Printable View
Did you have any of my syrup left for the taste test? I thought I was going to lose my grade this morning when I graded the syrup that I made yesterday. Hanna said "73" phew that was close, almost went down to Golden.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hop Kiln Road
Sunday was a gpt of 2.6 but just a tinge cloudy from the 50F. Going to grade this morning after I collect but I could see it dropped some coming off. Frost is going to start coming out of the ground here this weekend but for now everything is frozen real tight. Yeah I used all the Red Roof Golden as samples at the various teachers' workshops the Farm Bureau puts on to promote the Tucker Mountain Challenge. Gotta get some more but dealing a fatigue factor so save me some Russ.
Let me know how much you want and I'll jug some up for you. I've decided to only jug up Golden on an order only basis. It doesn't sell when I put it on the shelves in the sugar house. When people come in looking for Dark they'll buy Amber but not Golden no matter how good I tell them it tastes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hop Kiln Road
Think I can hit my 15 year average on saps flows sometime next week and perhaps sooner on syrup with the high sugar this year. Grades are staying steady in the upper 60's. But so far real finicky flows and no real runs. Hauled some syrup up to the house yesterday, end of March in the low 40's, and didn't make a tractor track.
The ice on my haul road is still holding strong. By late March we're usually having to pick our way through ice ruts and water holes. There's plenty of mud down by the sugar house though.
Sap flows increasing with sugar dropping to 2.5%. Grade dropped to 60% with the boil showing signs of mid season, had to reverse a couple of times. Frost is holding firm. Speaking of mid season, this Salisbury Very Dark business of lying in the rafters counting the stars in the universe sounds like a blooming midlife crisis! Hope we don't have to organize an intervention right in the middle of peak flow.
Hey Bruce, I graded the syrup that I made the other night and it tested 74% on my Hanna tester. It looks like Golden with the temporary kit. I was wondering if you would like to test it with your Hanna to see if both of our testers agree.
I agree that there's something strange going on in Salisbury. I wouldn't be dreaming in the rafters when there's concentrate to boil here in Loudon.
Grade dropped to 57% and the sap flow was only .8 gpt and it was perfect weather above ground! With things warming up a bit I took the time to use a Jim Fadden trick. Crawl inside your evaporator with a pressure washer, often, he used to advise. Now Traders its late in the season so lets use some common sense here and have an exit strategy. Jim was smaller than me and his evaporator quite a bit roomier than mine. So make sure your steam hood has doors on either side in case you can't back out. After that lackluster Maple Weekend the last thing the industry needs is a rescue like that soccer team in Thailand.
Got my 82 yo neighbor to help tilt the tanks and pump them dry. One still had too much ice to move. Everything still above 2.5%. Raw boiled 30 gal and the other 30 gal today to keep the bacteria in check although the sap looks really good, just warm. Grade on the little bit that came out of the boil went back up to 60. Thanks, Jim. Power washed the floors with extra permeate. Quick and easy and impresses the tourists. Never make much syrup in April, but even with another stretch of freezes coming up it looks like a slow grind at best up to average crop.
23F this morning. Definitely in the Goldilocks period. Cold and windy and was only flowing slowly yesterday and a little murky but should have enough this morning to restart. Everything clean and ready to go. Crowbar in the ground test only penetrates 7" and now snow overnight? Haven't seen the root sap let go.
Sugar 2.3%; Grade 54%; volumes inching toward average season.
Still nice sap. Sugar staying at 2.3% but grade dropped to 52. Just went over 125 gal so probably won't hit average this year. Planning on pulling the taps after Friday nights freeze as I don't think its worth gumming up the systems for a little dark syrup. Been following the Tucker Mtn Challenge on SLACK. 800 kids involved this year and I expect 12 to 15 entries which will be judged at the Statehouse on April 30th.
23F this morning so there should be some sap today. Decided to leave yesterday's right in the field tanks. Tonight's low is 33F and warm air rises this time of year so its always a little warmer than the forecast. Going to pull the taps this weekend and organize my fertilizing crew. Preliminary results looks like the orchards that have been thinned and fertilized the longest did the best, again. Also waiting to see the results of my buddy who has 1000 taps using the Star .177 thin walls.
Looks like .19 gpt of syrup on one of my lightest seasonal sap flows. No sustained runs and nights and mornings just a little too cold. Sugar, grade and flavor above average with 85% of the syrup 58%+. Best sap/sugar performers were the two orchards thinned and fertilized the longest. The poorest orchard was partial thinned 2 years ago and produced the highest sap yield this year. The two bottom performers this year were the new too flat drain lines. Thinking about shurflow pumps at the upper ends and pumping straight up 4 to 6 feet to get a 2%+ slope so the drain pipes don't freeze solid every night like this year. Might also wait until the feeling goes away.