Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[GeneralStark]

Looks like you guys up north are getting the BIGSAP runs I had here early last week, which makes sense as I am typically about a week ahead.

I don't believe we had a consistent freeze here Sat. night either. It got to 29 at the sugarhouse in the open, but I'm not sure the higher woods actually froze. The sap ran pretty well but not the 75-100 gph like Saturday. There was definitely an inversion happening in this region as the mtn. tops were 10+ degrees warmer than here yesterday morning.

I finished cleaning the rig yesterday, then sweetened the pans with the sap from Saturday and overnight into Sunday and then drew off over 10 gal. of the lightest syrup I have ever made. It was only slightly lighter than the color of the concentrate going into the flue pan. Very light flavor as well but no off flavors as of yet.

It almost hit the 60 mark here yesterday and for the first time yet this spring......I heard peepers in the late afternoon singing from the wetlands below us. Our garlic is coming up, the owls are going nuts, and I saw the first wildflower behind the sugarhouse. I suspect we are nearing the end here, but perhaps the cooler weather this week will delay the inevitable. No freeze last night and the sap ran light but steady and about 400 gal. came in since 6 pm yesterday. I'll be back at boiling later today...

[DoubleBrookMaple]

Yesterday the sap didn't start running until near noon, and high temperature for the day was late and 56. I have 600 gallons today from the 330 taps at 1.7%, which is higher than it has been for a while. Still nothing dark, and Even though some of the red maple buds are swollen, yesterday I did a survey, and my sugar maple buds are tight. More cold weather ahead, and no warm sunny days, so I am optimistic than I will go for a while yet.
Remote barrels and buckets will be full today, and I can gather tomorrow, and hold for a day or two to process with Wednesday's fresh sap run. Looks like I will be over 10,000 gallons of sap for the year!

[DrTimPerkins]

Made another 170 gal or so (not exactly sure.....it's being filtered and packed this morning) yesterday (Easter Sunday) for a total of ~1,882 gal (~0.44 gal/tap). Good sap run all day. Sugar content holding nicely at 2.1 in the Main Bush and 2.0 in the Red Series Bush. Still not much foaming. Niter picked up a little. Temperature dropped off overnight and the wind picked up quite a lot, so sap has slowed down quite a bit. Tanks only 1/3 full this morning. Looking like it'll be too cold to run much most of the day tomorrow, but then should be very nice for several days after that.

One report of buddy off-flavor in north-central Vermont already. No details. Heard a solitary wood frog in our woods yesterday....they usually come out before the peepers.

[madmapler]

I was up north of Burlington today and was surprised to see how much the buds have swollen. Looks to be more so than in the southern part of the state. I only wish we had the temps.

[GeneralStark]

I was up north of Burlington today and was surprised to see how much the buds have swollen. Looks to be more so than in the southern part of the state. I only wish we had the temps.

Well you were in the banana belt of VT.

[DrTimPerkins]

I was up north of Burlington today and was surprised to see how much the buds have swollen.

Not the maple buds. I live in Williston. Most things with swelling buds are ornamentals and invasive species (and the banana trees).

Another 100 gal today. Up to 0.45 gal/tap now. Sugar still at 2.0. Lots of niter.

Probably not a lot of sap in the next day and a half....too cold.

[DoubleBrookMaple]

Processed and boiled from yesterday's and last night's run and got my first DR, with good taste. Last time was near dark, and this time no doubt. Hard freeze Tuesday night, so we will see what comes of it.

[Tucker08]

Pulled taps down here I Shaftsbury this weekend. Super dark, bordering on off flavor. I was one of the last in the area to call it quits. All in all, a good season with 100 or so gallons, which is 15 more than my best.


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[spud]

Ran all day just not that hard. I got 4000 gallons today and the sugar dropped to 1.7%. Still very good clear sap. Freeze tomorrow and then monster runs coming Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Next week will be cooler just keeping the season alive. I see 2-3 weeks more with ease.

Spud

[ryebrye]

Sanitation effects (which signify high microbial growth in the tapholes and lines) haven't really kicked in too much. Sap is still very good quality (as of this morning) and sugar content is still fairly high. We'll see what the warmer weather today does, but I hope we have at least one more good week. We could get a couple more weeks if all goes well. The last two years we had just started sugaring at this time.

By sanitation effects do you mean that clean tubing (or tubing check valve spouts) are performing as well as old tubing up to this point in the season?