Tapping Pennsylvania 2019

Well, It looks like it's my turn to start the Pa tapping thread!
I am tapped!! Ha Ha! I put a bucket out yesterday to see what's going on.
No, It looks like next week will be the week. As long as they don't change the forecast, that is.
I'm about as ready as I can be in the woods. Last week I set a cage tank before it snowed, and today
I ran some 3/16 tubing through a culvert under a road to get the drop I needed.
Tap count this year, about the same, around 375. Plus the neighbor bringing from 40 buckets.
Looking for a great season! Remember to have fun everyone!
If it turns in to work, you should probably look elsewhere for a hobby!!!!!!

I'm with you Paddymountain. I'm about crawling out of my skin, this waiting is working on me. I doubled my tap count this year and added an RO and other bells and whistles.

Keeping my eye on the forecast, but it is looking like I will be tapping on Sunday 2/3! Everything is all set and ready to go. Can't wait to test out the new Smoky Lake 2x4 divided pan!

I will put most of my taps in Saturday morning (around 18). Starting next Thursday it looks good for several weeks. Might get a short run this Saturday and Sunday. Let the drips begin!!!

I put taps in 14 trees this afternoon. A few of them started to drip just a tiny bit. It was right at the 32-33 degree line. The majority of the trees were in the 12-15" range but there were 4-5 that were larger.

After this week and the road is cut in I may have a few more that are big enough to tap. I didn't tap any that may get taken down this week. I hate seeing them come down but there isn't a choice.

Good luck everyone!

Taps are in. Sap was flowing today. Tomorrow should be better.

Sugar was 1.75% on woods Norways.

I have 150 taps in. It didn't get very warm here in central Pa, maybe 28. Tomorrow looks like things will free up.
I'm tapping my 3/16th taps tomorrow, somewhere around 100. I don't think the sap will really start to flow until
Monday! Need to get the Sugarshack cleaned up and the evaporator put back together.
Should be making syrup on Wednesday

3/4 of my taps are in as of dark yesterday. Sap is flowing nicely today

Spent the day working laterals. Had a lateral explode in 3 different places and another lateral had the saddle chewed in two by a squirrel. Just waiting now to flush the new RO then sweeten the pans. The season is underway.

Good luck everyone, how we all have our best season yet.

I got all my 3/16 taps in! Some running good; others in colder areas, not so much.
Squirrels are getting fat eating my tubing! They gotta be as many hole as I fixed today.
Tomorrow I'll hook up my 5/16 lines to their tanks and look for some leaks
Need to get the vacuum up and running at the house.
buckets will come later

I'm kinda new at this and very small scale. Approx 40 taps. Being from central pa the temps can be pretty unpredictable. I put a few taps in yesterday and would like to do more. I'm anxious but is it to early?

Hey Chief103, I think you will be okay. Out of the last 8 years, 4 of them we boiled on or before February 9th.
I am in western Union County so you are exactly east of me about 30 miles.
If you are only boiling with a turkey fryer or such. Why not put out 1/2 your taps,
and then wait a week or so to do the rest. Honestly the forecast for next week doesn't look real
promising, but you being out away from the mountains might make a big difference.

Sap is not flowing very well in Union County. I have 150 taps on 5/16 gravity that has only brought in about 40 gallons as of this morning.
100 taps on 3/16 starting to run; but leaks everywhere! after 3 times fixing leaks, I finally think
I have them under control. All the 3/16 is on marginal slope, so not getting big time vacuum, but better than 5/16 and no vac.
90 some trees at the house on vacuum tapped yesterday, only 10 inches vac after fixing a dozen leaks.
Probably won't boil until Friday, but certainly have a lot of the woods work ready for when we
get thawed out a little more.

I only got about 18 gallons from the 20 trees I have tapped here in the flat land. Kinda hoping the next few days run good so I can boil the weekend. First boil is always fun, the neighbors always stop by for the sweet smell and a coffee.

So I have gone from over 6 gallons a day to 1. Some trees are producing almost nothing. Will it pick back up or are they done for the year?

