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Thread: Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

  1. #1791
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    Feb 2015
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    Westford, Vermont
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    Quote Originally Posted by spud View Post
    Woke up this morning to 5 inches of snow and it's still coming down. The temp last night hit 27 degree. Looks like sugaring is alive and well for a while. Sap may run a bit today with it only going to 38 degrees. Tomorrow it's full sun and 54 and the sap should run very good. Hoping to make it through the 4 day warm up thats coming up and then sail to the 20th.

    Spud
    Best of luck Spud. We got a little freeze last night too and we will be getting one tonight as well it looks like. Hopefully the weather is colder than expected and we can all get a few more days out of it.

  2. #1792
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    Apr 2009
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    Bristol, VT
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    Had a solid freeze and an inch of snow overnight here. I did pull in about 300 gal. after 5 or so until it froze. Sugar down to about 1.4. I boiled last night and made another 22 gal. of DR. Great tasting dark syrup. Boiling still smells great and the sap has not been too slimy. The niter is showing up but still not too bad. I am currently at .41 gpt and am 10 gal. away from my record. Tapping early is going to be the new norm I think...
    Last edited by GeneralStark; 04-08-2017 at 07:27 AM.
    About 750 taps on High Vac.
    2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
    Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
    Springtech Elite 500 RO
    14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
    16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
    www.littlehogbackfarm.com

  3. #1793
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    Feb 2015
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    Westford, Vermont
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    Sap really hammered in at our Westford bush today. Definitely a top-3 run for the season (i don't know how). Started running around noon or a bit earlier maybe and we've pulled in 2400 gallons from 3,000 taps since then. We are about 180 gallons away from hitting 0.5 gallons per tap. i think we'll get there before the sap turns. Good luck to everyone

  4. #1794
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    Nov 2010
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    Barnet, VT
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    Got down to 30 early morning. Started running by 8:30. Can't believe how well it ran today with temps in mid 30's and wind. Down to 31 now and still running a little. Should get a decent freeze tonight and more sap tomorrow.
    William
    950 taps
    3 X 12 Thor pans on a Brian Arch
    CDL 600 expandable

  5. #1795
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    Sep 2010
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    Vermont
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    Sap never ran for me yesterday. It is 27 degrees out but here comes the sun in 30 minutes. Im hoping it's going to be a very good week despite the warmer temps. My weather is showing three cold nights in the next 9 days. We could make it to next weekend for sure. My pond still has three inches of ice on it and no peepers in sight. Good luck everyone. Way to go on the .5 Westford. I hope to be there mid week but the sugar is dropping up here. General I hope you hit the big .5+ also. I am very happy to see the early tapping payed off for you. I am at a .42 right now.

    Spud

  6. #1796
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    Essex VT
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    22 degrees in Essex this morning. Sap ran 1/2 gpt yesterday. Unfortunately, sap is now 1.05% if I look at the hydrometer real close. Sugar content has fallen rapidly from 1.7% on Monday to the 1% yesterday. With the poor sap flows this last week, production will not hit my goal of .5 gpt of syrup. At .39 gpt now.

    Joe
    2004- 470 taps on gravity and buckets
    2006- 590 taps on gravity and buckets 300 gph RO
    2009- 845 taps on vacuum no buckets, 600 gph RO
    2010- 925 taps on vacuum new 2 stage vacuum pump
    2014- 3045 taps on vacuum, new 1200 gph RO
    2015- 3104 taps on vacuum
    2017- 3213 taps on vacuum
    3' x 10' oil fired evaporator with steamaway

  7. #1797
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    Feb 2016
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    Georgia, VT
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    Quote Originally Posted by spud View Post
    It is 27 degrees out but here comes the sun in 30 minutes.
    Exactly the same here... not a cloud in the sky. Shadows now pointing dead-West -- fingers crossed! But I'll be surprised if we don't see swelling buds by the end of the week. A couple days in the 40's last year starting on the 8th, and the sap was buddy, so if we get a good run today, I'll take it and run! (Edit at 11:00 AM -- Sap running strong!)

    BTW -- I was able to process a little over 7 GPH in my new Bucket RO on Friday -- took about 55 gallons of sap down to about 25 gallons of concentrate -- only 5 hours in the shack for the boil! (My shortest boil ever). Got a beautiful deep amber, great flavor syrup. Now I can't wait to expand next year!!!
    Last edited by MJPJ Sugars; 04-09-2017 at 09:56 AM.

  8. #1798
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    Apr 2009
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    Bristol, VT
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    Sap ran well here yesterday. Pulled in over 1gpt before it froze last night sometime after midnight. Sugar at 1.3 and the sap that came in after the lines got ice scrubbed was perfectly clear. Going to boil this afternoon to make room in tanks as I have to work all day tomorrow. Not sure the sap will keep too well with a sunny day in the 70's but we'll see. Tuesday boil could be the last as many signs of spring that tend to correlate with off syrup are happening here. I'm in it til the end though...
    About 750 taps on High Vac.
    2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
    Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
    Springtech Elite 500 RO
    14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
    16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
    www.littlehogbackfarm.com

  9. #1799
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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 spud View Post
    Sap never ran for me yesterday.
    We boiled Friday afternoon -- made about 75 gal of DR. Sugar content still not bad. Niter is picking up some. Drained the pans and flooded them with hot permeate.

    We had a little bit come in yesterday....but not much. Seems to be opening up better this morning though, and hoping for a real big day to push us over the 0.5 gal/tap mark. Might not be today, but should be by tomorrow afternoon. Sap is getting a bit milky looking, but no real big yeast bubbles or smell yet. Should make some good strong, dark syrup.

    Might be hard to get past the next couple of days given the forecast, but we'll see what happens. Anticipate boiling with a t-shirt on tomorrow.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  10. #1800
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    Apr 2009
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    Bristol, VT
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    Another 22 gal. of DR with great flavor. Sap ran strong all day once it thawed out and it's still coming in at 1.3%. Have had some big yeasty bubbles, basketball size...Washed out all the tanks and going to see what happens tomorrow. Will either keep the sap and boil it Tuesday or will dump it and boil out the evap. No way I will get through this week even if there is another possible freeze after the warm spell. Way too many signs of spring...including ticks are out.

    We're into the frog run here...peepers and wood frogs are singing in the wetland below...
    About 750 taps on High Vac.
    2.5 x 8 Intens-O-Fire
    Airtech 3 hp LR Pump
    Springtech Elite 500 RO
    14 x 24 Timber Frame SugarHouse
    16 x 22 Sap Shed w/ 1500 gal. + 700 gal. tanks
    www.littlehogbackfarm.com

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