Tapping when?
Looking at the long range forecast we going to have plenty of snow and cold up here in northern Indiana...to put off tapping 'till the second week of February...no January tapping for me this year. Which is fine by me, gives me more time to get ready. When do you think you will be tapping?
2016:100 taps added a JD 1023 sub compact tractor
2015:break (new baby)
2014: 70 taps, replaced my concrete arch with a manufactured
2013: Added 15 more taps and a 18x24 warming pan
2012 : 36 Taps, 2x4 divided pan on a concrete arch
2006-07: Assisted an 'Old Timer' with 200 tapps, and his wood fired evaporator up in Wis.
1986-1993: 5 taps, Boiled on a wood stove in Northern Mich.
I see the same here in central Ohio. I may tap the first week of February, but that depends on the temperatures.
Leader 1/2 pint - Kawasaki Mule - Smoky Lake Filter Bottler
24 GPH RO, 2 1/2 x 40 NF3 (NF270), 140 GPH (Brass with no relief valve ) ProCon pump
2013 - 44 taps - 16 gallons syrup, 2014 - 109 taps - 26 gallons syrup
2015 - 71 taps - 13.5 gallons syrup, 2016 - 125 taps - 24.25 gallons syrup
2017 - 129 taps - 17.5 gallons syrup, 2018 - 128 taps- 18 gallons syrup
2019 -130 taps - 18.5 gallons syrup, 2020 ~125 taps-19.75 gallons syrup
I started tapping about a week or so ago, only 16 taps total. But the past two days everything has been frozen and no sap was flowing. I collect in milk jugs, each of my jugs have about an inch and a half of ice in the bottom.
Starting Monday its early but it takes month to everything tapped it supposed to be real cold next week I Dont expect any sap till the middle to third week in February.
Anyone else in northern IN thinking about tapping this week?
2016:100 taps added a JD 1023 sub compact tractor
2015:break (new baby)
2014: 70 taps, replaced my concrete arch with a manufactured
2013: Added 15 more taps and a 18x24 warming pan
2012 : 36 Taps, 2x4 divided pan on a concrete arch
2006-07: Assisted an 'Old Timer' with 200 tapps, and his wood fired evaporator up in Wis.
1986-1993: 5 taps, Boiled on a wood stove in Northern Mich.
I was planning to get things going later this week but it looks like this little warm up is short lived up here in the north western part of the state. We'll see if things thaw out anytime soon.
Here in the west-central part of the state, I'm planning to tap-in this weekend. This evening I tapped a hard maple that catches some sun and she is running at a good clip, a drip every 3 seconds. I measured sugar content with a cheap refractometer. 2.2 %
I also went down to the bottoms and drilled a hole in a couple of box elder trees. They are still froze, no drips.
Last year we tapped January 20th, so this year we are almost a month later. I guess we see what Mother Nature has in store.
2011 19 taps, 5 gallons of syrup
Moved from turkey fryers to barrel stove.
A copy of the North American Maple Manual.
"2012 in the book" 85 taps, new 24"X60" rig 5" drop flue, made 15 gallons
2013 75 buckets and bags, 50 taps on tubing= 32.6875 gallons in glass.
http://s1129.photobucket.com/albums/...%20rig%202011/
I went ahead and tapped a couple dozen, it's suppose to cool down by Sunday, so I'll tap the rest the week after next when it warms up again. It's running at least a good month late if not more than recent years. Or maybe its running normal and we've been spoiled by warmer weather the last couple years
2016:100 taps added a JD 1023 sub compact tractor
2015:break (new baby)
2014: 70 taps, replaced my concrete arch with a manufactured
2013: Added 15 more taps and a 18x24 warming pan
2012 : 36 Taps, 2x4 divided pan on a concrete arch
2006-07: Assisted an 'Old Timer' with 200 tapps, and his wood fired evaporator up in Wis.
1986-1993: 5 taps, Boiled on a wood stove in Northern Mich.
I collected nearly 18 gallons from 19 taps this evening, and got 14 gallons last night. Should be boiling this weekend, using the batch method.
I only got 2 gallons from 10 taps. Still seemed kind of cold at that location.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote