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I don't see much correlation, maybe a little correlation in the other direction (higher producing trees also lasting longer). It would be easy to make an argument why this could be the case - if...

Never heard of it. Did a web search on "sink plunger". Not sure, is this what you were using? https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Mini-Pro-Sink-Plunger-HDX311/302136270

Did you try it on a filter? ...

Nice. Any season where you get over .25 gallons per tap is not bad, especially if you're averaging 64 gallons of sap per gallon of syrup!

I haven't even seriously started cleanup. So many other...

Three things:

1 - Yes, keeping your sap for a long time will produce darker syrup. As I understand it this happens both because the bacteria in the sap eat some of the sugar, resulting in...

Sounds like a great idea!

Happy to help as I can, but despite my moniker, I'm not actually based in the Berkshires. My sugaring operation is in the Eastern Foothills of the Berkshires - not far...

I think there are two issues for me that make it hard for me. One is that I was raised not to waste, and I feel like if good sap is running on the ground... And the other is that I feel competitive...

Hi Michael, and welcome!

Is it too late? Well if your trees aren't budding, and the weather is still giving you nights below freezing, then it's just a matter of your trees. At this point it's...

Nice! Congrats on a good season. Yeah, this was one of my shortest ever too. But still a great one, despite pulling taps early. Honestly, it would have been logistically very difficult to get...

Oops, thanks for the correction. I meant horizontal. Is your blower AC or DC? If DC, could the wires be connected backwards? If so it might suck rather than blow!

GO

I don't understand what's going on with the AUF. Are you trying not to use it for some reason? If it's properly sized, it should give you much more air to your fire than opening the ash door.

I...

My Mason 2x3 XL pan is exactly 2x3. Yet another reason to appreciate Mason's work. I've been very happy with the pan and evaporator I bought from him.

GO

My one yard tree in Middlesex county dried up two weeks ago. My other trees are in the Berkshires, and were still going strong when I (stupidly) pulled taps yesterday.

GO

Hey Aaron. How'd the end of season go?

Did my final collection and boil yesterday. One bucket had to get dumped - had two critters in it. And my yard tree has been done for weeks now. ...

I plan to take Weds off and if there's any sap that hasn't spoiled, I'll boil that and pull taps. Very very early for me to be pulling taps, but too much warmth, even if we get another run toward...

It's still not fixed, it just renders correctly on some browsers. See the "not secure" in the header, and no "https"? That means they still haven't fixed their issue with authentication. It still...

Congrats on a good start to the season. Glad to hear you're up and running. Dealing with frozen blocks is the worst thing about early season sugaring.

Cheers,

GO

I bottle in the fancy 12 ounce jars that I put a custom label on (the picture is of my family cabin in the Berkshires), and in the Massachusetts quart jugs:
...

That is really really impressive for a 20x30 flat pan!!! Mine is 2x3, also on a Mason, and I'm very happy I'm getting around 11 1/2 GPH. My pan is nearly 50% bigger than yours, and your evaporation...

Two thoughts:

1 - I've found that if the syrup in the steel hydrometer cup gets too hot, like if it's submerged in hard boiling syrup, it starts to drop (give a lower reading). My guess is that...

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. You are very lucky to have such sweet sap. That's great for you!

GO

Sheesh. My one yard tree has dried up after only four weeks. I think this probably has to do with several factors:
- Tree gets full sun all day
- February was the sunniest and driest I've seen in...

Looked around a little online. Those things are expensive! Not worth it for my hobby. Anyway, I fixed the barrel and it is back in business.

One bit of frightening news: I heard my first...

Awesome! I collected buckets with a family friend once or twice when I was probably around that age, or a little younger. It made enough of an impression that I picked it up as a hobby myself many...

Did you boil all 197 gallons last night? Wow, that must've been a looong boil! What rate do you get on your evaporator? I had a long boil myself yesterday, 125 gallons put on the evaporator, made...

You need to correct for temperature. The hydrometers are calibrated to around 34 degrees F. If it's really warm, you might need to add as much as 0.4%.

Cheers,

GO