Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[spud]

Sap is running 105 gph and testing 1.3%. The wind is not helping. Tomorrow should be better.

Spud

[spud]

Only went down to 34 last night. I woke up to 1200 gallons in the tank. Should have a bunch of freezing nights next week if we can make it. I’m still getting 1.3% as of this morning.

Spud

[drewlamb]

Anyone else seeing the long range forecast models that show a significant cool down next weekend? Perhaps low 20s or even upper teens for us here. Hoping the trees can hold on through this mild stretch. Red maple buds are looking super plump, but sugars look just fine. After all, it's only early April! Last year we made DR on 4/18, and typically go to mid-April.

Boiled 3 days in a row last Tues-Thur and made our first DR. Sugar down to 1.5 and 1.6 from two collection areas. Headed out now to collect >1gpt from last two days. At 0.33 gpt for the season, which is just below average crop for us. If we can get to our goal of 1000 gallons, we'll be right at 0.4.

Love boiling in these milder temps as the season winds down. Good luck to everyone with what's left.

[blissville maples]

Loving the cool no sun weather, no freezes since Tuesday but sap coming in around 3/4 gallon tap per day and not spoiling. Sugar has stayed near 1.2 since last week's 6 freezing nights, most I've seen in a row!!

Should be just about tied with last year's syrup totals after today's boil, getting some nice dark robust. Hoping to make it thru the week anyways depending how warm and sunny it gets. The sun really kills the sap quality.

Replaced nearly half my drops this year- what an amazing difference, best production I've seen out of anything I've tried. Have trees running like day 1 still. Couple Bush will be well over 30gpt by the end, too bad wasn't 2% sugar!!

Westford- what's your sap gpt run on a good run in January vs March/April? Also what does running well mean? I agree with general you have some taphole drying. Take one tree or a couple and drill a new hole as an experiment, I know I'll never tap early after trying this the other year, just not enough sap and hate to think my tapholes aren't 100% when march comes. Many things influence this, I've seen new drops running great and next tree new drop has slowed Soo....hard to determine exactly what is causing this but know things are closing up obviously. The sap is in there, just not coming out of hole!!

I'm hopefully going to add 2 to 4000 TAPS in the next 2 years wasn't sure if I could handle it all however after this year I determined this... As long as you have 6 weeks of run weather you will reach a full crop off a taphole. I believe you could tap half your taps say 3500 the second week of February those trees by April would be winding down and had given you their crop. During those six weeks there is plenty of time freeze ups and such to have your other 3000 taps tapped by the second week of March. You would then have another 3000 taps that are flowing at 100% 1-2 gallons per tap per day, and just as long as the weather didn't spoil it you would make a whole nother crop off that second tapping, while not overtaking your equipment.

As I paid attention over the last couple years tapping time is very important it must coincide with how many taps you are running and the right weather, and I think it's really the weather spoiling the sap is what we're dealing with, you can make beautiful syrup in April as long as the sap is good.

[spud]

Blissville that’s exciting to hear your still getting sap in southern Vermont. We have several people in my border town that have pulled the plug for the season. Most are at lower elevations. As a sap seller I’m at the mercy of my buyer. When he is done I’m done. As of now we plan to go another week or better as long as the trees don’t quit. Good luck down south.

Spud

[Mead Maple]

Trees here are still running, and running hard today. I am all done but bringing sap over to a friend.


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[Ultimatetreehugger]

4000 gallons today. Micro freeze in my woods last night made it a hard run today. 39000 gallons so far this year. My poor dump truck was gripeing at me the last two days for making it haul 312000 pounds of sap on muddy back roads. My trees aren't even swollen yet so we will carry on hopefully into next week. Be sweet my friends!

[GeneralStark]

I turned off the vacuum pump yesterday at about noon after the last sap I had collected since the last boil on Tuesday went through the RO. Boiled about 1900 gal and made about 15 gal. of VD. Extracted as much syrup from the evaporator as I felt necessary given the situation and made another 15 gal. of DR. Ok tasting syrup with a slight lingering aftertaste which is a sign of what's to come. That and the sap to syrup ratio of about 126:1 (.7 ssc) confirmed my suspicion that it was a good time to stop...

Ended up at .41 gpt for syrup and about 32 gpt for sap. Average sap to syrup ratio was about 78:1 which is below average here as was my syrup production.

Started the clean up today and hope to wrap that up asap. I need to transition the sugarhouse to retail mode, fill some bourbon barrels that were just delivered and wrap up a custom label graphic design project. Lots of uncertainty with how farmer's markets here and in Boston are going to work out this season, as well as with other sales outlets so need to work on some details related to some alternate options. Also seems like a good year to get an early start on planting the greenhouse and garden in hopes of putting up a bunch of food.

Good luck to everyone else still at it. Looks like some cooler weather coming for the northern folks. It was sunny and almost 60 today here with a couple more warm days on tap. The peepers are screaming here tonight...

[blissville maples]

Blissville that’s exciting to hear your still getting sap in southern Vermont. We have several people in my border town that have pulled the plug for the season. Most are at lower elevations. As a sap seller I’m at the mercy of my buyer. When he is done I’m done. As of now we plan to go another week or better as long as the trees don’t quit. Good luck down south.

Spud

Really didn't think it was going to last this long but that freezing spell other week really helped out with flowand sugar content. It brought the sap back to clear and we hit Amber for another couple days.

I'll be turning the pumps off this afternoon and boil off what's left. I'm really surprised the flavor hasn't tumbled worse than it has. Getting ready for some spring time!!

Boiled off 3600 gallons yesterday and made 55 gals dark robust almost strong flavor but nice color. Outs us at 1546 for the year- 6 gals behind last year, been alot of work with all the extra water but I'm happy with the crop.

Be careful of ticks everybody apparently they don't even need to be on you for more than a few hours. I've been bit by 20 or 30 ticks in my day always get them off in the first few hours never had an issue. Woke up yesterday morning with a sore spot on my abdomen no tick but a tick bite started to get a bullseye- got some doxycycline hopefully that will kick in. if you ever get bit and go to the doctor don't ever let them talk you into waiting to see if you get symptoms, you tell them it's my body and I want antibiotics now as it won't hurt if used correctly.

[spud]

In the last 24 hours I have gotten 1000 gallons. I noticed that the sugar was at 1.4% after being 1.3% for a few days. A short freeze 3-5 hours is coming tonight. I think we should be able to go till next weekend.

Spud