Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[rhwells2003]

I'm done too. Pulled the plug last night. Guy that boils my sap said they tested the pH of my sap, his sap, and the other guy he buys from. His own was pretty bad, mine was borderline and the other guys was barely ok. He boiled out the rig last night and I drained 500gal of sour sap. Good season, still bitter sweet when it ends.

[DrTimPerkins]

We too are finished. Boiled some test sap that came in overnight and picked up the first signs of pre-bud. We aren't really interested in making commercial syrup, so now it's time to drain and clean the tanks, boil out what is in the pans, and get some rest (just in time for Easter). Final totals not quite in yet (still have about 30 gal to finish and filter and the pan sweet to boil down), but it'll likely come in somewhere close to 0.54 gal/tap, which is close to our long-term average of 0.59 gal/tap. The vast majority of that was AR, with a bit of DR, and perhaps a couple of drums of VDS.

A little over 2 weeks to pull together talks for the manufacturer open houses in Swanton. I'll be at Lapierre (high brix) both Fri/Sat mornings, then H2O around noon (high sap yield practices) each day, then Leader in the afternoons (Biological/Environmental effects on sap flow and sugar content). Hope to see a bunch of folks there.

Hope to get the summer camp opened up this weekend and start getting the boat and dock ready. Sugaring is DONE!

[SB Stonehouse]

First post, but have been following this thread all year.

Finished up on Sunday w/ 102 gal total made (all but the last 20gal were a nice AR) on 340 taps. All taps are 3/16 natural vac (15 - 28" depending on the line). Sap was still running clear yesterday when we pulled the taps, but sugar was down to just over 1% at the end, making for a lot of boiling without an RO. Starting 3/28 we averaged 1 gal / tap a day for 2 weeks straight - it never stopped running on the natural vac! Need an RO next year to cut down the boiling time as a single day off meant 10-12 hours the next day.

[wiam]

Calling it quits. Had a slight off flavor last night. Will boil down sweet this afternoon. Be around .45 gpt.

[GeneralStark]

Do you mean on sugar maples?

[Meuphrat]

Do you mean on sugar maples?

Oh Ya. I should have specified.

[spud]

Thanks. I hope spotting the owl helps the season. I spotted one a while back so maybe I will have some good luck also. We stopped putting our spouts on our drops in advance. At first I thought it was going to speed things up but after doing the math I found it did not pay. I tap 100 per hour even though I have to cut last years spout off. That seems good enough for me. I'm only good for 4-5 hours per day because of my low back issues. I'm going in for another round of steroid injections on Jan 22. I don't think I will get any sap this week even though we have two rainy days in the 40s. I am tapping the back side of my woods now because it gets a ton of snow. I'm trying to get that section done ASAP. I should get to the S/E side by the end of the week if all goes well. Still hoping for that week of 40 degree days by the end of the month.

Spud

[spud]

And yet so far away. It was a great year.

Spud

[Meuphrat]

Are people seeing an extra ordinary amount of flower buds this year?
I'm curious what causes a buds to go flower or leaf? I've heard that after a big seed year comes a low sugar content spring. Anyone have any insights?
Wondering if the drought last year could be a cause?
I poked around for a thread that answers these questions and couldn't find one. If the info is out there feel free to just direct me.
Mike
The Bunker Farm
Dummerston, VT

[DrTimPerkins]

I've heard that after a big seed year comes a low sugar content spring. Anyone have any insights?

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/Does%20Mast...entrations.pdf

We are currently conducting a study on this (seeding) and other biological and environmental influences on sap sugar content and sap yield. I've spoken about it once (North American meeting last fall in Burlington) and will be again at the Leader Evaporator Co. Open House this Friday/Saturday. It'll probably end up as a paper in the Maple Digest sometime in the next year or two.