What will you do with the sap, boil or wait until this next warm up Saturday? Looking like return of winter first week of February, I guess it's time to start my test tree spit out 1.8 which is about .5 higher than I expected and had been hearing
What will you do with the sap, boil or wait until this next warm up Saturday? Looking like return of winter first week of February, I guess it's time to start my test tree spit out 1.8 which is about .5 higher than I expected and had been hearing
18x30 sugarshack
5100 taps high vac
3x10 inferno with steampan
7'' wes fab filter press
10'' cdl air filter press
D&G 3 post reverse osmosis w/recirculation
The sap I have will stay in the tank until Saturday. I think by Sunday all sap will be boiled. I sell my sap to a large operation not far from me. I think my sugar will start going up in the next few runs.
Spud
I ended up pulling in almost 1 gpt (330 gal. from about 400 taps) between 5 pm yesterday and whenever it froze last night. I'll hold this sap and see what happens this weekend and if I collect enough will probably boil on Monday...
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
Hey everyone. Was at the VSMA/UVM Ext. maple conference in Hyde Park yesterday and it got me pumped up for the season. So good to get back on maple trader and see what folks are up to. Had a busy year with sugarhouse remodel for new RO and about 800 new taps. Will start to haul sap with truck and 1000 gal trailer this year for new taps so keeping my fingers crossed for hopefully smooth system changes. Still moving sap from other 1200 taps with tractor and trailer. Definitely feeling a little nervous. No tapping yet for me - will probably wait until mid-Feb. I generally prefer to tap a bit later feeling that my end of season runs will be a little stronger. Maybe an overly cautious holdover from my bucket days when tapping timing REALLY mattered. Then I was perfectly willing to miss the first couple runs to have something in Mid April. I do use all new spouts each year so maybe it doesn't matter that much. Whatever. I'll have more help then anyway. How has your experience been with late season runs when you tap this early? Also, wondering with these first small runs if you'll run your RO with so little sap or just boil raw.
Hope everyone has a great season!
My experience with tapping early has been that I still get over 1 gpt/day at the end of the season without a freeze for several days despite having tapped in January. I never have trouble getting sap in April...it's just that the sap is usually buddy. I'm in a very warm part of the state, and some times I feel like I am sugaring in Pennsylvania and not in VT. I doubt there are many producers outside of the Champlain Valley that have hickories (smooth bark and shag bark), oaks (red and white) and walnuts in their woods...
I do use a new CV2 spout on drop lines older than one season or a new smart spout on a new drop. I get lots of wildlife damage so drop changes are frequent. I also run my vac. pump 24/7 (unless it freezes for several days) and use an electric releaser so my taphole sanitation practices are pretty darn good. I also am set up to hold sap and let it freeze in the tanks if there is not enough to run the RO and make permeate.
I do what seems to make sense to me in my situation and it seems to have been working for that last few seasons. I have all this expensive equipment in the sugarhouse and it could either be sitting there in January doing nothing, or it can be making me money. On that note, I spent the weekend chasing leaks, finishing plumbing permeate tanks, changing the RO membrane, and rinsing and washing the RO. I pulled in over 500 gal. from about 475 taps and with that I have close to 900 total in the tank from this week. A little is ice so not sure how much I will process in the end. My plan is to start the RO shortly and see what the new membrane will do and then boil later today. Looks like we are going to be frozen up for a while now...
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
Couple years ago I tapped test tree day after Christmas as it was in the 30s, was a new drop into a one gallon milk jug. That tree ran into the 2nd week of march woth no issues at that point it stopped quite quickly and gave literally no sap. It produced for about 10 weeks I was rather surprised. I've never tapped this early so I'm a bit worried if the season goes to april- time tells all.
18x30 sugarshack
5100 taps high vac
3x10 inferno with steampan
7'' wes fab filter press
10'' cdl air filter press
D&G 3 post reverse osmosis w/recirculation
Things went smooth. The new membrane is a tremendous difference. The machine went from 400 gph with warm sap last season to over 600 gph with 33 degree sap....
I boiled this evening...sweetened the pans and made about 5 gallons of light syrup. It sure was nice to be drinking fresh syrup off the evaporator again...
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
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
Finished tapping today. Started December 29th. About 14,500 for this year