Tapping the 2012 season

[Turtlecreek]

Evaporated about 40 gallons of sap today and got a quart and a half of light amber. The pan is still sweet an close to being able to draw off again. If we have a good run tommrow I'll be boiling Monday night again. I have to get my pan up to a boil faster need to play around with my firebox configuration a little, I may make it a little shallower, and or add another section of stovepipe and see if that works, also have some major smoke leakage issues with the firebox door I need to address.

Paddymtn, nice to hear your up and running, I may still run out tommrow and see how your doing I'll give you a call if I'm comming, it won't be until after church and we have a potluck lunch afterwards so it will be early afternoon at the earliest.

[Dennis H.]

Boiled the rest of the sap that I had from yesterday and finished all the syrup that I had along with what I took out of the syrup pan when I cleaned it.
There is something different this year with the sugarsand. There is a crap load of it. Along with that I am getting a calcium build up on the pan. It reminds me of hard water calcium build up that you see on tubs and sinks.
Atleast I am trying to keep ahead of it.

I am now just a hair under 10 gals of syrup and it has only been 1 week 3 days since I tapped!! That puts me 1/3 of the way to what I made last year.

[waysidemaple]

Collected 190 gallons today. Unfortunately my vacuum was down all day with releaser trouble, got that worked out and had the vacuum on for about 30 mins tonight. Sap was running okay. Tap count will be 950 by tomorrow at noon, 838 right now. Boil tomorrow! Watching the superbowl tonight so taking a little break.

Scott

[Paddymountain]

collected 100 gallon of sap today, my friend has about 60-70 gallon for the day ,holding off boiling til tomorrow nite. looking for some good draw offs then.
Dennnis H. 10 gallons looks pretty good considering its Feb 5

my vacuum on 31 trees pulled in 10 gal in about 4 hours don't know if that's very good or not, trees may not be running in the woods that good yet.
tomorrow looks better

[theschwarz1]

I know people are warning about jumping the gun too early. But this warmth isnt just a flash in the pan. Its been at least 2 weeks of constant! I wished I had been all tapped by now. I am going to do more today. I have no evaporator though. I have go get wood from a friends house and set up a temporary outdoor burn pit. I hope my boiler friend gets his stuff tapped and evap burning soon!

[Dennis H.]

46 today and the trees are running.
Have about 120 gals for tomorrow to boil.
So far it is looking like a good year for us down here, even though we haven't had a winter yet.

[KV Sappers]

Collected over 16 gallon past 2days. Will boil down tomorrow. Trees are alive and flowing again.

[waysidemaple]

Made 11 gallons today. Still about 600 gallons in the woods for tomorrow.

Scott

[Turtlecreek]

Boiled again tonight, I made 2 1/2 quarts that brings the total up to 1 gallon total for the year. I am on track for a record year. The little half pint is reall pumping out the syrup this year. Just to think last year I wasn't tapped until the 15th.

I also had my final inspection by the department of ag guy today and passed with no problem. He commented on some copper pipe I have running from my preheater to my pan. Does anyone know if this is an issue according to pa law, the inspector was not sure what the law was without looking.

[Paddymountain]

boiled about 325 gallon, made around 8 gallons of syrup