Maxj,Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxJ
Where are you located?
Lesley
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Maxj,Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxJ
Where are you located?
Lesley
I'm in the hamlet of MortonQuote:
Originally Posted by Lespetras
Hi MaxJ,
Good to know you're right in Morton ... thanks for asking Lesley. Our shack is in Rideauwood off Thomas Road. Judging by your photo with the bottles, you're in a really nice spot that I know well.
Cheers,
Jon
Oh wow! Your just up Hwy 15 from us. We are joyceville area.. I'm asking as you said you tapped already and buckets were filling!! That makes me very excited!Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxJ
We bought the properties in 2013, and the syrup equipment also which included shack, 2'x4' back pan, 2'x3'divided front pan, fired by wood, pipelines, buckets, testers, and all the other misc. items to make syrup. Previous owner stated that there was 350 trees to tap on the property. I haven't done a count yet of the actual number spread over the 40 acres. I did 16 gallons in 2014, and a little bit over 6 gallons in 2015 as I was out of the country for 3 weeks of the season. This year I plan on 150 taps-115 on pipeline and 35 on buckets. Still just in the very green stages of this latest addiction.
Both Max and Lespetras just up the road from me on 15 too....I'm couple doors up from Rideau Acres campground same side of road...
Lots of friends in the neighbourhood...all with the same itch...
TurkeyJohn
WOW! It seems that there's a whole lot of us in the area with the same passion, must be something in the sap. :) After getting 3 gallons of sap over a couple of days from the two taps today there was just a couple of cups, can taste the sweetness.
This is true.. Must be a good area, lots of maples anywaysQuote:
Originally Posted by TurkeyJohn
Robins back here today.Heard geese the other day,not expecting a bumper crop.Everyone keeps asking me what the season will be like,rather not to expect much and be pleased if we get lots
This week i finished all my repairs and am ready to go, just need to clean up the camp a bit. Colder weather next weekend in eastern Ont. but it looks milder after that think we will start tapping near the end of the third week of Feb.
Double ready for this season. Spent most of last season at CHEO with my son. We didn't tap a single tree.
It'll be interesting to see what the weather holds after the cold spell coming up. With little to no snow coverage I think when it starts we'd better be ready. If I see a few sunny warm days at the end of February I might be tempted.
Splitting up the wood and slowly getting it together, just try to decide what to do about running a couple of new lines, do it in the cold snap and be ready for the next up swing in the weather, or wait and see if we get the predicted snow on the weekend of the 21st and trudge around through it if we get dumped on?
Had a couple of buckets out and they were half full of frozen sap, I noticed some unfrozen sap pouring out of the bucket in to the other so tested the sugar content 29%. Just about 4 ounces total after a little more melted and it was then at 25% so it was a sweet treat. :)
Think you had better re-check your sugar content 29% out of the tree is not possible or was that left after you removed the ice either way I have been making syrup for 50 years and have never seen 29%sap.
I think Max had sap that had been concentrated by freezing and was enjoying the dribble of super sweet left in the bottom.
That's exactly what it was Eddy, not much but a sweet bonus. It really didn't take a lot of melting to go 12% then to 5 % then it melted some more and the wife said it had no taste. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Big_Eddy
Quite right on the not possible, just a natural freeze up over a few days. The sap was running at 2.5% before it froze up. Looks like the end of next week things should be running well, can't wait!Quote:
Originally Posted by Quabbin Hill Farms
Bruce i bet the robins aren't to active this morning, it was -32 here in Mallorytown at 08:00 don't think i will be heading to the bush today. More like turning on the heat in the sugar house and having a few to stay warm. Maybe next week.
There wasn't much of anything flying around yesterday, at least this morning there's more birds of feeding again as the breeze died off. Still looks like a roller coaster of weather temps. looking at the longterm, though it seems that the weather forecasting hasn't been as reliable over this winter as it seems to change too often to get any sense of when a person should get serious about anything.
Here's a couple of graphs if anyone is interested. These are stats from our efforts the past 2 years (2014 and 2015). The weather data are an average of 3 weather stations (namely Peterborough, Trent University, and Trenton A). Also, please note that negative sap totals for a given day represent that I did not check the bush on that day. Enjoy!
And two more graphs if anyone is interested. The graphs show the relationship (or lack of relationship) between tree diameter, spile orientation, and sap production of the trees in my bush during the 2015 season. Note that I use the term estimated sap in the graph as I have estimated values for the odd occasion when wind blew a bucket off a spile or precipitation discoloured the sap (I directly measured 3034L of sap which was actually collected and boiled and estimated an additional 53L of sap for the purposes of these 2 graphs). Also please note that for the 2015 season, I only installed one spile per tree. Enjoy!
Okay, that info is just a little too complicated for my pea-sized brain to absorb. I just stick 3 spiles in each of my 6 trees (all are really big muthas so they can handle it) in the south, west, and east sides of each tree. Look at my stats for last year at the home bush (6 trees, 18 spiles, 424 l sap, approx 21l syrup) and you can see why I don't overcomplicate things! Either I get sap (buckets only, thankyamuch) from my trees, or I don't. It's that simple.
