Tapping the 2013 Season

[NE PA Maple]

I see you are in montrose pa? I am in dimock, not far from you. Where in the montrose area are you?

Probably closer than you think, I'm over on Meshoppen Creek Rd. about a 1/2 mile from the new gas wells that have recently gone in.

[Springfield Acer]

The buckets are bone dry today and it's just now down to 32*. I filtered and bottled 9-1/4 gallons tonight with my new coffee urn. That is much nicer. It seems like 7 gallons is the limit before I need to change cone filters. The last eight quarts got progressively cloudy. I'll be re-filtering those with a bunch of my earlier cloudy stuff. I'm tired and going to bed while I listen to the lids pop.

[umpwood1]

The trees stopped running here for the last two days. It gave me a chance to get caught up and get some wood. I am sure the sap is going to run like the dickens again this week. I really like my new A&A 2X6 Raised flue, It's a humper. I have to go back to work today, so I'll be cooking in the mornings again.
Woody

[Dennis H.]

A quick update.
I am just 100 gals shy of 5000 gals of sap collected! I told the wife that I was going to turn the vac off this morning when I went to collect but I just couldn't. Being that close to that big number and calling it a year, I just couldn't. We have a nice freeze up last night so they should be able to give up a little more.

I am now making only Grade B. The sap is coming in cloudy and it is foamy like crazy. I have used more defoamer today than I think I used the past 8 weeks.

My wood pile that I had stacked for this sugar'in season is now gone! I have been forced to tap into my backup pile of corkscrew willow that I had on had for campfires. I am going thru that stuff real fast. I still have the slab wood that I got a few weeks ago and I for see using that before the day is out.

Do not know the exact number but I am now over 50 gals of syrup made and I am on my way to 60!

"You got to want it", quote from PATheron.

[Paddymountain]

Way to go Dennis H; 5000 gal is quite an effort with a small operation. we are at 3400 right now and things are at a stand still.I don't know how far it's going to go, my buckets
have been up for about 4 weeks, I;m hoping for another good week then we probably pull the plug. cold weather is back but it don't look like much sap is moving!

[daileytapper]

The trees stopped running here for the last two days. It gave me a chance to get caught up and get some wood. I am sure the sap is going to run like the dickens again this week. I really like my new A&A 2X6 Raised flue, It's a humper. I have to go back to work today, so I'll be cooking in the mornings again.
Woody

What kind of boiling rate do you get with that A&A 2x6?

[daileytapper]

A quick update.
I am just 100 gals shy of 5000 gals of sap collected! I told the wife that I was going to turn the vac off this morning when I went to collect but I just couldn't. Being that close to that big number and calling it a year, I just couldn't. We have a nice freeze up last night so they should be able to give up a little more.

I am now making only Grade B. The sap is coming in cloudy and it is foamy like crazy. I have used more defoamer today than I think I used the past 8 weeks.

My wood pile that I had stacked for this sugar'in season is now gone! I have been forced to tap into my backup pile of corkscrew willow that I had on had for campfires. I am going thru that stuff real fast. I still have the slab wood that I got a few weeks ago and I for see using that before the day is out.

Do not know the exact number but I am now over 50 gals of syrup made and I am on my way to 60!

"You got to want it", quote from PATheron.

That sure is quite a good season for you. I've been following you on Facebook, you do very well with your updates and I enjoy reading them. Hope you can reach 60 gallons!

[Dennis H.]

They say every dog has its day, well I think it is my day or season.
I do not see it happening like this again for some time.
I put the taps out Jan 14 and other than I short time, about 1 week, in Jan that things froze up it has run since.
This Sun will be 9 weeks!
I do think that all new tubing for the year has helped the most. The vac helped the next most.

[Dennis H.]

I am pulling the plug, calling it quits, the end.
I am out of wood. I tried using the slab wood that I picked up a few weeks ago and I think it would be more fun watching paint dry.
It just isn't dry enough.

I am so close to my 5000 gals of sap mark but I guess I will try again next season.
Not sure what my total syrup count will be until I have it finished and filtered. I still need to finish what is in the evap.
Then I will throw some milkstone in it and kick back and relax.

[KV Sappers]

Dennis,
I have some wood and you are more then welcome to it. It's different lengths and thicknesses but it's all dry. If interested let me know. It's yours free for the hauling.