And yet again, I got nothing...I don't understand it, weather was ideal, still no buds, but absolutely no sap.Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
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And yet again, I got nothing...I don't understand it, weather was ideal, still no buds, but absolutely no sap.Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
NTBugtraq, that's ridiculous! I don't understand it either. :confused: The soft maples are rather quiet, but the sugars are crazy today.
Only Karen is getting gushers lol. Mine start dripping in the afternoon very slowly only for a few hours. I maybe collected an addition 5 gallons in total today on 20 taps. The Manitoba maples are doing nothing.
C0ps, I don't know about you, but all I was hearing outside today was the sound of chainsaws running all over the countryside. No small wonder! The trees around here really got messed up during the ice storm. I'm so pleased that you've been finding more trees to tap.
I heard many chainsaws going as well, including my own. Picked up a fires permit today and started burning the branches. I can see the sap dripping from the ends of the branches and makes we want to jar it lol. Maple addiction is bad. The weekend plan is to keep burning all the branches while I boil down the last remaining sap....Friday is the last day of the season, rest of the days and nights above 0.....finally!Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
Do you know about this c0ps? https://www.caledon.ca/en/townhall/Ice-Storm.asp Until Saturday you can bring even really big tree debris to the works yard on Hwy 50. It's very helpful to not have to cut up the large limbs into 4 foot lengths. We are doing our best to burn branches etc as well, but there's a limit to how much stuff we need to burn - five trees? not likely. And, if you bring the stuff to the works yard on Saturday they'll chip it for you and you can take the chips home. Our chainsaw will be joining in the chorus on the weekend.
I think Karen's getting Karma sap from the trees for being so nice and helpful to everyone, and being devastated by the ice storm. That's why you should be nice to your trees! :-)
Yes I read about them accepting your cut up trees at the yard. Problem is getting them there. Thiers way to much to try and haul. Im just burning. On a better note I collected 70 gallons of sap which im boiling tommorow. Than im pulling the plugs.
If your not getting any sap, I m going to assume that your taps are closing over, or your splies are plugged with mold. I was pulling taps today and found a great amount of the half to almost closed over.
Just pulled all my taps. I always hate doing that. The sugars were still killing it. All 15 buckets were overflowing, and giving two drips per second. Dumped 100L+ of crystal clear, cold, sugary sap on the forest floor. :cry: The trees win again this year. I gave out before they did. Now to finish off all my nearup and do a final tally for the year. What a fantastic season, especially after so many questionable starts.
Now we need to turn our attention to the five downed trees on the property that need to be cut up. I got one limbed yesterday, but there's a lot more work ahead.
Some sap is one thing, no sap from 216 taps under potentially 20at is IMO, quite another. Further, should the taps have been blocked, there would be no reason for not getting pressure (I'm only able to get up to 7.5at.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Clamer33
Besides, the 2008 Maple Syrup Digest included the paper "The Timing of Tapping for Maple Sap Collection", which in essence proves that there is not a significant drop in flow because taps have been in the tree for a while (they tested from as early as January 4th) with sap runs up to 4/23. Old taps produce less later in the season, but not none.
Anyway, whatever the reason, my season is done. 69F here today will likely get buds popping quickly. I still have 200+ gallons of sap to boil, so no final figures yet. At least I know now not to leave any syrup in the arch this year...;-]
Im done as well, my last batch of the season but wow does it taste awsome.
Nice looking syrup c0ps. Is it pure sugar maple or mixed with some soft maple? Congrats on an eventful, yet successful, first season.
Thanks Karen. Its a mix of sugar maple, silver maple and manitoba maples. I think ill continue to make maple syrup next year! I only make it for family so it looks like we have enough trees for that lol.
My final tally is in and my signature is updated. Best year so far! If I hadn't needed to dump hundred of liters of sap because I had no where to store it, and then kept collecting the sap until the trees dried up there would have been so much more syrup in my total. But there was absolutely no way for me to keep up. The trees definitely win this year!
Almost finished cleaning up. 2016's sugaring season was sure fun! :D
95 taps
45 gallons syrup
22 GPH boil rate on arch
Great year.... now to finish sugar shack and upgrade arch for next year!
Gratz JDP, WTG, nice numbers.Quote:
Originally Posted by JDP
I have one last boil in me, the dregs from my drop flue pan (3'6 x 18"). I figure there's maybe 2-3 gallons there that is at 30 brix. Anyway, right now my total is around 2/3rds of last year, mostly because on the tsunami days I didn't have enough storage (even with 400 U.S. Gals of storage). Trying to decide what to do, get more storage or put heat tape around lines leading to arch from storage. I boiled non-stop of the days the sap flowed, but then the days in-between the line to the arch was frozen. So if I can keep the line to the arch unfrozen, I can catch up...but it costs $ in electricity...hmm.
