Tapping 2011

[Dennis H.]

What did you end up with KV Sapper? Did the buckets run for you? Are they yard trees?

I will have to try and swing by sometime. I have an idea where you are but you will have to give me more details. Or you are more than welcome to swing by here. I'll pm you my number.

Believe it or not but I didn't think the trees ran all that good during that spell of rain we got. All I really eneded up with is 3 buckets that I couldn't get to because of water!!

[Gary R]

My lesson for the the day is to not rely on the sugar content of a freshly drilled hole I got 49 gal. out of my 30 buckets. Sugar content is 1.6. It is so clear, it looks like permeate. There's hope I'll get something good out of it.

I've made one pint shy of 21 gal. of syrup. I've collected 1,858 gal. of sap so far. 325 went to Jim. That sap has been a little cloudy since late February. This week actually looks to be the best running one yet. Good luck to all.

[KV Sappers]

What did you end up with KV Sapper? Did the buckets run for you? Are they yard trees?

Believe it or not but I didn't think the trees ran all that good during that spell of rain we got. All I really eneded up with is 3 buckets that I couldn't get to because of water!!

Thursday and Friday I only collected 3 1/2 gal and yesterday only 1 gal. Today the buckets aren't running at all. I'm holding out till Tuesday and then I'm pulling the taps. Weather isn't looking the greatest. The trees I have are
on a lot I own behind my house. If I get more great otherwise I'll end the season with making 1 1/2gal. of syrup. Not bad for a beginner with 6 trees.

[sweetwoodmaple]

I was over getting wood yesterday at a friends and while we were talking noticed the buds popped on several silver maples in the yard.

My tally is 6125 gallons for the year. My last boil is this evening. Too many meetings and work this week and the wood pile is short. The weather will be too warm for sap to keep 4 days until I can boil next.

Last sap collected was 1.4 percent.

[Father & Son]

Boiled Saturday till 3:00am Sunday (really 4:00am forgot about the time change). Boiled in all the sap I had and made 8 gallons of light just turning to medium amber. Developed a small leak around the drawoff fitting on my syrup pan. It had been a leak before but the sugar sand sealed it off. Now its a small drip. Looks only to be a spot not properly welded originally. I have the pan in the truck and already have it scheduled to be welded today. collected only my 81 tap woods yesterday for 175 gallons of 2.5%. Below freezing last night so tonight will be interesting.
GaryR- Looks like a bigger rig in your future - maybe a 2x8 hint hint!

Jim

[mapleack]

Still boiling along, up to around 220 gal of syrup made. The weather forecast doesn't look good though. I made it in one of the local papers today, my family and I put on a program at the Crooked Creek Environmental Center yesterday, with a reporter in attendance. Here's the link : http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/lead.../s_727313.html

[Dennis H.]

Well My season is officially over. I just went out and collected the buckets.
Not a single tap had any wettness on them. It has been something like 5 days since we had a freeze.
The buds on the trees are almost breaking open.
I just pulled off the remaining syrup in the syrup pan and should be able to add almost 1 gal to my total fro the year. This batch will be Grade B just like the last one. It was tough boiling that stuff. I don't like to add defoamer to the syrup pan but I had to with this stuff and often. It didn't have a real maple smell but it sure taste good. So I now have a good supply for family.

Now the fun really begins, the clean up. Oh Yeah. scrubing 105 buckets!! No wait 103, 2 are still not able to be reached because of water!!

So by my notes that I have I tapped 2/11 and pulled taps 3/14, so that makes it about 4 weeks. It is almost the same length of last year but weather like 2009 when I the trees ran for 6 weeks. You can never predict what mother nature will give us.

[Jim Brown]

Well the pumps are on and the releasers are dumping at the rate of every 2 1/2 minutes.
Going to run till they quit tonight ,get the over night freeze( low of 27) and run again tomorrow un til they quit.When they quit the next time the fat lady is warming up in the wings!!

Anyone in NW Pa have any extra barrels? I'm in need of 30's or 55's

Thanks
Jim

[waysidemaple]

Temps dont look promising up my way. After tonight it not showing another freeze until next wednesday. This wednesday may be my last boil for the season. I plan to boil everything I have wednesday then chase with water and wait and see if it freezes up or if the forcast will be right. Hopefully it isnt. If its the end its the end...as of now Ill have just over 30 gallons made with the sweet thats in the syrup pan. Hoping it holds out a little longer!!

[GramaCindy]

Wayside Maple…what do you mean, (I have heard it mentioned many times here on MT by "chasing with water?" I am new to this and have a 2x4 Mason divided pan…do you mean that you add water in the end of the season to the warming pan to "push" the concentrate to the draw off end? How does this work?