Skeller001: I would think that you need a good freeze to reset your trees. Here in Central Pa we just started thawing out, even though
we have been well above freezing every day since Sunday. Looks like a little colder on Saturday.
We have finally got everything up and running half decent. Haven't boiled yet but tomorrow we will.
Got the vacuum at the house up to 22" and hooked up to the tank around 4:00 this afternoon. 3/16 is sorted out and running.
150 Taps on 5/16 only had about 40 gallon in the tank yesterday, but until tomorrow should have enough to boil.
I really thought I would have boiled on Tuesday or Wednesday the way it warmed up, but surely can only do what nature allows.

Skeller,
Very interesting but not very surprising on how the sap production dropped off with continued warming the last few days. You should have good sap flow after the next freeze.
I worked this late afternoon in the rain getting the last of the tubing and gathering systems in place while the weather was favorable. Looking at tapping next week unless its too cold.
Regards,
Chris

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skeller001

So I have gone from over 6 gallons a day to 1. Some trees are producing almost nothing. Will it pick back up or are they done for the year?

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You’ll be overloaded next week :). The trees will basically shut down after several warm days without a freeze. Everything is freezing up here tmw and Saturday...then next wk is the freeze/thaw everyday we want.

Thank you everyone! I have about 7 gallons of 2x RO concentrate to boil off this weekend. Looking forward to it. I tried a small batch last weekend, a gallon, but went too far since I didn’t have a thermometer. So it is super thick.

definitely get a candy thermometer. Make sure to test it with boiling water first to see exactly where it says the boiling point is. Mine is off a degree or 2 so I just add the temp for syrup from there.

sap should starting flowing Saturday afternoon again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plutoman15

definitely get a candy thermometer. Make sure to test it with boiling water first to see exactly where it says the boiling point is. Mine is off a degree or 2 so I just add the temp for syrup from there.

sap should starting flowing Saturday afternoon again.

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I ordered a candy thermometer but it was back ordered. I tried to use my turkey fryer one but quickly realized it wasn’t right when it said my boiling sap was 150 degrees. My thermometer has now arrived. Tomorrow will be the test. Thanks for the suggestion on boiling water. So I wasn’t it at that point plus 7 degrees I believe

My trees gave up. I sure hope they start running when the mercury rises!

Folks,
Tapping the rest of the roadside sugarbush today. Hoping for a warming trend this week.
Regards,
Chris

Sap started running again at my place. Nothing yesterday but 7 gallons today. My sap hydrometer arrived yesterday so I tested my sap. It tested out a 2.25. I am now running it through the RO and will do so a second time. I hope to have 6-8 gallons of concentrate for a weekend boil

After the first pass through the RO bucket I was almost 5%, then about 8% after the second pass

Folks,
Got a sap run late yesterday but had other commitments today and couldn't get it gathered. It will be a challenge tomorrow. Probably many 100 lb sap cubes!:) Maybe can get some sweet from the center???
Warming some in the PM tomorrow.
Typical hurry up and wait!:)
Regards,
Chris

Things are a little slow here. Hopefully it will run some tomorrow and Friday.
Last week I boiled about 240 gallons; sweetened the pans and made about a half gallon of syrup.
I have to say the window looks a little small for the next two days, but you never know.
Next weeks forecast doesn't look to promising either!

Sap was running here as well. My tank at the main sugar Bush was frozen pretty solid so I wasn't able to collect anything there. But my one silver in the front yard was running pretty well. Got 2 gallons of 3% out of it today.

Folks,
Yea this doesn't look great for syrup making till mid March if you can believe the Accuweather forecast!
Sometime today or tomorrow will be the great sap ice cube dumping competition. I feel bad I was not able to get out and get it gathered yesterday. Big mistake on my part.
May get a little run starting tonight and through tomorrow night.
Regards,
Chris

I picked up another 8+ gallons of sap today. That is up 2 gallons from yesterday. So a little more than a half gallon per tree. If you guys are saying it is slow now what is normal???

Skeller001:
We are slower because it's a lot colder where we are located. I just went down and turned my vacuum off.
The roofs are dripping, but my lines are frozen already. Tomorrow will be a good day here.
Barely below 30 tonight, and almost 50 in the afternoon.
Then it looks to be cold until the end of next week.hth

Gathered 180 gallons of 3%+ sap. Boiled it in with some new friends over tonight. Sweetened the pans to about 15%. If we get a small run tomorrow we might make syrup! Gathering was a challenge. Slush and ice in the tubs but no solid cubes! Whew, dodged a bullet on that one.
https://i.imgur.com/SbqTUK3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/82TiiwU.jpg

Regards,
Chris

Wow! That is quite the collection system.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Plutoman15

Wow! That is quite the collection system.

