I'm hoping this isn't the new normal for us here. The winter of mud.
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I'm hoping this isn't the new normal for us here. The winter of mud.
I’m looking out at my lines and thinking I need to get moving on setup for the season…. If we get a season.
It’s certainly bizarre.
We have winter here, but it arrived late and other than a few storms, it has been an easy one. It will be +3.2/-16 here tonight, but then it warms up a little, then gets cold for a few days and warms up again for another possible sap run mid January.
Gary, have you got any ice on the lake for ice fishing. None of the lakes here have anything, but some skim ice near shore in just a few areas.
We have an inch an half of white ice, so weak that an ice spud goes through it like a hot knife through butter. Today was cold and tonight will be cold, but not overly cold after that. I am not sure just when we will get on the ice. Mid January they are forecasting temperatures where the sap may flow again and I will have to put out my collection pails. This time I will have a turkey fryer to boil it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
Normally we are in our fishing hut, fishing this time of year.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f24...Jx1IVi71b9m0-A
So tempting: sunny, highs in the upper 40s, lows in the 20s. No snow. Other than the date seems perfect.
Shunkworks, Are you going to tap? I'm with you, very lack luster winter for sure. I see we are close in proximity thus the question on tapping.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkunkWorks
everything is telling me to hold off till our normal tapping time but......i might do a 10 tap test next week
CT Guy, Same here. Everything i have read so far says to hold off. But the weather is looking pretty good though. Plus, I have a new shed, hood system and set up so I am itching to get it going. Just a few weeks ago I boiled water just to test everything. My wife said I was crazy!
We are further north than you and are colder. To be honest if I had your 2 week temperature forecast, I would be awlfully tempted to go all in and hook up all of my taps. Even in Southern Ontario, it looks awlfully good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
Maybe my inexperience talking.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/056M...gxjdwJE6iP1VTw
Maybe in a week, in part because my day job will interfere with my hobbies this week.
Gotta see if Sugar Bear comments, he seems to have taped on the right date for decades.
I sent a request to SugarBear to weigh in.
Yesterday I dug my Mason out, I’m like an “hour” from being ready.
cant wait any longer, i,m going to be tapping some tomorrow , see how they run, and then tap the rest later in the week
We look forward to your detailed report!
stay tunedQuote:
Originally Posted by SkunkWorks
Well, the climate change King has made his presence felt for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkunkWorks
If you're ready, I say tap, especially if you tap soft maples and/or your trees are in a warm aspect, and you are on tubing/vacuum. I would if I were ready but don't have my act near ready and probably won't be ready until at least Feb 1 and of course will reassess at that point.
If you're on the north side of some higher elevation may want to wait a bit and see.
I don't really like making light syrup but perhaps it's already darkened up a bit.
Please post results of early taping.
After the 26th weather dot com is showing nothing above freezing for several days. Long ways to forecast, but it looks like a change from what we have had.
I'm going to put in 150-200 taps this Saturday the 21st. Not sure if its smart or not. Will see what happens and if I do any more the following weekend...
Scored another working 600 gallon Meuller tank last week. I won't have the refrigeration working on it this year but its in place and ready. Going to take my old non-working 600 gallon tank and build a skid for it and use it to collect instead of two IBC totes. That's my project for tomorrow.
I usually waited to around Valentines Day to tap my trees but this season weather seems favorable right now so I'm thinking you can tap soon for a longer season.
Unfortunately, I am out for this 23 season because I broke my leg around Christmas and the wife/family has no interest in picking up this hobby/chore.
Sorry to hear. I wrecked my shoulder last year and had to have help with a lot of things including taping. Only smashed a finger this year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent914
so i decided to hold off on tapping a few trees and now it seems like were going be getting more winter like temps starting this weekend and next week, looks like i'll hold off till my normal tapping date of Presidents day weekendQuote:
Originally Posted by CTguy923
I'm 50% tapped.
