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Thread: Gonna Be A Late Season

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Perrysville, Ohio
    Posts
    15

    Default Gonna Be A Late Season

    Looking like its going to be a late season here in Perrysville, Ohio. Just checked out the 10 day forecast and it's calling for below freezing temps.
    Shaping up to be a repeat of last year.
    1st year 10 trees tapped. Boiled in Copper Kettle. Made 1 3/4 gallon syrup
    2nd year 30 trees tapped. Boiling in a Leader Half Pint
    2015 40 trees tapped. Started with 30 and added 10 more. Imagine that, a Maple Syrup maker adding more taps.
    2016 40 trees
    And the Addiction still grows

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Marysville, Ohio
    Posts
    663

    Default

    Looks that way. I tapped on January 20th based on the "then" long range forecast and sap has only flowed twice. I guess it's three weeks in March again this year.
    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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    SW Ohio
    Posts
    197

    Default

    We made a mere 20 gallons between late January and first week in February. Shut down since then. While the sugarhouse has been kept at 35-40 degrees, I'm uncomfortable letting the pans sit full this long for spoilage, so I'm calling it for this batch. I'm boiling off everything in the big evaporator this weekend. I have a little 3x2 hobby pan I can set up in the yard to boil off the 50-60 gallons of half made stuff sitting in the big evaporator. I wanted to do it last weekend but the temps were so cold I didn't think I could get a fire going hot enough to open boil in the yard. Now we got snow coming but maybe on Sunday I can cook it all off. Then I'm seriously holding my breath for March - it's usually 80 degrees here in March and it's over, so we might have lost a season if we don't manage a very slow warm-up.

    To give you an idea of how cold it's been, I had to rescue one of our Muscovy ducks off the pond earlier this week. She was absolutely coated in ice and unable to fly, although she was still pretty speedy and it took a lot of effort to catch her, including a chilly dip in the pond myself. She would have died in the subzero weather we got in the past few days. She's nestled in a big wire dog crate in our heated sunroom, sitting out the rest of the cold weather.
    -Laz
    _________________________
    Off vacuum and back to bags in 2023!
    8000 saplings planted and growing
    Leader 2x6 Oil-Fired, Revolution Pans

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    troy, ohio
    Posts
    224

    Default

    I'm with you guys. Tapped early in anticipation of early season. Made seven gallons and now all I do is chomp at the bit for a warm up
    2021
    2x8 CDL raised flue w/ hoods
    SMOKY LAKE SS filter press
    825i JD gator
    400 taps and growing
    SL steam bottler
    250 CDL RO

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default

    Now I'm glad I tapped early and made that early syrup. I'm just an hour east of Lazarus and in the same boat. It looks like cold until the second week of March then the blow torch comes on. I had high hopes of being done by early March, because I have surgery coming up most likely mid March, then I'm done period. I made 9+ gallons before the deep freeze hit.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Loudonville, Ohio
    Posts
    112

    Default

    So much for that Feb 21 tap date Bret. I am modifying my back pan, so this extra time is helpful.
    2013 Block arch 3 steamtable pans, 18 taps
    2014 Oil "Tankenstein" evaporator 45 taps so far
    2015 75 taps of buckets and bags
    2016 240 taps on bags, custom arch, 2x5 hybrid. 18.5 gallons syrup
    2017 200 taps on 3/16 gravity lines. No bags

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Perrysville, Ohio
    Posts
    15

    Default

    I intend to tap Saturday February 28th. I think and hope that it's going to start to warm up a bit. Also I'm going to a Honey Bee Conference the following weekend so I won't be able to tap then. So you gotta do it when you can. lol
    1st year 10 trees tapped. Boiled in Copper Kettle. Made 1 3/4 gallon syrup
    2nd year 30 trees tapped. Boiling in a Leader Half Pint
    2015 40 trees tapped. Started with 30 and added 10 more. Imagine that, a Maple Syrup maker adding more taps.
    2016 40 trees
    And the Addiction still grows

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Loudonville, Ohio
    Posts
    112

    Default

    Bret,
    Which honeybee convention are you gong to? I am going to the one at OARDC in wayne county. Dont remember the dates though, I think in the next few weeks.
    2013 Block arch 3 steamtable pans, 18 taps
    2014 Oil "Tankenstein" evaporator 45 taps so far
    2015 75 taps of buckets and bags
    2016 240 taps on bags, custom arch, 2x5 hybrid. 18.5 gallons syrup
    2017 200 taps on 3/16 gravity lines. No bags

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Marysville, Ohio
    Posts
    663

    Default

    Looks like I might as well try bees too. This long range forecast looks like a bust this year for maple syrup...maybe 1/2 as much syrup as last year if I'm lucky.
    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

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Perrysville, Ohio
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Todd,
    I'm going to the TCBA annual Spring Beekeeping Workshop in Wooster. It's March 6 -7th. I'll be attending on the 7th. They've been having this workshop for 37 years. Very informative and fun. You can register online @ http://www.tricountybeekeepers.org/register . They get lots of people that want to attend and have to limit the size to 1000 attendees. If you want to attend you better get registered. Maybe I'll see you there.

    ps: I think this is the same one as you mentioned.
    1st year 10 trees tapped. Boiled in Copper Kettle. Made 1 3/4 gallon syrup
    2nd year 30 trees tapped. Boiling in a Leader Half Pint
    2015 40 trees tapped. Started with 30 and added 10 more. Imagine that, a Maple Syrup maker adding more taps.
    2016 40 trees
    And the Addiction still grows

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