About 16 gallons collected off 50 taps today. The next few days look promising. Not enough to boil yet, I want a big batch this time.
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About 16 gallons collected off 50 taps today. The next few days look promising. Not enough to boil yet, I want a big batch this time.
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I got about 25 gallons of sap between yesterday and today. Disappointing, really, but we haven't been below freezing for 3 days now so I guess its to be expected.
Cheers,
Russ
I'm at about 65 gallons for the last two days. Prob up to 180 taps
We didn't collect Saturday, but collected 45 gallons Sunday at ~10am that we boiled off, then another 40 gallons at the end of the day that's sitting in the tank now. I expect today will be the first "good" day for us. It was warm yesterday, a couple of degrees below overnight, and forecasted to be 10 or so today. With 150 trees, I should be getting >75 gals on a good day. I haven't seen that yet this year.
If we do have a good day today, I'll need to think about taking tomorrow or Wednesday off work to boil and catch up. Shucks :D
About 10 minutes ago the trees started to drip again - and pretty quickly. I can't wait to see what today's weather brings. Hopefully the trees that are still dry will wake up with +12C.
Think I need to mount a wireless camera on my collection tank so I can check status on my phone!
Ho Boy....I am going to be busy...Running like there is no tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.
Dave.
It's running gang-busters out there everyone. Fine-tuning my boiling set-up while I listen to the drip drip drip. :)
I saw all my trees starting to go this morning, and my little workhorse #7 has never really stopped! Stuck in K'ville at the moment waiting for car to get fixed, then have to scamper home to check trees and collect sap if needed before racing off to Ottawa for dental appointment. Please let there be a lot of sap!!! :-)
Looks like it might finally let loose. Our 1400 tap "New Bush" is dumping every 2.5 minutes and will likely speed up as the day goes on.
Have gotten 45 gallons in the last 2 hours from my 130 taps...woot!
Cheers,
Russ
Karen, Your right. It is like music to listen to 80 buckets dripping!
Just pick up 20 gallons out of 8- taps in only 3 hours and it is going like crazy!
Typo...80 taps...
just found out my main boiler (father -in-law) had to take today off and tonight.... sounds like I'm going to spend 2 hours collecting and hauling sap up to the shack... who is going to run the evaporator? bad timing for a holiday!!!
Lolz, thanks for the correction Dave, you had me incredibly envious there for a few minutes...;-]Quote:
Originally Posted by daverobitaille
Cheers,
Russ
Not a great run here today. Bogus.
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Not a great run, but 3 gallons off of 6 trees is fine by me. And they're all still slowly chugging out the sap. Just keep chugging, is all I ask! Trying to get my first batch of syrup finished, so boiling off on the electric stove (woodstove not been on all day or things would be different). May as well make marshmallow-vanilla syrup while it lasts! :-)
Is it possible that from tapping march 11 that some are drying up already?
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Kyle,
A research paper I read suggested that there was a "possibility" that taps slowed the longer they were there, but in that same report there appeared to be no slow-down in 3 months of tapping, so, I'd say no, its not your early tapping.
Patience...its a coming...;-]
Cheers,
Russ
Haha ok thanks Russ. Today just looked like it would have been way better. There's always tomorrow ;)
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I got home just after 5 and collected 6 gallons from 7 buckets, didnt even touch the water cooler bottle's, a few were about 1/4 full while the rest were pushing the half full mark, I plan on collecting it all tomorrow and boil when I can,busy at work also so it is long work days ... late night/early mornings boiling sap.
Decent run today. 60 gallons off 120 taps. Not as good as I was expecting but will take it after the year we've had. Also made my first syrup of the year this afternoon. About 8 litres. Very very light and mild.
Didn't seem like much of a run, but anything is better than nothing. Ran the vacuum pump from about 9:30-7:30 tonight, maybe hauled in 600-700 gallons, boiled a couple hours tonight and sweetened the pans up, if we get a better freeze tonight syrup should start rolling off steady.
Out here collecting a bit late but I would guess 80 to 100 gallons. Nice of the coyotes to serenade me, should really bring the shotgun back here at night!
Nice crisp sunny morning out there, ground frozen (watch for ice - nearly did a faceplant or two) but was comfortable in just t-shirt and a fleecy, no long johns. Busy boiling down what I got yesterday so I can get my first batch done and onto other ones.
