Frozen up for days. No Forties for a week? A week ago it was too warm and raining. Weather's gonna run out the clock again.
Printable View
Frozen up for days. No Forties for a week? A week ago it was too warm and raining. Weather's gonna run out the clock again.
all taps go so clearing storage with first boil today 9 gallons @ 7% concentrate, between tossing ice and two-stage 150 homemade RO
Cleaning RO today as the snow falls yet again, all 19 bags still frozen solid from the last few days. Got in 7 small batches this year, to the usual 4, carelessly scorching one, but a good yield for a little guy of 24 pints, enough for gifts and personal use anyway. With the lake still frozen and modest snow cover, I was going to try for one more, but the RO filter smells from being kept inside; the diaphrams likely bad, too, so i'm done. Thursday will be 60•, so let the yard work begin.
So I had to re=assemble everything and do 3 more boils, as cool temps lingered and the bags kept refilling for extra gallon syrup, nice and golden clear. Pulled bags today anticipating seventy degree spike tomorrow; reds still ok; lake ice holding and no peepers yet. season has run from 3/20 to 4/22 and beyond, but i'm done
Tapped ten today, all froze up, probably a week late, but it's been snowing, often, and I was waiting for some footing. Stomped the trail with snowshoes again; they'll firm up. Here we go.
Pulled half the taps down by the lake after those 3 days in the eighties; peepers started and red maple buds swelling, but put two back out when the snow came back to try for a fourth boil, half the usual, despite cleaning being completed. Cut the boils a bit short to increase production, as I'm usually overcooked, 78% and chock full of sugar sand. Three gallons bottled anyway; may get my fourth with this snow again. Jeeze.
Congratulations, you might be the last camp producing in the USA!
Mark220maple
ten taps in by Groundhog Day; modest accumulation and no gathering; froze up overnight 25* four more today' 40-20 predicted as far as the eye can see, so what the heck? New 30"x17"x9" pan so RO on hold till I get some notion of continuous flow.
8.5 gallons sap on 14 taps in two days; 5 came yesterday afternoon after the bags thawed out; erratic tree performance
7 of 14 bags have accumulated about a gallon each since 2/10; the rest even less. The cold hammer came and shut it down. Today the taps are just thinking about waking up, although the overnight low's back up in the twenties. We saw single digets for a week. Might see fifty and melt the ice-bags today.