maple fevor. Can only imagine being bigtime.
If you look at the 15 day [not that it's always right] for us, the sap is going to run most every day. I'd be really tempted but.............. I won't have an evaporator 'till the 20th or so. I'd need every pot & pan in Kent to keep up 'till it comes.
I tapped on January 15th last year, and every time I look at the forecast now I think to myself "why haven't you tapped already?" I used check valves in buckets (and bags) and had most everything dry up about 6 weeks later. I tapped different trees and the season went about another 4 weeks for me. I'll look at where the forecast is in 2 weeks. This year I'm going to experiment with a vacuum system, and I've digitized as much stuff as I can think to. I just finished assembling a stand for my RO, it should make working with the sap a little easier.
I’m ready to go. I have a fridge in my garage dedicated to storing sap since temps are questionable outside. I might drill a hole in one of my trees and see if there is flow. I don’t want to miss out on that early syrup.
I have 18 trees I can tap. I’m just a small operation making syrup for home use and giving some away to friends and family.
Just check this out https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USCT0102:1:US I'd wait, just my opinion
Yeah, I saw that too. Cold temps are on the way. Looks like February it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Van
Mark, post some pix so these folks can see some of the amazing things you have created!
I had considered tapping earlier as well, The cold blast will let me procrastinate maybe, but after this, I am thinking of tapping as soon as we get a favorable ten-day outlook from a weekend start. Last year I did superbowl sunday. I want to be ready the week earlier this time, so two weeks away maybe?...
Spent the last few days fixing my tubing runs. Finished up moving the evaporator under my new shed overhang. Excited to be out of the weather for boiling this year.
After seeing the data from Dr. Joe Orefice from Yale today, seems mid February is still a good plan. Earlier runs may be lighter sugar.
I have a tapping decision to make (eastern CT). My wife and I will be travelling to Arizona from Feb 15-21. If I tap before that, I have to find somebody to collect sap for me (50+ drop lines into buckets--takes me 30+ minutes per day), or I wait until after Feb 21. Would I lose out on a lot of sap if I waited? Opinions welcome!
Unless you really want to get those one or two runs that are likely in early February I would just wait till after your trip. Saves you the trouble of wondering how your taps are doing while you are away. Not to mention the risk of any sap spoiling in possible warm weather by the time you get home.
My drill finger is getting itchy but I have to wait for the taps I ordered to show up so that's keeping me from jumping early. In the next week or two I'm gonna put the 3/16 tubing to work. The coastal weather makes my season start earlier than you inland folks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottyWelden
While late January tapping has been a great success in recent years the days of old are not necessarily gone for good.
Don't worry about it until weather suitable for taping shows up in the long range forecast. It is entirely possible the first reasonable run may not happen until Feb 15 or later.
Don't cross the bridge or worry about crossing the bridge till the bridge is open.
Last year I put most of my taps in in late January in two sets in two different regions 30 miles apart . I put another 6 taps in in late February in a third location and those taps were the most productive of all my taps.
One (yes 1) of my Late February taps was overflowing a 5 (yes five) gallon bucket after just 24 hours. The others were close.
Early tapping is overrated with regards to productivity unless of course enough warm weather blows out the season early, But even in 2019, odds are fairly heavily (at least 80 %) in your favor that will not happen.
Cheers
Early tapping works well for those producers using moderate/high vacuum and excellent spout/tubing sanitation practices. Taphole lifespan (the length of time the sap will flow) can run 3-4 months before productivity drops off substantially. Tapping well before the season begins is fine under these conditions. This strategy is employed mostly by those producers who have so many taps that they need to have a month or two to get all their taps in.
Early tapping is NOT indicated for those using gravity collection (bags, buckets, gravity tubing...note that 3/16" tubing on a slope is VACUUM tubing). Taphole longevity in this case is only 3-8 weeks (typically only 3-5 wks) unless the weather gets really warm during that time. Best to wait until just before the sap will run well for an extended period.
Not that anybody doubts Dr. Tim but my experience with 3/16 tubing on a slope with natural vacuum is exactly as he described. I tapped Jan 19th last year and saw consistent sap flow right up until the end of the season. I use 5/16 spouts and drops tee'd into the 3/16 line to improve tap hole life. Due to my small number of taps I decided it was cheap enough to replace all of my drops and spouts this year to improve my second year sanitation as much as possible.
Of course none of that would be possible if I hadn't learned everything I could reading up on this here.
