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I am 9 - 11 gph but i am lazy. I fire with fairly big hardwood about every 20 -25 minutes.This slows my rate but
it frees me up to work in the shop or do other things.When i built my arch i looked...

We think alike Galena...your records show you are super efficient and outperform most "sugarers" Is that a word?
I only tap the biggest trees and never care about how much syrup I make either. I...

Ed... I noticed your arch specs. Like you, i built my own arch. 20" x 66" with a rear dropped flue sap pan.
That is some coincidence! How many GPH do you boil at?

Sounds like you have all the data on your bush and take your syrup very serious. Well done!
I experiment and try to learn something every year but i don't make a lot syrup.
I try to nail the...

that was my point... I was warned years ago by veteran Sugarmen about getting excited and tapping too early. Taps can
start to heal over after as little as 4 weeks. Their flow won't stop but will...

Eddy..How long ago did you tap?

I have friends who tapped late Jan. and early Feb. They had some of their taps start to heal over and drilled new taps for better flow.
I did the same and the newly drilled taps ran strong right...

Couldn't understand why my test taps weren't running today. I pulled them and re-tapped and they are running great! I'm not
making syrup this year but it's looking like there may still be enough...

i remember the first year i ever tapped was in early April which does seem late compared to recent years. Anyway i have lots to
do so i think i will skip this year. All the best for you guys hangin'...

Hello all...how have your totals been this year? I haven't seen a window longer than 3 or 4 days and still haven't tapped.
The way the drips and dribbles have gone through this spring weather I'm...

Still running great here today again.I have more than i need ( actually too much!) and my equipment is all sterilized and packed away 'til next year.
I will be bottling this week and then it's brook...

Also thankful for a day off but trees are down in sugar so maybe it's time...unless you
want dark syrup. There may still be a couple of runs yet?

Another Sunami yesterday...this season doesn't want to quit.

I also clean with a 25/75 solution using regular white vinegar. I bring it to a boil and the scale just lifts off the stainless pans. I drain it
and store it until next year. For the bottom i leave...

Checked and all the test taps are running good today by 15:30 (tues.) The sugar in the small trees (14")
is barely above 1% after filling the pails 5 times since Feb. 8th. I found this last year...

All my trees should be running good by Friday
Mon. 20th looks like a good day to start the season...we'll see

Wow...that's great! Only one of the test taps i put in ran on the weekend. My area weather shows a 1 and 2 degree day trend so
I may be tapping on the 20th?

You're too impatient...take advantage of the free time and hope for syrup weather from about
mid March to the 1st week of April!. Nice long days by then!

Long term for my area shows a warming trend starting in early March. The second week is looking good , hopefully right after daylight time changes.
Nice to finish boiling by 3 or 4 o'clock, relax...

I think the early guys might get a couple runs mon. and tues.

Long range suggests my trees are gonna deep freeze again. I don't think my big
trees*will thaw until at least the 2nd week of March. Mid March or later is pretty is normal for me.
Good luck...

Yup, you never know. Last year my best run produced very little.
I have tapped 4 huge trees at my neighbours for 5 years and have never gotten much out of them.

Put in some test taps Feb.8th. They have all been dripping very slow but only ran good on one day.
My trees are not ready yet but guys around me are reporting good runs...puzzling? I'm cutting back...

Absolutely, and if you prefer dark syrup i would keep on keepin' on. During the early part of the season
larger batches or flat pan boiling will make darker syrup as well. There are a hundred ways...

Pulled my pails Saturday., and poured out quite a bit of sap.The large trees crowded in the hardwoods were below 1.5% sugar
and the small ones were at 1% or less.
Those trees will still run but...