Hope we all have a good run today!
Disappointing day yesterday. I was hoping for 100 gals from my 150 trees but only had 45. Do have 100 in the tank so boiling today instead of working so not all bad :)
Finally starting to get sap. 7.5 gallons on Saturday and 11.5 gallons yesterday. Not great from 32 pails but a start. We have over 4 feet of snow in the bush here in the Ottawa area. Should be a better run today. I don't expect great runs until the snow melts down some.
Yesterday was good here. Not great though. 300L on 80 taps. Today is slow...just a trickle. No sun and too much wind. Tomorrow should be better.
Steve.
We had a good, not great, day yesterday with close to 1 GPT of sap collected. We re-sweetened the pans and pushed through over 4,000 gallons of sap for the day. Now we just need to repeat that 10-15 more times and we'll be happy!
Moved west no maples but back now
Actually there are bigleaf maples out there, but the sugar content is so low that the ratio is like 72/1 as opposed to the traditional 40/1 ratio you have with REAL maples!!! And yeah I also lived in BC, got sick of the rain and mostly coniferous forests. Saw sense and returned to Ontario :-)
Got a nice freeze here last night, down to 18 Fahrenheit, not a great run today though, still a lot of snow tight to the trunks of the trees, maybe another 700-800 gallons. With the pans sweetened up yesterday though syrup was rolling off quick today, averaging between 6 and 7 gallons per hour
Well I am at least in the game now. 10 litres bottled up. Yummy medium syrup. Filtering disaster on the first batch as I over boiled. Playing with the new digital refractometer was a little unreliable. Even with temp compensation, It continued to give a slightly different reading every minute as hot syrup cooled on it. Went back to the hydrometer.
Sap tested at 3%.
Had my own filtering disaster......started filtering my first syrup of the year and realized it tasted like laundry soap! Apparently my filters got washed with laundry soap by accident at the end of last season. I'm blaming the wife and she's blaming me! None the less, had to dump about a gallon of syrup down the drain......brought tears to my eye!Quote:
Originally Posted by Yellzee
Clinkis, that's brutal. We haven't had enough syrup production around here yet to spare a gallon for the drain.
That is brutal Clinkis!
picke up 70 gallons off 130 taps. Was really hoping for more yesterday. Thursday and Friday should be better. I have to collect walking with buckets, the atv keeps getting stuck with all that snow in the bush... make a guy tired at night.
Me neither! On pace to make about half what I normally do. Next January when I'm putting Aunt Jamima on my pancakes I'll be thinking about that gallon going down the drain :cry:Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
Oh no, how terrible is that...and I don't know which is worse, having to dump a gallon of syrup or having to settle for Aunt Jemima or other lame 'table syrups'...*shudder* :-/
At this end was pleasantly surprised yesterday with 5.5 USG from my trees. Also finally finished first batch of syrup, though as I let it go up to 225 or so (before remembering it only had to be 219) it may crystallize a little. Ah well, it's golden and sweet and marshmallowy so I know it's mine "-)
Finally tapped in on Sunday, late morning. Put up all 65 buckets we have. Every tree was running hard. Called my old man last night to see where we were at. Close to 140 gallons in 3 days. I'll do a collection tonight and check sugar content. Looks like we will have a couple long days boiling ahead of us on the weekend. If we can collect another 70-100 gallons in the next 3 days we'll be laughing. 5-6 gallons of syrup does our family and friends with leftovers.
Can't believe the amount of snow in the bush. Still knee to thigh high in places. Had to use snowshoes and a toboggan to tap.
Boiled 100 gals yesterday and my tanks are now empty ready for the "big flood" that we all know is coming :) Had a good chat with Yellzee who stopped in on his way home. Light Syrup only so far this season. Will get yesterday's bottled up tonight. Once bottled, should get me to about 35 litres or the same as 2012. Didn't collect yesterday. My scout came back saying there wasn't enough in the buckets to bother. Will see tonight but without frost last night it's doubtful there will be much. Minus 5 forecasted for tonight so tomorrow might be a good day.
Drew. My family alone uses 24+ litres a year. Won't be any leftovers for friends if we don't get another couple of runs! I guess my 4 teenage or twenties boys like their pancakes more than most.