Vernon County

[lulugrein]

What a busy week! Early in the week I gathered 64 gallons from 21 trees that had collected over a 3 day period. A pretty good rate I think. Carrying full 5 gallon buckets out of the woods is a chore! Not ready to purchase an ATV just yet though. Weather was great for a cooking outside on 3/9 and 3/11. Came up with various new sugaring terms as we boiled into the wee hours of the night on Saturday. Did final processing on Sunday morning in the warmth of the cabin and in good company with friends who, as I, wanted nothing more than to lounge around. No buckets to empty as what little of frozen sap in there was best left in place to hold buckets down and prevent spoiling of sap that I hope will fill up in the buckets later in the week. I learned more this season about best way to process/filter and have produced some really nice syrup so far. I'm too embarrassed to say what lessons I've learned but suffice to say that an orlon filter and coffee urn have saved my life. Friends just couldn't get enough of the whole back story and process around sugaring. Cheers to all for keeping this tradition going!!

[lulugrein]

Got it. I didn't realize it took so much to sweeten up the pans with bigger operations like yours. In the end, its not going to waste and that is all that matters.

Hi Lulugrein, sweet water question The first time we flood our evaporator with sap it tales about 100 gallons or so to sweeten up the system before we start getting maple off the finish pan. then at the end of the day when we run out of fresh sap, we drain the pans into buckets for the next run. then pour the sweet water back into the evaporator, that way we start making syrup almost right away. at the end of the season I take the 25 gallons of sweet water home and finish it, makes about two gallons of syrup.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Saturday march 11 arrived at our land 7.30 am 10 degrees so my son and I found the bulk tank sap at 37 degrees. started evaporating 8.30, then I went up top to hook up my full 65 gallon gathering tank and trailer,Well the load shifted tipped back and slid half way out breaking off the ball valve. lucky for me the thing was frozen up tight . took my son and I an hour to get the tank into the trailer and pull it down to pump out by sugar house, cooked until 4.00 then took the generator and a hair dryer to thaw out two ball valves on two 100 gal tanks. when we could turn the valve then had to pound a rod thru the ice to open them up to drain down to the bulk tank by the sugar house. On the second tank slush got down the line and froze up solid, no more main line until the thaw comes.so that left two 55 gallon tanks, full wonder how much ice is in them now? cooked until 9.30 then cool down, clean up which made for a late bunk time. Sunday March 12 Sunny 12 degrees still have 220 gallons sap to cook started 8.15 cooked until 3.00 pm made a total of 14 gallons syrup this weekend. got home before the snow moved in. Looks like Friday 17 Saturday 18 Sunday 19 will be great sap runs once the trees thaw out Sap On

[lulugrein]

Hi Tom.. havent heard much from Vernon county. Wondering if you still have taps in and how the sap is running. Its been a great season so far over on McGraw creek. Friends helped split more wood this past weekend and I have 55 gallons stored up and expect as much when I get back there in a few days. That equals 2 long days and late nights of boiling on my little set up. Hope to round up more friends to come over and sit in the sap sauna and bow to the cinder block fire box (every 15 minutes. Weather is not looking ideal so we're working on an upgrade to the outdoor set up that mostly involves a lot of tarp. We do what we must to carry on the tradition!

Tapped my usual 30 trees today - 15 on the ridge, 15 below. Sap flowing strong. Great day. Can't wait to boil!
Tom

[Irish Ridge]

