Tapped in Southern Ohio

[Lazarus]

I hear ya. I pulled in about 225 gallons Friday night and another 75 on Sat. I had a lot of big runners that had blown down in the wind, but still not the bounty I was hoping for. I'm leaving mine up on most trees for a week more, but as the attached pic shows, another issue is brewing. Baaaaaaaad silvers!

20140315_180716.jpg

[newman_maple]

I haven't seen any buds like that yet on my trees, but I have some sapling silvers that are budding.

Monday Update: The freeze last night did get some of the taps running. I managed to get 65 gallons this evening. It isn't much, but with tomorrow's sap, I should get another 2 gallons of syrup. I will take it!

[Lazarus]

225 gallons tonight, but I feel like I'm really skating on thin ice with these buds. Might pull some of these guys after tomorrow. In truth, I've never let it go this close. I'm not entirely sure what buddy sap looks like, so I hope I catch it in time. So far the sap smells and tastes ok.

[buckeye gold]

I pulled taps today. I had a few trees that had sap that was kinda clear, but all the others were really cloudy and my last syrup was slightly off flavor. I made about 60% of my projection

[Lazarus]

Ok, I'm pulling taps on Saturday. It's starting to get real out there. My silver on the driveway has massive red buds, but a boil test still smells and tastes fine (how can that be?) They're about all drained out from that last freeze, and it looks like the next pop of good weather isn't until next week. I don't think these babies are going to hold back that long. Feel like I'm playing Russian roulette with 5 bullets in the chamber. Spring is clearly here.

[SevenCreeksSap]

Guys dont panic yet on the season, I think the red is the flower first. Silvers are the first to flower and probably bud, but look for the leaf bud. I just hate to think the season was this short, and you guys aren't that far south of me. I guess if the sap is bad, it's bad, but if its still good..........


Flowering and Fruit
ing:
Silver maple flowers in March
-
April
before the leaves, usually before red maple. All
flowers on one tree are nearly synchronous. Fruiting
occurs in April
-
June, maturing about 3 weeks after
pollination and all released over a short period, usually
less than 2 weeks
(Burns and Honkala, 1990).
The flowers are usually greenish or yellow from
reddish
buds, about
.2
inches
long, the male (staminate) flowers
fascicled, the female (pistillate) flowers in drooping
racemes, the flowers functionally male or female.
Individual trees commonly have all male or all female
flowers (the species essential
ly dioecious) or some trees
may have more of one type than the other, and scattered
flowers may be functionally bisexual (the species
technically polygamo
-
dioecious)
(Burns and

http://blekko.com/ws/silver+maple+flower+/images

[Tor Haxson]

I hear you Steubenville is not that far north.

My sap is probably still good. I hit my target of 6 gallons, double from last year.

A little tired of boiling. I might boil whatever is in my buckets and tanks that looks good.

I have found I can adjust the fire under my steam pans to get a pretty good boil, so I may go one more round.

--
Tor

[Lazarus]

Those are flowers? OK now I'm embarrassed. I always thought those were buds. Of course, I don't climb up there to look a lot. That would explain why the sap isn't bad yet. Near 70 degrees tomorrow and sap has stopped, but next week there are some low temps coming again. Maybe I should wait to pull?

[pepperfarms]

Hi guys, been following this thread closely (located in SE Ohio) and I too am torn as to whether to pull or not, temps look great for the next week, but not sure when the point of diminishing return starts........ I do really value all your thoughts as it helps give direction to my plans.

[Grand Square Acres]

I will not pulls taps until the sap starts to get cloudy. So far it is still running clear. But I think next week will be it, what a messed up season.