Forecast shows high's of 40s and lows in the 20s.
And I busted my tapping bit, bad sign.
This is weather is not necessarily bad, what will determine our maple season is what happens during the season, cold nights, warm days are needed then. If your weather is like what we have been getting in Central NYS, we are just adding plenty of ground water. The trees really only need a few cold nights to be able the move the sap after they warm up. Then the weather you had last year (sunshine to produce sugar) and the ground moisture will do the rest.
Don't get nervous yet, lots of time left unless you are in the extreme southern maple regions.
SkunkWorks, That's why I always had at least 3 tapping bits for each person tapping..
After 20 hours, about 1/2 gallon per tap at 1.9%.
Forecast is good: highs of low 40s, lows in the upper 20s for the next week.
2.3 gal per tap yesterday.
it'll shut off next week, we have some below freezing weather coming inQuote:
Originally Posted by SkunkWorks
Gosh I hope so, made 2.8 gal this weekend on 45 taps. Drilled in the remaining 50.
What great weather, 40s, dry, really nice.
Real cold weather coming on the 4th & 5th, after that it looks like same as we've had so far. I plan on tapping the 6th & 7th.
Hi all,
Do the trees need more time to warm up after the negative temps?
This is my first year tapping. I only have ten Reds and one Sugar. Is it normal for Reds to not produce much sap until February? I went ahead and tapped the last week of January. I was worried there would be no real winter.
To date I have a total of 6 gallons from all trees. Most of that is from the Sugar. (I've been freezing it until I have a windfall)
Even yesterday in the mid-40's, I only got six cups.
Thanks!
Are you using buckets on the red maples? If so, just to let you know they perform much better on a tubing system with vacuum.
I used buckets my first year, on a mix of reds and sugars. The reds did flow less but they flowed.
On vac they are essential equal (in volume, not % sugar).
My trees were slow yesterday when I tapped, but by the end of today things picked up.
I put about half my taps in yesterday, a little over 50 - Second half in today. Hard to believe it was 10 below a few days ago, sap was running yesterday - Looks like good weather ahead, for how long, who knows?
I have a mix of bags and buckets. I got three buckets and lids for free, so I purchased the bigger spiles for them. Interestingly, those bigger spiles were leaking yesterday after the subfreezing temps. They were running better yesterday. I don't think I'll ever produce enough to justify a vacuum system. Plus our trees are very far apart. We'll see how it goes. I think I'll be switching to all bags next year. There have been so many bugs in the buckets and now leaking sap.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pdiamond
What kind of buckets? I have 5 gal buckets with 5/16 tubing going into a hole drilled in the lids. The tubing is a tight fit in the hole through the lid, so I have pretty clean sap, no bugs.Quote:
Originally Posted by TapNewbieCT
I tapped the trees I have on tubing only, that go to my main tank Sunday and yesterday (about 40 ish taps). I hope to get the bucketed trees tapped today.
got 65 taps in so far, yesterday quite a few were dripping at a good pace, today only a couple were a slow drip
gonna finish up one property tomorrow and have a new one to check out this weekend
Tapped 88 today. All were running. The sap from the 35 on gravity 3/16 tubing was zooming through the tubing. I have 30 more taps to put out tomorrow.
I've got a little over 100 in, some full buckets this afternoon. Probably making some steam later tomorrow -
I collected my first 70 gallons of sap today. Sugar content was 2.6! I had to zero out the refractometer and check it again. 2.6! Once I run it through the RO I'll double that. What is everybody else getting with their sap sugar levels?
I boiled off about 150 gal. of 2% sap yesterday AM, then collected another 100 for Sat. What a crazy start, about 10 am a honeybee flies into the barn. With whats forecast for next week, expect to see buds on the trees, maybe mow the lawn in March this year. I miss the older weather. Several years ago there was a Feb. I had no sap, 0, for the whole month. It was just too cold to run.