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Yea not for everyone! In fact not many folks gather/ tap short run tubing systems. I have 30 stops similar to that on my 30 mile route. Took about 2.5 hours to gather yesterday. Not much labor when set up but it doesn't come to the sugarhouse!

Sap gathered yesterday was at 3.5% due to the slush ice. Had 180 gallons. Boiled that in and sweetened the pans. Looks like 300-400 gallon out there from a run all night. It didnt start to run till 4:00 yesterday afternoon when I was finishing gathering. Not great looking syrup weather. But we will take whatever we get now that we are tapped. Repairs in the sugarhouse today as I forced a float box into position and cracked a fitting! 200 deg sap from the preheater went shooting into the room! Could have been worse than it was no one got wet or burned and I had a valve to shut it off and continued to feed the rig through another inlet to the steamaway float box . Had new friends in the sugarhouse and that seems to be when things happen! May boil again tonight if I get out there and gather. Might be a tank load of sap and it will run for a while this afternoon too. Sap looked very good and it might make some lighter syrup??

Regards,
Chris

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skeller001

Sap started running again at my place. Nothing yesterday but 7 gallons today. My sap hydrometer arrived yesterday so I tested my sap. It tested out a 2.25. I am now running it through the RO and will do so a second time. I hope to have 6-8 gallons of concentrate for a weekend boil

After the first pass through the RO bucket I was almost 5%, then about 8% after the second pass

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When you concentrate ahead, make sure you store the concentrate to keep it cold, under 34 should be OK for 6 or 8% concentrate for up to maybe 4 days. If the storage will be longer just save the sap and concentrate just a few hours before boiling and even then store it cold until ready to boil.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by maple flats

When you concentrate ahead, make sure you store the concentrate to keep it cold, under 34 should be OK for 6 or 8% concentrate for up to maybe 4 days. If the storage will be longer just save the sap and concentrate just a few hours before boiling and even then store it cold until ready to boil.

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Sounds like if it runs for a full week I will need to do a mid week boil. I don’t have a ton of fridge space to store all of that sap which is why I have been concentrating every evening.

Im jealous of your truck. I have a 275gallon tank in the back of my tacoma but that little truck cant hand more than 150gallon and thats pushing it. My next purchase might be a trailer......or a bigger truck :)

Folks,
Made 8 gallons of Amber last night with the 440 gallons of sap yesterday. Not a great run on 625 taps, but nice clear sap! Sure glad I didn't wait to gather. At 4:00 yesterday the temp had dropped to 30F and the sap was almost stopped. By 9:00 last night everything was froze up.
Looking for some fittings today, as I snapped the feed hose up to my truck tank. It was 15 years old and not very flexible anymore. Will add in another quick disconnect at the top so this hose can be removed cleaned easier too!.

sbedilion,
Bigger the trucks the bigger the bucks as they say! After gathering in three other Fords prior to this, I finally got this one set up to haul and carry the 325 gallons of sap easily! I added the Timbren solid rubber snubbers to the suspension to replace the original jounce bumpers. They seem to work real good. Air bags would have been good too, but didnt want the maintenance. This diesel does not like the stop go and idle conditions of my sap route. They are built to drive, not set and move and set. It is one of my toys!:)

Regards,
Chris

We gathered 360 gallons today here in Central Pa. Started boiling around 9:30 and finished up at 4:40.
Made about 5 gallons of syrup, have 3 1/2 gallons filtered and bottled, but couldn't coax the rest through my 5" hand press.
I think it had cooled down too much.
Doesn't look like much happening here until next Thursday; kinda hope we don't get dumped on as I have pigs to butcher on Saturday!
But whatever comes our way we will try and process.
I have 50 buckets to put out yet; holding off until the last week of February.

Boiled off another 3 pints today. So that makes 6 so far.

Nothing like others do but it is cool for me.

Steve,
Your doing great! Keep in mind you have made 6 pints more than just about all the other folks (non syrup makers) in the world! Nice!
Regards,
Chris

I went a little too far today. The filters probably had a half a pint of sugar in them. I believe that means I was at 219 too long.