Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[spud]

I got about 50 gallons of sap today. It seems like they want to run but it has to warm up a bit. Tomorrow should be warm enough but we need some sun and no wind. I think there is still hope.

Spud

[GeneralStark]

The sap ran more consistently today than it has in a week. Over 400 gal. so far since things thawed late morning and coming in steady. I do have some tapholes that have dried up. Mostly 3/16 with new drops and smart spouts where I have had issues with drops disconnecting during cold spells. Not as much of an issue with 3/16 and cv spouts however or on brand new 3/16. Seems like the sap backing up in the lines during freeze up is the likely culprit. I "refreshed" 6 tapholes on two 3/16 lines and it was like Christmas day....

I have over 1500 gal. that has come in since last wednesday 4/4 and am going to boil tomorrow. I had some niter sludge build up in the flue pan so I filtered the contents of the pan and cleaned it out. I suspect it is dark syrup from here on in given how much yeast has been scrubbed out of the lines the last week. I also have a pretty solid chunk of ice in the tank still.... I have never seen that in April before.

[MJPJ Sugars]

.94 gallons per tap today after .74 yesterday -- both after tossing a bunch of 2" thick pucks from the previous couple of days. Sap is cold and crystal clear, but a good amount of yeast is ending-up in the concentrate tank. Hasn't had any effect on the flavor of the finished product that we can tell, although the odor is more and more noticeable during the boil. Sugar isn't "climbing back up," despite the repeated freeze-thaw cycle, sticking around 1.25%.

I'm just over 25 gpt of sap, and .42 gallons of syrup per tap so far. All done the old-fashioned way... with child labor

Last boil this weekend? Buds are tight... forecast is uselesss... who knows? I do know trout season is coming one way or another.

[WestfordSugarworks]

I hope we can make syrup through the 20th. Kinda feel like that would be a first and a last for us. Weather forecast looks colder than it did yesterday but the next few days should be good at least. Sap never ran great in our Jericho woods but ran okay in Westford, boiled for the first time in a week and made about 60 gallons of AR right on the line with DR. Good flavor still.

Saw a few cool things today in the woods. Beech seeds and maple seeds both germinating with 1" tap roots. Some plant I didn't recognize starting to leaf out. And an invasive honeysuckle plant up at 1200' or so almost on the ridge in Jericho, leafing out a few small green leaves. Pulled that out and hung it.

Speaking of invasive plants, I now own Vermont Invasive Management and am actively looking for work in the area. I'm a licensed pesticide applicator in VT and treat all types of invasives. Send me a message if you are interested in me checking out your property. Invasives suck.

[wdchuck]

Ok, I'm gonna stick my neck out here......East facing slopes are bare in our woods, all other areas have good snow cover. We haven't really had an extended warm up, so I think the frost is still in the ground..... And our sap runs, although good, haven't been serious gushers.....The neighbors have always said that sugaring isn't over until the ice goes out on West Hill Pond, and its still looking totally solid......Snow is still lingering in the fields around the sugarhouse.......All signs in my 'hood point to more sugaring season, so relying on that increasing gray in my beard as a sign of wisdom, not age, I'll say it- Big sap run when it finally warms up!!....Lets see if I know what I know what the hell I'm talking about...

[WestfordSugarworks]

I'll say it- Big sap run when it finally warms up!!

I hope so!

[drewlamb]

We haven't boiled since the 5th and have had only small trickles since, including yesterday. 18 deg here this morning. Similar to you Dr. Tim, we have made only GD and AR, and are hopeful for some darker syrup in this next, hopefully not last, run. At 0.31 gal/tap for the season.

[DrTimPerkins]

Still too cold up on the hill (like most of this spring so far). Forecast went from cold, to hot, back to cold again projected over the next week, but looks like we might have some decent flows. Only 2,567 gal of sap since last week (a pittance). Holding at around 1.8 Brix. Running the RO to free up some space in the tanks. Hoping it opens up in the next couple of hours/days.

[peteinvermont]

I pulled 'em....I'm going fishing....

[tcross]

my last boil will be tonight. then it's clean up time and time to get the garden going and get the golf clubs and fishin rod out! by the looks of our trees and snow pack, we could have a few weeks left, but we've made more than we sell each year so it's time to move on. good luck to everyone still at it!