Never give an inch!!!!!,2014,,,,salisbury sugarworks

[Dill]

31 inches was the tally at the sugarhouse, I don't ever remember seeing that much snow at one time. We had 3 inches an hour all afternoon.

[Parker]

Been working on cleaning the pans for the last 5 hours,,the flue pan had a bunch of build up.filled it up with.permeate from the running r.o. while firing...had the draw on the syrup pan open..fun wacthing the crud dissolve...
Running 300 gph at rte 11 180 gph at sanborns.....crunching back into my raw sap tanks because one head tank is filled with concentrate,,the other has the contents of the flue pan.....interested to see the sugar content of the final pass when i put it upstairs

31 inches!!! That should help your season...

[Parker]

Well boiling 11% on a wood fired 5x16 is a rush....first lesson,,,dont get it too hot....second lesson, change sides after the first 50 gallons.....
Im going to need to get my old syrup pan out of the rafters and back into duty....i think changing pans and permating the dirty on is going to be critical if i go above 8%....the syrup pan cleaned up real nice but after the 90 gal in 5 hours (going real slow towards the end,,,small fire,,playing with the air) all on one side (not reversing the flow..i have some pan cleaning to do agine.....
The press only built 15lbs pressure without useing the bypass for 90 gal....think i could have got another 90 thru it...
Im excited to learn some new boiling tricks

So much fun

Over 50% of last year

Still have enough wood for anothe 1000 gal,,,,,2 spare membranes....and another 1500 to tap if i get to it
The sweet godess smiles down on her minions this year my friends

[Russell Lampron]

I'm over the half way point too. I feel that the real maple season hasn't gotten here yet and that I could be going for a record. I have enough wood to make 150 gallons left and can get more if I need to. I normally make less than 200 and only need to make 80 to match last years 184.

[Parker]

Well russ...i think we will have a good chance for some good sugaring weather...
Just back from hill,,,,,,not bad walking if you dont break thru the crust that is under 12 inches of powder...but step where there is a little tree or brush holding the crust and you are half way up your thigh...big snowbanks and narrow roads (try dropping that wing guys)....going to bring the tractor up there and open it up tommrow...looks like i have till thursday (anyways) befor it runs agine......woods dont look that bad..all the conductor line is up..really really happy i have this time...most years hill wont start running until sanborns is about done...im interested to see what happens this year...lots to do

Im looking for 4, 5'x2' cross flow pans...can be a littel beat up

[Parker]

Hmmm. I took the honda (new last year) off the vacuum pump in hill early this year because the honda at sanborns was acting up (old old very high hour moter)....im thinking im going to call the electric co. And see what it would cost to get the power turned on ( and what it would cost over the course of the year) at the old sugarhouse in hill and put an electric moter on that pump...might be eaiser

[Parker]

Got the sugarhouse in hill plowed out..made progress in the woods...tapping tommrow...a fresh 1400 will be nice....

[sugaringman85]

Surprised with this weather your not out in the woods chopping! Its just like mid winter out there! Deep snow, shoveling stumps, frozen ground. Won't last long so I'm taking advantage while we can. 1400 fresh holes certainly will help the sap quantity as things open up the end of this week and the beginning of the second half of our season! Good luck and keep on grinding!

[Parker]

Ha,,thanks,,i have a hard time logging during the season,,mental issues arise.....
12 deg here this a.m Started the pumps at 11 when it got up to 30..shut them off at 7..got 300 is gal. High of 40 deg
Making progress in hill...got a bunch of syrup jugged up

[Parker]

Wow...the legs are feelin it...about 2 feet of snow still in hill..i have about 700 tapped with 20 inches of vac. on them...cant belueve how hard they ran today when i was tapping and fixing....
Got about 2000 gal today
I woke up at 5 and stuck my head outside to find it above freezing,,by 5 30 i had rte 11 going...16 inches of vac...i have been reading about folks having spiles push off,,but,,my t's pushed apart,,,,,5 lines apart
Off to sanborns and 18 inches,,,2 lines apart
Russel (i have some help trucking and jugging now) showed up and hauled sap
Thru 3 parts handa moters in the truck with releaser ,,,had that going by 1...no vac...fixed things until dark,,,,,lots of bear chews in the hainline...a few missed taps
Now comes the crunch,,,i have sap to boil and maple weekend..and 700 more to tap in hill (the steep part)
Lots to do
Off to truck some sap...