Mead Maple "It's for the kids..."
Paul Cerminara
2019 - First season ever
-Goal: 3 gallons
-Season Total: 7.5 gallons - pulled taps after running out of firewood and time
2020
Built 2'x8' Oil Fired with Thor drop flue pans
-Goal: 20 gallons
-Season Total: 55 gallons
over .50 gpt in last 24hr now testing 2.2, still running hard, seeming like a fast and furious season, frost out in my fields, some mud drying up
figured i'd get a lot more sap over night than i did. it never really got going for me here despite being 40 most the day. it had been real cold here for 2-3 days, so hopefully the trees thaw out and pic up today!
Awfully thankful for an understanding wife!
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
- Vincent “Vince” Lombardi
Good luck to all!
Woke up to 2200 gallons in the tank. Sap now testing 2.2% which is a nice jump from yesterday. I think the big mama maples are kicking in with there high sugar. Right now sap is running 260 gph at 6:00am. Should be a good day. The sight level tube on my oil reclaimer has a pin hole. Oil is starting to drip slightly. Hoping it holds till freeze up tomorrow night. I hate to shut the pump down. Good luck everyone.
Spud
Had varying temps here. My (IBC) tank was 3/4 full already but my remote site with same tank and cold temps only had 50 gallons. Not disappointed though as those cold woods will be hammering the next couple of days. Will check SSC later and teport
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Mead Maple "It's for the kids..."
Paul Cerminara
2019 - First season ever
-Goal: 3 gallons
-Season Total: 7.5 gallons - pulled taps after running out of firewood and time
2020
Built 2'x8' Oil Fired with Thor drop flue pans
-Goal: 20 gallons
-Season Total: 55 gallons
Made 340 gal of syrup on Thurs (short boil).
Concentrated on Saturday so had 1,000 gal of 35 Brix concentrate in the bulk/overflow tank from Friday/Sat ready to boil. Sap started running mid-afternoon yesterday. Woke up to morning to 10,000 gal of sap (2.1-2.2 Brix) in the sap tanks (~2 gal/tap in 18 hrs). Looks like at least a moderate freeze last night (road was solid this morning), and the trees are really cranking right now. Wade started boiling a few hours ago...nice Amber/Rich with a really smooth flavor. Jed is trying to keep up with the trucking of sap from our remote site.
Only bad aspects are vacuum (low-mid 20s in both bushes) due to pump failure and da** squirrels (worst we've had in 20 yrs). Normally we'd have 4 pumps running, but only 2 going right now (one failed, VFD not right on another). Still have a couple of experiments to get deployed/started...hopefully by the end of this week.
Tapped a few trees on the east side this morning for an experiment....small ones were dripping a steady stream immediately. Larger trees were sluggish and dripping slowly. Warm weather today should get them ripping.
Overall though...it's going to be a good day.
Last edited by DrTimPerkins; 03-09-2020 at 10:27 AM.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
Absolutely huge day here. Trees didn't give much up yesterday but with mild temps were primed to let go today. At 1.5 gpt at all our tanks and expect better than 2 by gathering time tomorrow morning. Expect folks in the northern tier of VT have done pretty much the same. Big loads and muddy roads will give our new 3000 gallon sap truck its first real test. Gotta admit I'm a little nervous. Good luck everyone.
gathered 1gpt in the last 24 hr, testing just under 2%, 1.5 gpt in the last 48 hr( all gravity 3/16). I think all down hill from here, hope for a real good freeze this weekend, will be at .66 full crop after tomorrows boil, canned first dark robust today, sap still nice and clear.
Over 2 gpt in less than 24 hours here since the thaw on Sunday. Boiled today and made over 35 gal. AR. Looks like we're not having the best sugar content year here as still just under 2%. Sap still clear despite getting into the 60's today. We'll see what the next couple days bring....
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
Incredible run yesterday and overnight, tanks overflowing after emptying last night first time I've ever seen it happen!. Sugar content low average 1.5. the trees are really cranking collected just over 11k gallons in 36 hrs on 3500 taps!! Unbelievable run!!
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