Cool charts Bushfrosh, it's always a good thing to keep a record of how the different years compare. The record i think I have this year was yesterday's snow, there's nothing like getting it all in one dumping. :(
Decision is made !!! I'm starting this Saturday, can't wait any longer and I need syrup !!! Should be an interesting year by the looks of it, and to add to the uncertainty of this years sap run, my wife goes in for neck surgery next Thursday, and I will be off work for just over 3 weeks to be a stay at home mom and help her and deal with the kiddlets.
Too soon Al. Looks like another 2 weeks of waiting at least.
Good luck with the surgery!!
FINE !!! I'll wait lol. Guess I will go over everything again this weekend and make sure I have enough supplies, I have to get more buckets and taps, that I know
This will only be my second year tapping. What are the signs/indicators that I should be looking for? I would have thought that this weekend's warm-up was a green light? I'm confused. http://i58.tinypic.com/23m4lko.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by Big_Eddy
No hard and fast rule - but I watch the long term forecast looking for the end of extended periods without a thaw, and runs of 3-4 days in a row with highs above freezing. One or 2 warm days interspersed with cold spells don't allow the trees to thaw enough to make it worthwhile.
If I look at the 14 day forecast today (Trenton) I don't see myself tapping in the next 2 weeks.
5 5 -4 -2 1 1 -2 -1 -2 -3 -1 -1 -1
Of course - when I look at the forecast tomorrow - it might be different.
I like those stats! In 2015 at your home bush, your sap:syrup ratio was 20.434:1 which implies a sugar content of roughly 4.21 for your sap. In 2014, your sap:syrup ratio was 21.421 which implies a sugar content of 4.01. By contrast my 2015 ratio was 40.481:1 (implied sugar content of 2.12) while in 2014 it was 41.903:1 (implied sugar content of 2.05). You've got some sweet muthas!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Galena
We are starting to tap tomorrow morning. It will take us 4 full days to get everything tapped over 2 weekends so we need to start ASAP to be ready for March 1st. We don't try to time it perfectly anymore because we are using CV's and other disposable spouts.
Aw thanks, I always knew my trees wuz special, glad someone has better math skills than me to tell me how special!! But then I did buy the property in part because of the mature maples. And I believe in Karma, so each time I go to collect or even just check, I always give them words of encouragement and a pat on the trunk. Sometimes a hug too....doesn't hurt! :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushfrosh
ETA: Just checked the EnviroCan forecast and it's exactly like the one Big Eddy mentioned...couple warmish days followed by colder temps. So though I would have liked to tap today, will hold off til the temps are more consistent. Normally I wait til the first week of March anyway.
8 trees tapped today. Flowing very well.
I'm thinking of tapping more this year in anticipation of short season. Opinions?
Also, due to lack of snow on the ground to keep any stored sap cold, I think I'll be boiling more frequently.
Did Patrick say he was delivering your evaporator in late Feb? Just curious because I just purchased a steam hood and pre-heater. Would be awesome if he brought it all at the same time, since we are just north of Napanee
Just around 500 millilitres in each bucket today so it was a nice refreshing drink.
Heard the forecast, so probably not going to bother for at least another week.
feeling the need to tap trees and missing my sugarbush....
I have 1 bottle of my syrup left from 2014 and then I'm going to have to buy it in a store out here on Vancouver Island (depressing)
Big Eddy maybe I'll fly to visit the in laws at Easter and stop by to at least get some maple steam in my lungs!
Hope you folks have a great season, it's sure been a weird winter in your area.
You're welcome - you know where we are. I'll even send you back with some 2016 syrup if you drop by, although it probably won't be enough to last until your next trip east.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yellzee
Really hoping that this freezing rain turns into straight rain now instead of snow, the trees are getting really heavy looking with the build up with ice. The one thing we don't need is damaged trees, they're just getting back these past few years from the devastating storm in /98. The former owners didn't tap for years, just leaving the trees recover.
Have to admit that I am still really on the fence about tapping this year. Normally I tap the first weekend of March, but forecast not sounding promising (according to EnviroCan) and I have to pull spiles by mid-April.
If I DO tap, and my spileholes bleed cause I have to pull earlier than normal then I'll hate myself cause sap's going to waste and I don't want infections setting in, and the syrup I make may only be a small amount due to the crazy winter we had.
But if I DON'T tap, it would be my first year of NOT tapping in 8 years...but I still have about a gallon or so leftover from last season in the fridge which would tide me over til next season...but I will have very little extra to share with friends, family, clients as I usually do.
What to do, what to do.....seems I'm screwed either way*sigh*
Galena, what do you do?? I'll tell you what you do. Put taps in. Tomorrow. There. Problem solved. You're welcome. :)
Just do it, sap never runs much past the mid April point anyways