Hi lulugrein...I agree, haven't heard much from Vernon County. Last I heard was frozen ball valves and lots of ice. I smiled when I read about your tarp solution because I had put up 4X8 sheets of plywood to make a wind break around me for a few days with all of the wind. Yesterday I finished power washing about 60 plastic buckets. Everything is put away and my season has ended. It was a very nice one for me - no runs that overwhelmed me, just a steady flow with a few slow downs giving me time to stay caught up with "finishing" inside.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Hi guys am still alive, Saturday march18 my son and i arrived at the sugar bush 7.30am sunny cool we went up top to gather sap, got about 220 gallons. Started the evaporator 11:15 cooked that plus 100 gal that was frozen last weekend, finished 7:30 pm cool down clean up bunk time 9.30.Sunday morning March 19 we went up to gather but what little ran Saturday aft was frozen so he went home. I stayed to clean in the sugar house and also made two trips up top with stored snow to go around two 100 gal tanks. our valley road was a challenge with all the mud, good thing for chains on the four wheeler. at 4:00 friend John came, we went up top and gathered 200 gal sap, done by 6:30 hot dogs, chips, for supper bunk time 9:00. only one peeper in the marsh more to come soon. Monday March 20 up 6:30 clear 30 degrees, started the evaporator 8:40 am cooked till 1:40 made 4.5 gal syrup. Total for weekend about 13 gal syrup. John went home,I cleaned up the sugar house then at 4:00 went back up top to,gather got 160 gal put in my snow cooled tanks, back to my pick up at 8;00 pm more peepers to night but the day was a warm 60 degrees. got home 9:45 pm. Back to work Tuesday oh boy. Plan to go back Friday March 24th to gather for the weekend, forecast looks like this may be it for the season.

[Irish Ridge]

Great update Mr. Sugar Maple. Was wondering what was going on your way. It sure has been an interesting season for you. Perhaps I should have stretched my season a bit. Not looking back though - too many spring projects that really need to be done. I remember the days when I traveled back and forth to our land here where we eventually built. The drive was a pain but staying in our cabin (now our sugar shack) was always nice. One thing I noticed this year was that once the snow left the wet leaves and wet dirt never really went away. Slipping and sliding all season as I collected sap. Have a good Friday, hopefully not raining on you.

[lulugrein]

This is my best year so far. Many trees have been running fast and buckets are usually overflowing when I get there to check on Friday nights. Sad that a single drop would go to waste but who can ever predict how fast they are going to run (or when to pencil in vacation dates for that matter. I'll be boiling Sun-Tues to get through all the sap thats been collecting over past 2 weeks. Tuesday looks like its going to be a nice day and that seems like a good day to call it for the season.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Back from Vernon county, I gathered about 200 gallons of sap on Friday afternoon, On Saturday morning my son came to help cook we had 360 total gal sap to cook. started at 9.15 cooked it all by 8.15 pm had 8.25 gallons of syrup, was a 10 pm bunk time that day. sap still tested at 2 percent, was that all season. yes the mud and greasy ground was fun carrying 5 gallon buckets of sap, with the mild extended forecast guess we will call it a season. total gallons of syrup about 43. not too bad for a strange weather pattern this spring.will go back this Tuesday and Wednesday to pull taps and buckets, wash all tanks, roll up the mainline and pull the 4 wheeler home. heard a gobbler sat morning up by our small apple orchard, saw deer, heard two owls calling each other, one thing our squirrel population has vanished wonder if the owls are feasting on them. The west branch of the Kickapoo river bottom marsh land by us has quite a few sand hill cranes and geese, keeps the whole experience over there interesting. may check in again otherwise have a great year and May God Bless your family. At Irish Ridge.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Back from Vernon county, I gathered about 200 gallons of sap on Friday afternoon, On Saturday morning my son came to help cook we had 360 total gal sap to cook. started at 9.15 cooked it all by 8.15 pm had 8.25 gallons of syrup, was a 10 pm bunk time that day. sap still tested at 2 percent, was that all season. yes the mud and greasy ground was fun carrying 5 gallon buckets of sap, with the mild extended forecast guess we will call it a season. total gallons of syrup about 43. not too bad for a strange weather pattern this spring.will go back this Tuesday and Wednesday to pull taps and buckets, wash all tanks, roll up the mainline and pull the 4 wheeler home. heard a gobbler sat morning up by our small apple orchard, saw deer, heard two owls calling each other, one thing our squirrel population has vanished wonder if the owls are feasting on them. The west branch of the Kickapoo river bottom marsh land by us has quite a few sand hill cranes and geese, keeps the whole experience over there interesting. may check in again otherwise have a great year and May God Bless your family.