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Thread: Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

  1. #1501
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
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    Hinesburg, VT
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    111

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    Here in Hinesburg it didn't freeze sunday night and so today it was very slow - trickled in. Around 1/2 gallon per tap for 24 hours.

    Still clear and still tastes good. I walked the lines today and checked again and no signs of buds. (I have only hard maples)

    It's probably going to freeze lightly for a few hours tonight here - might be enough to get some more sap tomorrow

    Most people around me have shut down.
    --
    2015 - 110 taps on hybrid pump + 3/16 natural vac
    - releaser posts every release event on twitter: https://twitter.com/ryebryesreleasr
    2014 - 30 taps on 3/16 gravity

  2. #1502
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Barnet, VT
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    I made about 30 gallons that was color of dark robust but flavor of very dark.
    William
    950 taps
    3 X 12 Thor pans on a Brian Arch
    CDL 600 expandable

  3. #1503
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    Mar 2014
    Location
    East Fairfield Vermont
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    135

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    From Monday night to last night I got just a tad under 2gal/tap. Sap was pretty clear, smelled and tasted fine. Didn't taste overly sweet but also didn't taste sour 26 degrees at the house this morning so hoping for another good day! I have a feeling with today and the next couple days being sunny things are going to turn bad fast

  4. #1504
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    May 2009
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    UVM Proctor Maple Research Center, Underhill Ctr, VT
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    We dumped some sap, then boiled yesterday and will be soon again today. Sugar content has stabilized at 1.5 Brix in one bush, and 1.7 Brix in the other, and the clarity is pretty good. Making VD/S color with a DR flavor. Had to sweeten the pans again earlier this week, but we made about 120 gal over the past couple of days. Probably another 60+ today when we finish off. That'll put us about 2,460 gal, or 0.57 gal/tap so far. Getting low on barrels! Froze up last night and only thawing slowly now -- but the sun should kick that into high gear soon. Will likely freeze again tonite. I expect we'll be done by Friday or Saturday.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  5. #1505
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Georgia, VT
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    73

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    Wow... wasn't expecting this color on the last boil of the year! A bit more "tangy" than the early season stuff of the same color. A real bummer pulling the taps today -- I wasn't ready -- but like someone said earlier: dry wood and spousal support was running low... (I could've found more wood!!).

    Looking forward to a couple up-grades and getting just a little more next year

    Last Boil 2016.jpg

  6. #1506
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    2,223

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    Sap ran well today. Ran into some releaser issues early in the day but got things working. Got about 5500 gallons today so far. Still running 375 GPH but should freeze up by 9:00. My lower woods outran my upper wood for the last few days. Hoping for the breeze to go away tomorrow do the upper woods will run better. Vacuum 27.5 in the whole woods. Never had to reseat a spout this year. Should be a record season for me if we go till weekend.

    Spud

  7. #1507
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    May 2009
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    UVM Proctor Maple Research Center, Underhill Ctr, VT
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    Quote Originally Posted by MJPJ Sugars View Post
    Wow... wasn't expecting this color on the last boil of the year! A bit more "tangy" than the early season stuff of the same color.
    This phenomenon is not uncommon. It is a great lesson in sap/syrup chemistry for those chemistry nerds out there (you know who you are).

    Typically sap color is largely determined by invert sugar level caused by microbial activity. The warmer it is, the more sucrose is converted to invert sugar, resulting in more color and flavor development through Maillard and caramelization processes. Much of the color and flavor development happens during the "alkaline degradation" phase, when boiling sap (which typically is neutral to slightly acidic) rises above pH 7. One characteristic of this phase, besides strong color and flavor development, is niter formation, which eventually pushes the pH back below 7.

    So sometimes at the end of the season, there is so much microbial activity that the sap gets very acidic, which is known as "sour sap." When boiled, the pH goes up as normal, but doesn't make it above pH 7, or the time above pH 7 is very short. Because of this, there is little or no alkaline degradation, and very low color and flavor development. You end up with a very light-colored syrup, but it tastes "tangy" due to the low pH (not real good).
    Last edited by DrTimPerkins; 04-13-2016 at 06:16 PM.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  8. #1508
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    Barnet, VT
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    Did not run great here today. But I made another 25 gallons. That puts me at 750 so just over .4 gallons / tap. No off flavors yet.
    William
    950 taps
    3 X 12 Thor pans on a Brian Arch
    CDL 600 expandable

  9. #1509
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Fayston, Vt
    Posts
    122

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    I have 2 gravity lines with 10 tapes each to a 35 gal tank or into 2 5gal buckets with 2 hotel pans arch.
    My last boil was March 31th, next day both buckets where almost full in morning but so cloudy I could not see bottom.
    I dumped these and got a few gal of clear. Since then not much, yesterday evening 2 full buckets with light cloudiness then 3 gal by dark. My buds are still hard. I was getting niter and sugar sand on bottom of my 4 gal stainless bucket with 2 gal of syrup. My hydrometer said it was syrup, I triple filtered and but into half gal jugs.i weighed these and net weight was 5# and 4 oz I know they should be 5#8oz. My hydrometer was new near the end of last year. My elevation is 1500' and water boils on my Taylor 12" thermometer at 205 so 212 or 100c should be syrup and hydrometer confirms it.
    I but syrup in glass also, and never seen mold. Sometimes sugar crystals.
    I has tired and would is about out.

    Christmas Day I tapped 10 trees into 2gal buckets that I started with 5 years ago. I should have tapped a couple of days earlier but my back was bad. I got over 5 gal before it slowed down. I pulled taps before New Years.
    These 10 where still dripping April 1. Today mists where moist with 2 wet down a foot or so.
    I could see dripping from my office window about 12 times before I ran my tubing. This was just an experiment not knowing what to expect. I was amazed how long they dripped for.

    I had 8 gal syrup more Golden than medium Amber.
    2020 same
    2019 RB10 26 taps
    2018 RO Bucket RB5 taps 20, leg tank in shed w/2 5/16
    2017 18 taps
    2016 20 taps
    2015 21 taps
    2014 30 2 gravity line, 2 hotel pan concrete arch 35 g leg tank
    2013 LP hook up in shack buckets 12 taps
    2 burner cook top 2012 finisher on a bbq tanks
    2011 rookie 2+ gal
    8 taps w/ milk jugs
    turkey cooker
    50-60 up back maybe

  10. #1510
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    East Fairfield Vermont
    Posts
    135

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    Looked to run good again yesterday for me. Little cloudy but not bad. Probably about 1.2gal/tap yesterday. This has been a great season for me. I sell my sap to a neighbor, so I don't do the boiling part but sap wise I've been happy. This is my first year with high vac. Last year I put 350 taps on a shurflow, and I also had 10 buckets around the house. The buckets produced the same per tap as my tubing on the shurflow. So I was basically gravity last year. This year I purchased a gast 1550, releaser, 600 gallon tank, and built a sap shed, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Last year I ended up with around 2000 gallons. The first weekend of this year I was 3000 haha. I haven't talked to my neighbor to see what I'm up to but I'm thinking I'm up 8000-10000. I told my 7yo daughter if she wanted to keep track of some buckets around the house I'd pay her for the sap, so we put 8 out, and we gather every other day. Her first gather was march 8th, and 7 of those 8 buckets are still producing good sap. Last I checked she was over 100gal on 8 buckets!

    I know everything will be done in the next day or two, but its going to be hard for me to see it go. My 9mo pregnant wife might not say the same but that's understandable haha.

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