Seacoast Tapping

Pretty much tapped out here, 80 holes, half on tubing and the rest on buckets. The buckets are flowing much better than the tubing system with the temp situation the past few days. Boiled up a small batch to test out everything, cooked up 15 gal of 2.8% and made a nice batch of fancy for mom and the little one. Sugars ran hard today, reds seems to be a little slower. Big day tomorrow, my first collection using " an internal combustion engine", ahhhhh.
Good luck to all and be safe out in the bush.

Gregg

Where abouts are you located?

I am in Kensington and am trying to decide when to tap, thinking that we will wait until the end of the month. Going to Bascoms tomorrow for supplies, and Sunday will be getting some wood ready and getting the homemade beast of an evaporator out of the woods.

Gordon

With those two warm days, My drill and bits were already on their way up the woods road without me! They noticed the nail holes leaking and, I had to tie them, as well as myself, up to the support post in the barn to prevent us from tapping! But, you can bet I'll be making sawdust with the next warm snap.

I've had 30 buckets out for a week now. I've collected about 15 gallons of sap in that time and only on the trees with heavy southern exposure, and there is no snow left under those trees. Its just too cold at night and by the time the spiles thaw there isn't much running weather.
I'll probably stick out another 20 or so buckets this weekend, I just can't stop myself.

I have 29 taped 10 on tubing and 12 on drop line in a bucket and 7 buckets and very little flow. the sugar maple is the big flow and the reds are not moving to quick. I will be taping about 20-30 more on Monday.In southern Mass. Good luck to all

I got my pan, distribution box, and float box back today so I can get everything plumbed up and test fire. Provided I get the electrical done and a good test fire then I'll either tap this weekend or sometime during the week. Dill's close by and I'm glad to see I'm not missing much, although I am on vacuum and I wonder how much that would've helped.

Sounds like a lot of trees are going to get drilled this week-end. I'm looking to hang another dozen buckets on some roadside trees as soon as I get the green light from the owner. Looking at the forecast for next week, might get a strong run on Wednesday, we'll see. I had a lot of full buckets today, I think she ran most of the night. Used the yoke today to lug some buckets and not one car passed by to see how sugarmakers did it years ago, they will gey another chance soon.
Gregg

Only a couple of the big old sugar maples are doing much. Your right the reds aren't moving at all. How's the yoke? I was thinking about digging one up, I don't mind 1 trip up and down the hill with 2 full buckets but on heavy run days I get pretty slow on the 5 or 6th trip.

I'm tapped except for a few hangers. I needed to plug in the taps to check the operation of the, so called, new vac system. Seems to be working OK but, I have a feeling I'll need to triple check for leakage and work a couple of bugs out with a "normal" run.

The new pre-heater location, along with the new float switch and separate pump could use a shake down cruise also but, I think I'll wait for sap instead of H2O.

"Rube" would be proud. It's "Murphy" I'm more worrying about.........

Looking at the extended forecast I think I'm going to wait until next weekend. Another cold snap coming in early in the week and then getting warm again. I have 350-500 so I can get those all tapped in a day when the weather turns.