I actually have less sap than this time last year, but with the forecast this weekend should bring me up to close to last year. Ran pretty good yesterday with around 20 gallons from the 50+ taps. Some trees haven't woken up yetI am expecting this season will run a bit longer than last year's one week
31 Taps in 2011 with buckets, Barrel evap
45+ Taps for 2012 with buckets, 2x5 Dryer Arch with steel pans ! 8x11 Sugar Shack, Dump Stations,
60 Taps for 2013- Insulated Dryer arch, AUF,
2014 watched from sidelines...
70 Taps for 2015 - dryer arch, new 2x5 divided pan from Smokey Lake with a float box !
70 Taps for 2016 - added a preheater and new grates for the Dryerator.
80 Taps for 2018 - Dryer arch got new front and door
As I understand it, it fluctuates. Tends to go down toward the end of the season. Also tends to go down over long sap runs like those times when it drips all day and night and sometimes beyond. Toward the end of those kinds of runs sugar content decreases.Originally Posted by Pweideman
Now if it would only start running good here. I'll take any sugar content I can get! Glad to hear some are doing well already. Hope everyone has a great season and beats last years yields
“A sap-run is the sweet good-bye of winter. It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost.”~John Burroughs, "Signs and Seasons", 1886
backyard mapler since 2006 using anything to get the job done from wood stove to camp stove to even crockpots.
2012- moved up to a 2 pan block arch
2013- plan to add another hotel pan and shoot for 5-6 gallons
Thinking small is best for me so probably won't get any bigger.
Paul- I've posted this link before but you might be interested in this older study from UVM where the variation in sugar content of sugar maples is studied over several years and within years, Look for the section on variations within a single season.
http://vip2.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/sapsuga...tvariation.pdf
As for your silver maples I can't tell you. Someone who taps them and tests the sap would be better able to give you info. I think most research has focused on sugar maple and I don't have silvers so never looked into them much. The common wisdom from what I know is that they are less sweet than sugars though there are some claims to super sweet silvers offered for sale that supposedly run in the 4% range.
With last nights 18 degree low and today amazing spike of 55, I drew 3/4 GPT today and matched last years miserable total already. AND last year I had twice as many taps at this time since the flow was so lousy! What a much more enjoyable year. The sugar content has come up, I'm making nice DA, and if the long range forecast holds we should be sugaring up here for another four weeks.
Doc
Wood-fired, home-made evaporator
Glenlivet-fired operator
I already passed last years total with just one tap on one tree. I tapped 4 trees last year and never got a drop of sap. I can't make syrup anymore due to health and work but we use the sap to make coffee and drinks with until I retire someday and have time again.
I have one hard maple beside my silver maples and the silvers test almost twice the sugar content. I think it's also due to the slivers being twice as tall and several times bigger around also.
Last edited by KenWP; 03-09-2013 at 09:42 PM.
maybe 50 taps for 2011
Finally ready to boil when I get enough sap
I just might be crazy.( make that I know I am)
Trees all tapped except the ones with 5 feet of snow.
Enough rabbits to keep Elmer busy..
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