Getting Ready

[220 maple]

I have the two bushes I tap in Pendleton County almost ready, One I need to hook some main lines back together and clean the SWO tank, the other I need to reset the gathering tank and hook lines to the releaser and Vacuum Pump. I started working on my bush that feeds directly into the camp. I soon discovered that branch lines will not be opened this year. The squirrel damage is beyond believe. Branch lines are down where they have eaten them in two. I guess they got the memo that I wanted to rebuild and decided to offer their services. Last season I never got into the woods because of the snow, they apparently was checking the lines for me. I checked the 1 inch main that comes off the mountain and have found no damage yet, they worked some 3 quarter and half inch line that feed the main near the bottom of the mountain, near the top of the mountain they did not bother the branch lines, hopefully I will get 600 to 700 taps open in that bush out of a possible 1100.

Mark 220 Maple

[S Culver]

220

Where in Pendelton Co? I am North of you East of Romney, But have some friends down in Sugar Grove. Are you in that area? I am just getting into this ( 300 or so this year) and sure would like to see some tubing setups. Sloan

[220 maple]

S.Culver
My camp is located on US 220 about nine and a half miles south of Petersburg. It is in Grant County. I have two bushes I tap in Grant County. One the water comes in from the trees goes thru the camp before entering the milk reciever and then pumped into a 800 gallon or 375 gallon holding tanks. The other is within a half mile of the camp located on my aunts property. Only 110 taps with the possiblity of a little expansion, maybe another 20 to 30 taps. Glad to hear that someone is going to make some syrup in Hampshire County. In West Virginia there is plenty of room for new producers. I can't make enough for the market.The key is West Virginia Maple Syrup. Use the Private Message feature on this board. I will be glad to help you if I can.

Mark 220 Maple

[220 maple]

812 taps in between two different bushes, Over 500 to go in gravity system, Over 600 to go in high vac. system. Hopefully we can get another 500 taps in tomorrow,(Super Sunday)

Mark 220 Maple

[S Culver]

220 Maple

How is mud season going? Sounds like you are making progress have you started to see anything flow yet? We are mostly tapped, slowed up to wait for things to kick in for real. The trees seem to have a little lock jaw. To many clouds and not quite warm enough.

Gavin keeps talking about the squirels behind your sugar house. Have you been able to bring them any new rolls of there favorite food, or are you going to have to give up on that section?

Cheers

[220 maple]

S Culver,
Tank over half full on leased wood at 8:30 tonight, I'm slightly disappointed, hoped the tank would have been full, They froze up early again, last night it dropped to 26 degrees, then jumped to 49 for a couple hour today before it started dropping again, don't look promissing for tomorrow maybe a high of 35. I don't have enough trees open in the next hollow which is on gravity to get anywhere near the capacity of that tank.

Mark 220 Maple

[220 maple]

As of Sunday Feb. 6, 1019 holes drilled, hopefully by Thursday evening I can get another 500 plus open. Going to be busy tomorrow and Thursday, got to fire the evaporator up for the first time this year setting on 700 gallons plus of water.

Mark 220 Maple

[S Culver]

220 Malpe

We had a small run Monday and bottled a little from that. Tapping behind the house I put in the 300 or so taps and I'm not getting good flow yet. The hollows still have snow and are a few degrees cooler so frar the trees don't thaw out until late . I think? I started tapping a few below the house yesterday and will get about 25 more today. I have a hollow a little further down with about 50 more that I hopefully will tap next week. Need to get to Brenemans and get bottles. Did you ever get by D&G? My truck craped out on monday ( injector) they should have it out by Friday so I'm a little slow around here right now.

Sloan

[220 maple]

Near 3000 gallons of Sugar Water brought in since Sunday, Boiled Sunday,Tuesday,Wednesday,and Thursday. Every milk can is full so I need to finish syrup this weekend. Sugar content on the the first load was 2.7, I hope that holds. We have avgeraged 2.2 % for the past several years. The Spring of 2003 the content was very high because it only took 33 gallons of water to make a gallon of syrup. Same type of Summer weather in 2010, Dry and Hot, lots of sunshine, the only difference this year we don't have the moisture to work with so far this Spring in 2003 we got the big snow on Valentines Day Weekend, had 30 inches of snow.

Mark 220 Maple

[220 maple]

220 MAPLE REPORT
The last several days the trees cut loose, broke camp record for water collection for a single day by 200 gallons. Left my helper with 1500 gallons of water to boil over the weekend, I had to go back to my real job. That's sad. I'm glad he was looking foward to boiling most of the weekend. It froze up last night and with the moisture we recieved he very well may have 1500 gallon waiting on me when I get back to the camp Monday. Last Monday night we got a inch of sleet with a inch of snow on top, then we got a 36 hour freeze. When it warmed up Wed. all hell broke loose. The freeze last night stopped them.
I suspect they was going to run for three day as they have in the past. That what the gravity system has done in the past, the vacuum system is a completely different animal, last year they ran eight days off of a hard freeze.

Mark 220 Maple