Time to start

[newman_maple]

Good luck with the surgery next week buckeye. I have had several surgeries over the past few years, but I have managed to work them around syruping. I wish you could stick it out through next week, but I understand. I know I have asked before, but where in Ross Co. are you? I am not up that way often, but occasionally.

[SWohio]

Sunday morning and the sap is starting to run. my 10 buckets did about 3 gal. yesterday and 3 more when I collected this morning. Taps thawing and just starting to run at 9 am today, so I expect a decent collection today. If the weather is right this run could continue through most of the week. A bit colder at the end of the week would be nice. This may be the season here.

[newman_maple]

I brought in 30 gallons yesterday afternoon and 45 around noon. I will collect again in a few hours. I have enough sap to boil for a few hours. The forecasts look pretty bad with warm nights. All I can do is hope for the best. Some of my north facing taps down the hillside have barely thawed so far so they should do well over the next 2-3 days. It looks to be our worst year to date following last year's poor totals. I have only boiled 500 gallons or so and usually hit 1500-2000 gallons of sap. SW, I think you might be right about this being it. This is the time of year we usually wind down, but we usually have had several weeks of sap runs by now.

[RC Maple]

Put my last few taps in on Saturday. I had almost enough sap to do a small boil on Sunday so I gathered Saturday evening. The didn't run much yet but just enough to feel good about lighting a fire. Boiled for a few hours yesterday to sweeten the pan. Since I didn't gather yesterday, with the conditions today it should be more fun gathering this afternoon. Happy boiling!

[newman_maple]

Between yesterday and today, I collected 250 gallons. The home trees are running slower now, but the hillside trees are still going strong. It is a swamp out there too. The forecast looks bad for another run so I need as much as I can get this week.

[SWohio]

This rain and warm weather has put the brakes on the run I had going here. I was hoping to keep it up through Thurs. but very little today. 2 gal. This year just not making not good for me. Putting my hopes on the last two weeks of March seems to be stretching wishful thinking. I have bees are gardens to think of also.

[buckeye gold]

Saturday through Monday were big runs for me. I had some help come in and I got two boils done. we gathered 150 gallons off the 80 taps left. I had the help pull all my taps yesterday and called it a season. This was the plan because of my surgery tomorrow; however, I think it was done after today anyway. All my trees are on a SE Facing slope and warm early. I was happy to make the 2.5 gallons the last couple days to finish a couple orders. I left the sweet and my last 20 gallons in the pan to spoil for cleaning. I am so glad I fall/early season tapped. I am thinking next year I will do a fall tapping on the coldest slope trees and then shift over to my warm slope trees for regular season. I have enough trees to do a full 75 to 100 each season. That gives me some Holiday syrup and is a nice buffer. It saved my butt this year.

[newman_maple]

Had a tough time getting out there today in the rain and mud. I collected 50 gallons and I doubt I will get 10 gallons tomorrow. I may not collect at all if the home trees look dry. I am at 820 gallons of sap which is several hundred below our lowest previous year. Accuweather shows good sap weather a week from now, but we have never had good sap here after the 15th so I am not hopeful. I am usually starting garden plants and prepping the raised beds by the 20th. My customer base continues to grow and my production is down. Not sure if I should raise my price or just keep a low profile... I like to carry over some for bad years, but the 5 gallons or so I have won't last long. I think I will just not try to sell much and keep my regulars happy.

[newman_maple]

I collected a surprising 90 gallons today. I guess the ground is thawing deeper and forcing some more sap. My far hillside trees have not performed as well as the home flat ground trees. I hope this means they will kick in for a last run. The forecast calls for 33 tonight. I hope it dips lower than that. I am at 910 gallons which is well below our lowest previous year. I have 35 gallons in the tank I have to keep until Friday evening. I hate keeping it with the high temps. I can't collect tomorrow so I hope Friday evening is a good one.

[SWohio]

I had a bit of a run yesterday. I did not collect, just looked in a couple buckets expecting nothing but there was some in them. I am hoping for another run today and will collect tonight. I finished a batch from the weekend/Mon. runs last night. 2.5 qt of nice syrup. I spent the evening checking bees. I lost one hive. I moved some frames of honey from the lost hive over to the one that is still going. Saw the queen. So I hope they use the new honey to hold on and get a good start. Cleaned the dead hive up a bit and will order a package of bees to go into that hive. Tonight back on the syrup. Hope to have enough to make it worthwhile to boil. Chin up and let's keep it going. maybe not so bad after all.