Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[GeneralStark]

Second boil of the season last night and made about 15 gal of nice AR. That was with about 1000 gal. from last week and the weekend, in addition to another approx. 400 from yesterday. Sugar at about 1.5

Will be interesting to see what the next 36 hours brings and if the warmth will be enough to really get things moving. Still lots of ice in the ground. Most of the snow is now gone but I still need crampons in the woods.

[WestfordSugarworks]

Checked every mainline for leaks on our big bush yesterday and fixed every leak I could find except one mainline that I didn't have time to walk because got the call that our back pan has a leak (again, this happened two years ago). Called a bunch of people to help lift it into truck and brought to Leader to be repaired, hopefully by tonight. Sitting on a lot of sap and it's a time crunch to get fixed so we don't overflow or spoil. Besides that we're in very good shape, high vacuum, things working as they should.

[spud]

Sap has been running all day yesterday and last night. Since yesterday morning at this time I have gotten 1.5 GPT. Sap is testing at 1.6%. Vacuum holding at 28 inches. I would like to see it pick up today. Right now it is 59 degrees at my house.

Spud

[tcross]

sap flowed very well up here last night. same as Spud... 1.5 gpt and still coming! testing 1.75. i'll take that for mid/late February! looks like it'll stop over night and pick back up come Friday.

[rhwells2003]

Finished tapping this weekend, got vac on Monday morning and dumped for 8 hours. Finally started collecting at 7pm Monday evening and in 36 hours I've gotten about 1.75gpt. Hopefully before it shuts off tonight I'll have 2+gpt in 48 hours. good first run for me.

[sapmaple]

First boil yesterday Sap is 1.5-1.7 sweeten pans and made 100 gals. have small crack in one of the RO post hope to get fixed on Thursday My biggest problem is the drain in the RO room is clogged spent 5 hours on it still can't get it GRRRRR! At least the drains on the sides of the arch work so had to leave door of RO room open and the water flowed out and down that drain should have 12000 plus gallons of sap today Oh loving my new monitor equipment in woods and sugar house

[blissville maples]

Trees certainly woke up over the course of the last two days I have a remote Sugarbush with large old growth trees from 7:30am Tuesday to 7 p.m. Wednesday they spit out 2100 gallons on 900 taps 28 inches!! First time with high vacuum on this Sugarbush I'm certainly impressed and excited for the major runs.....
125 gallons in Barrel so far all Amber

[GeneralStark]

Still nothing record breaking here with a bit over 2gpt in 48 hours. I boiled about 1500 gal. last night and made 20 gal. of DR, just over the line from AR. Classic dark amber. My sap hydrometer I realize is way off and my refractometer filled with sap so I am not sure the sugar content. Things working well in the sugarhouse. Now that we are through the warm-up and the early season tubing slime sap, I'm going to clean the flue and syrup pans in preparation for the next phase of the season.

I realized yesterday that a bunch of CV spouts that were tapped in January needed to be reset with a tap or three. Mainly in an area with low slope and some inverted lats. I have not had this much of an issue with these spouts in the past, but we have had some back and forth weather. Not so much of an issue with smart spouts...

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

First boil last night.
425 gal 2%
With High Pressure pump rebuilt I was doing 3.0/3.5 Perm and 1.0/1.25 Con. One pass to 8%.
So Home made ro doing 240 GPH at a cost of $3600, I have to say not bad at all.
made around 3/3.5 medium / dark amber.

[rhwells2003]

Pulled in another 1.75-2gpt from Saturday & sunday afternoon through the night to Monday morning. Maybe a total of 36 hours of vac time. Not bad for two days that never got higher then 38 degrees. Should run good this week.