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We tapped on Tuesday, Feb 15, in north central Ohio. About half the taps were dripping a little. 33* and very sunny.

Wednesday and Thursday looks promising for sap, I’m thinking about tapping before that.

We pulled our taps on Monday Mar 9. We had a phenomenal year, surpassing our record last year, with the same number of taps. In just 3 weeks we collected the same sap total that took over 5 weeks...

We tapped our trees on Feb 16. All taps immediately began running.
Collection total as of Feb 21: 4+ gals per tap.
Current status as of Feb 21: all sap boiled, trees & buckets frozen.

We pulled our taps on Mar 28. Had a great season. Sap total for year about 18 gals per tap.

We collected a gallon per tap today (Monday) and expect another gallon tomorrow. Total for the year about 11 gals per tap.

Sunday we collected 1.5 gals per tap. We’re not complaining, that’s two days of boiling for us and I expect to collect more today. Looks like a good week, cold nights warm days. We’d-Thur-Fri looks...

I tapped on Feb 20. Collected 5 gals of sap per tap. Boiled 6 days in a row. Sugar was 3.5% the first day and 3% since. We tap all sugars. We’re shut down now due to cold weather. If the forecast...

These warm days are tempting but I’m going to wait. Good luck to the early guys.

I also had some taps dry up after that warm spell. I tapped new trees to replace the dried up taps and they flowed like mad. I expect the warmup this weekend to produce great flows on those new taps...

Grapestomper, do you have a flat pan? Can you make light syrup? All I can make is dark syrup, but it's very good.

Defoamer works great on small bubbles and sticky small bubbles in the syrup channel. Also works well with larger bubbles in the near syrup channel. But when I get fast moving, rolling, small bubbles...

Does anyone skim the foam from the boiling sap and near syrup? We skim off the dirty looking foam that we assume is niter collecting on the top. But we generally leave the white foam alone. Is there...

I had not heard the term "corn flakes", but I think I have them. Is that niter that has started to harden at the drawoff? When we turn the pan around we do some light scraping at the old drawoff and...

We shoot for 219, then use a hydrometer. Subsequent drawoff temp is adjusted by the first hydrometer reading. Niter and foaming in the drawoff channel affect later temp readings so we're frequently...

We have a timer and fire 3 sticks every 6 minutes. The sticks are mostly ash, split small, arm size. We usually have a good boil everywhere except by the end of the day we have foam at the drawoff...

We're tapping sugar maples, sap runs close to 3%. We have discovered the importance of leveling the pan and have made a greater effort to insure the pan is level.

I have 2x4 flat pan with 3 channels. The firebox slopes up to the chimney at the back. Does anyone know whether the front or rear is the hottest part of the pan and firebox?

The sap is input at...

You're welcome to visit my operation in Vermilion.

tcross,

I, too, only make dark syrup. So I will be very interested to see if you find a solution. I have a 2x4 with 3 channels running front to back. I drawoff in the front, but do not have a...

Clearly,
Where are you located? How many taps do you have?

Pulled my buckets and taps today, Friday Mar 11, in Vermilion. Earliest season-end for me and shortest, 3 weeks. But production very close to the last two years. I'm happy.

Thank you everyone for your comments.

I have always suspected the burnt sugar sand as being a factor in the appearance of the bubbles and erratic thermometer behavior. I do clean and reverse my...

I experience 12-15 inches in length, maybe 1 inch deep, of rapid, roiling boil, at the draw off. The bubbles are extremely tiny, looks just like it should be syrup. It's almost like foam. I draw off...

I'm getting 2.5% to 3.25% in Vermilion. I tap all sugars and I have a sap hydrometer.