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Thread: sugaring in iowa

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    iowa
    Posts
    56

    Default sugaring in iowa

    I live in iowa, and since we don't have a space yet for tapping updates I was wondering if anyone on here is from Iowa and has tapped their trees yet? I tapped about 2 weeks ago and have only gotten about 15 gallons of sap so far. It turned off cold and snowy. I hope this won't hurt things later when it starts to flow. My taps are just gravity flow. Anyone else out there from iowa?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    70

    Default

    upmep We too are in Iowa around Ames area- We tapped 3 weeks ago when we had several nice days in the 40's. We gathered around 50 gallons of sap on 90 taps. We cooked 2 different times and just got it down to about 3 gallon total. We will finish when we have more to add to it. We are shooting to put in another 30 taps on hard maples to be at 120 total. We do have the ability to tapped a lot of silvers but will see how our new arch works this year. Where are you located and how many taps do you have out? Great to know someone else is making syrup in Iowa!! Bill

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    iowa
    Posts
    56

    Default tapping iowa

    I live in southeast iowa. I tap silvers and box elders mainly. I don't have any sugar or black maples to tap. I've only gotten about 15 or 20 gallons of sap so far so I don't really have enough to start the evaporator. My trees have mainly stopped since this last cold snap. It looks like it should warm up toward the end of next week. How much sap have you gotten lately? This will be my 4th year. Last year I made a few gallons of syrup. I hope it doesn't go straight to being too warm this year. I put in about 50 taps usually.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    70

    Default

    We had a little run yesterday. It looks like that later in the week it is really going to start running. we have 30 taps on silvers and they have been really sporadic. keep us informed with how it is going? Will post as things get going here. What are you boiling on? We have a flat pan that is 28" x 76" we built a new arch for it this year. We have been cooking woth it on a block arch. We are hoping for 20gph. Good Luck Bill

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Winfield, Iowa
    Posts
    397

    Default

    Henry County checking in! I haven't tapped yet this year but I'll probably start next Friday(3/8). I usually tap in mid-February but I've decided that may be a little early for me. It seems as though the sap here doesn't really get going till the first week or so in March. It's nice to hear from other Iowans! Have fun!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    49

    Default We need an Iowa page!

    Hey there getting ready to put 100 in around the Eldora area, this weekend. Looks like the forcast is good. Of course we know how acurate those guys have been! Hey TBear good to see your back at it again! Im trying to get another arch made up in time for this season. I seem to put the pro in crastination! Tap on Iowans!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Winfield, Iowa
    Posts
    397

    Default

    Right on IowaSap! I understand about that "waiting till the last minute" phenomenon. Ive been running around like I'm on fire! I'm still looking at the ten day forecast. I'll probably start tapping this weekend however I'd like to see more sun in the forcast. What can I say? I'm a farmer; I have to complain about the weather! Good luck everyone and have fun!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    70

    Default

    We put out 14 more taps last night. We are up to 104 with a few more to get out. We collected around 30 gallon and plan to start boiling saturday. Looks like the weather is going to give us some warm days going forward. This last 10 inches of snow was tough to do the side hills!!!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    iowa
    Posts
    56

    Default

    It would be nice to have an iowa page. Its nice to see their are more people making maple syrup here in iowa. I think I got my taps in a little early. I have maybe 23 gallons of sap with about 48 taps out. I might put out a few more. I hope to start the evaporator this weekend, but I do it outside and don't have a cover for it. They are talking rain on Saturday. My evaporator is a 55 gallon barrel I had lengthened, with a 2' x 4' pan with a preheater. I probably only get about 15 gallons per hour boiled off. Keep in touch everyone.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    49

    Default

    Just put in 85 yesterday then the batteries died! Gonna put in another 15 to 20 on some homemade sap sack holders in stead of buckets and see how they hold up. All my relatives up in Mn. seem to like them but I'm a lil worried about the coons and squirels chewing holes in them. Most taps were wet yesterday nothing rocking yet though. Upmep I wouldn't be to worried about 15 gph that's awful good!! Do you run a blower on that? My old 2x3 would maybe do 8gph on the best of days. My new evap is being built locally and the pan is coming from out of state, hopefully it gets here in time.

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