Can you not put a shutoff valve on the feed line with a quick connect so you can drain it? The electricity for a heat trace is a lot cheaper than the value of the sap you couldn't boil. Another option is a propane torch does wonders to thaw out frozen lines. Once you get a trickle the sap flowing through will that out the rest of the ice.Quote:
Originally Posted by NTBugtraq
Oh wow, did you hit a nail on the head with that post. If I simply remove the line between the storage and the arch when I am finished boiling, there is no reason for it to ever freeze. At worst I have to thaw the connection points for that line, which is nothing. Thanks so much for the idea!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ennismaple
My pleasure - that's what we're here for. I doubt there's a problem any maple producer will encounter that someone else on this board hasn't been through before.
Our sugar camp is unheated, except the RO room, so we are well aware of the challenges of lines freezing up between boils. We have a mental checklist of all the things that need to get pulled apart and drained before we leave the sugar camp at night. If the only thing you need to thaw is the valve and elbow at the bottom of a tank that is easily done with a torch. The money spent on valves and quick connects is worth every penny!
With two weeks of above temps expected in our area what is everyone doing? Tapping now or waiting for a couple of weeks, closer to our 'traditional' tapping time?????? Nipping some of the ends off twigs show that most are dripping.
Tapped on Thursday, 6-10 holes were dripping even with the temp just below freezing. Going out shortly to see how things look. One of the local producers installed their 5000 taps last weekend. The weather is looking pretty decent for the next couple weeks!
I went for it and have put in 17 taps. The box elders are cold and dry, but the silvers and the one sugar are doing well. Some are still dripping at one drop per second at 7:15 tonight. I have other trees to tap and will see how things go before I drill any more holes.
Im baaaack. Good news to! As some of you know I lost alote of trees last year due to ice storm. This summer made it much easier to identify my maples and marked them all. So I did 35 taps on 30 sugar maples today! I left out the elder maples this year. Game oooon lol.
Welcome back c0ps! Ice or no ice, Caledon is well represented this year! Were your trees dripping?
Thier was one or two that didnt drip mostly because they are located in the vally where the sun gets to it late morning. But most of them were dripping good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Run Forest Run!
Put 10 taps in just after lunch. Checked at 6:00pm and had about 2 gallons of sap between all of them.
That's great JWB27! Looks like Caledon's taps are cooperating.
Anyone tapping in Minden Haliburton area. I just put a test tap on a 20 inch sugar maple. Just starting to ooze.
Some trees cooperated, others are still dormant. My first collection for the season is 20L @ 2.5%. Of the 17 taps I have in, only 9 were giving up sap on their first day. My Norway accounted for 11L of my 20L total. Not too shabby for a single tree!
Another beautiful sunny day - that's 3 in a row! Put my 27 taps in on Friday. Just emptied last of it for a total of 40 gal sap (or 1 gal syrup). What a great weekend, the sap was running and my bees are out for a spring cleansing! Doesn't get much better than that for Feb :cool:
Hi, been lurking since last year; just a hobbyist and this is year two for me.
Learned allot from this site and just wanted to say thanks to everyone for sharing info. I am located on the edge of Erin/ Belwood. Put my taps in yesterday afternoon, probably collect this evening.
Andre
Welcome Andre. Keep us posted on your progress!
Hey Andre, I must be close to you, I'm in marsville. My first year as well, tapped my trees on sat morning (20) and got 20gal of sap yesterday afternoon Going to start boiling tomorrow
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Yup you are close, I'm on Wellington Rd 26 about 8 min drive to Marsville. Careful its addictive, we made 10 liters last year and now I am afraid I am hooked. Doing twice the taps this year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireguy124
Wow that's great! My trees gave up very little today.Quote:
Originally Posted by ridgerunner394
Me too c0ps. I only collected 11L today. Everything shut down in the early afternoon.Quote:
Originally Posted by c0ps
Same here in Eastern Ontario. Only about 7l but not complaining, it's early yet and my big trees have yet to start.
As of 12 noon I collected 10 gallons of sap, hows everyone else doing today?
Hey c0ps. I collected 15L total yesterday and the taps dribbled until late evening. There's nothing going on with my taps today and perhaps a total of 4L in the buckets from overnight. I am, however, doing my first boil as we speak. I've collected 43L so far and I don't want it to spoil in the warmth today and tomorrow.