Now I just need a trick to make my trees give me more sugar, last year I was averaging just over 1%. Maybe some sort of ancient sugar dance passed down thru the generations might help. :lol:
At this point here across southern New England, ( coastal areas not necessarily included ) for the next 10-15 days the forecast shows no good window for sap running for an extended period of time. That as we know can change but if it does not it puts us well into February.
My recommendation would be to take the following steps.
1) Put your drill bit next to or even into your drill. i.e. this is longhand for "have everything ready"
2) Go to Arizona.
3) Have fun in the sun, even bring some of your syrup from last year and tease them with it a bit.
4) Come back on the 21
5) Probably put your taps in on the night or next day you get back, but do check the weather.
I'll bet you 10 gallons ( of syrup ) that the trees will be ready, willing and able!
I like this plan!
Got all my taps in today all the trees in the sun started running as soon as the hole was drilled. Tomorrow the high is 46 and Monday and Tuesday around 40. Should be a nice little early run then back to freezing for a few days.
Not sure if it's just my mind playing tricks on me but the sap seemed to taste a lot sweeter this year than what I remember from last year.
I plan on tapping next week. We are expecting 0 degree temps in the coming days. The 15 day forecast calls for above freezing days and below freezing nights. Just what we want.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cjadamec
Let us know how your first run turns out!
Last I checked, at 330 pm, both of my two 3/16 runs were a solid stream into my barrels. Still tastes sweeter then last year.
As of 7pm it's still 41 outside should be above freezing thru 1am where I am.
Hoping by Wednesday morning I will have enough to start a boil. Need 25 gal just to fill my evaporator. At least 100 gallons to make it worth finishing anything.
Not a bad day collected 50gallons of sap from last night's run. I'm hoping for another 50 gallons or so tomorrow night so I can boil everything Wednesday before I end up with big blocks of ice.
My cheap refractometer and my tounge are telling me I have sweeter sap this year.
Putting my new sap hauler to work.
I have a small set up with 48 on tubing and 30 buckets by looking at the weather I will tap on Sunday.
What are you using for a pump?
I got a 12v transfer pump from amazon last year it works well but isn't the quickest in the world. It takes about 3 min to fill a 5 gallon bucket. Last year I just carried an old battery with me, luckily this year I upgraded to a new tractor which carries the buckets and the battery for me now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kjsdime
Tapped my trees today. Currently 40 degrees outside and abouve freezing temps during the day in the forecast and below freezing nights. I’m a very small operation, mainly for personal use and some give to friends.
13 taps today. I have a few more I could tap, but with my work schedule and storage restraints, I can only make syrup once a week. I’d rather not be discarding sap for no reason.
Hopefully I get a good first run for that delicious light golden color.
The weather this week looks like a really nice run. My weather station said 47 at around noon. Both my tubing runs are running very well at the moment.
I tapped one - Really, all I had time for - More tomorrow for sure. Not where I want to be right now doing an evaporator upgrade, but thats how it worked out. More to come on that subject...................
Tapped 18 in total this weeken. Not much running yet, hoping for good production today. Thanks for the pump infor!
I was able to tap the 78 I have yesterday afternoon the short time they where out they ran great! I may expand a little more this coming weekend to get 100 for the year
I won't make this run but I'm almost ready. I finished bricking my new Mason arch today. Used 1/4 inch arch
paper and about 110 splits. Still have to clean the drop
flue pan and run a test boil. Hopefully I'll be ready by the end of the week.
It hit 58 at my house today. There is a solid stream of sap running out the end of my tubing, about 40 gallons so far and a long time to go before it get back close to freezing. I'm gonna have a lot of boiling to do this week.
Nice looking arch.Quote:
Originally Posted by CTfarm
You & me both today - I used 1" insulation boards & just over 100 brick in a 2x6, my back is about on fire from being bent over all day.Quote:
Originally Posted by CTfarm
My back hurts just thinking about that brick. I still fondly remember long hours out in the cold welding my evaporator together.
Went out just before dark and collected 50 gallons to make room in the collection barrles. Tubing was still running like this the whole time.
Hard to believe it was -2F just 3 days ago - Get it while you can -
Quick question, I am fairly new to this and did ok last year. I have 18 trees tapped but I never really get a good run. Like today, I feel like I should have 30 or 40 gallons but I might have 10. Granted I only have one sugar maple and the rest are red or silver. Is that the reason or am I doing something wrong?
10 gallons off of 18 is great, over half a gallon per tree. If you get 10 gallons a tap over a season, you got over 5% of that in one day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kjsdime