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Thread: Vernon County

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Viroqua, WI
    Posts
    62

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    Hi Irish Ridge... That'll work just fine. Thanks!

    2014 - Cinder block fire box, 2 roaster pans (thanks Mom), mix of 11 red and sugar maples tapped, 1.75G syrup.
    2015 - Same fire box reconfigured for Smoky Lake 24" x 33" pan. 17 taps on 16 trees with tubing to 5 gal buckets. 114g sap down to 2 3/4g
    beautiful syrup.
    2016 - Cinder block fire box is holding up fine. 20 taps, 155 G sap, 3.37G syrup. Great fun with friends.
    2017 - 21 taps on 5 gallon buckets. Good sap runs and reached my goal of producing 5 G syrup.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Wisconsin -Vernon County
    Posts
    43

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    Thanks Mr. Sugar Maple - I'll post once I get home - no internet access at the "farm" - which is not a bad thing - Good Luck Everyone.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    West branch Kickapoo River Valley, Southwestern Wisconsin
    Posts
    192

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    Saturday March 13th Well I am back from the sugar bush, Saturday morning I went up top to wash out our two 100 gallon tanks. Found the snow fleas found there way in thru the vented lids.that was fun to do Ha Ha. Then went to gather sap what a bust, only 15 gallons from 200 trees.This extended warm weather does not produce sap from maples, but sure does produce MUD MUD and more Mud. The ridge road was all MUD my 4 wheeler and trailer created multiple ruts.Worried about erosion now, Sunday March 14th I tried to haul snow up top to replenish snow by the tanks, could not make the hill too much MUD. Then cleaned our dry wash valley ditch from downed tree limbs, I like keep it open for floods do not want log jams re routing the water. A syrup maker on highway 56 between Viola and Richland Center was not cooking syrup, guess I am not the only one. Tommore 30 how did your weekend go?
    12x16 Sugar House 2x6 Maple Pro wood fired evaporator Arctic Cat 4x4 1980 Snowmobile 225 taps on buckets 17 Taps on 3/16th tubing on steep hillside

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Wisconsin -Vernon County
    Posts
    43

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    Mr. Sugar Maple,
    Don't know what just happened to my reply. Anyway, mud here too -took more than one good slip & fall on the slopes. Tapped 4 big old maples on south ravine Saturday and they were flowing! my other 20 taps from last week had about a pint or so of sap in some, nothing in others. I think the roots are just waking up now. Spent the weekend making firewood, setting the blocks and iron stand for pan. Made a yoke - forgot to take picture -will do so next weekend. Watched a herd of 35,...yes 35, deer walk, not run, from me over to the neighbors. No wonder every tree I plant gets devoured - even with cages around them. Next weekend (I only have weekends) 2 daughters coming to boil with me. Good Luck!
    Tom

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Viroqua, WI
    Posts
    62

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    I collected 9 gallons from 15 taps between 3/10 and 3/14, then another 6 gallons on 3/15 which seemed to be the fastest running day. Slowed down again on 3/16. I and friends did a small batch on 3/15, not enough sap to justify using my new 24" x 33" pan so used the small roaster pan again this year. It works quite well and with a cinderblock fire box its pretty easy to move a few blocks around to accommodate the smaller pan. I ended up with about 5 cups of really nice syrup. At that, it was about a 50:1 ratio. A LOT of work in the woods this year trying to get around in all that mud. Talked to a few others in southern Vernon county who have more experience than I who also aren't getting much sap and unsure of what this week will bring. Temps were in the high 60s on 3/16 which made for a very pleasant day of fishing on Tainter Creek:-). Back to work today. Praying that the trees will run fast this week and have enough to do a boil on Saturday when more friends are coming out. -LuAnn

    2014 - Cinder block fire box, 2 roaster pans (thanks Mom), mix of 11 red and sugar maples tapped, 1.75G syrup.
    2015 - Same fire box reconfigured for Smoky Lake 24" x 33" pan. 17 taps on 16 trees with tubing to 5 gal buckets. 114g sap down to 2 3/4g
    beautiful syrup.
    2016 - Cinder block fire box is holding up fine. 20 taps, 155 G sap, 3.37G syrup. Great fun with friends.
    2017 - 21 taps on 5 gallon buckets. Good sap runs and reached my goal of producing 5 G syrup.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    West branch Kickapoo River Valley, Southwestern Wisconsin
    Posts
    192

    Default

    Wednesday March 18th I went over to our sugar bush to empty the old sap before today's warm up, at 8:00 am temp was 22 degrees by the sugar house. I went up top and the tap's started to run about 10:00 am and ran fast. So I am hopeful the pails will be full when we return.I could hear red winged black birds in the marsh,another sign the season is moving along. Last year my records show the birds returned on March 22nd. also the MUD wasn't as bad.keep the faith!
    12x16 Sugar House 2x6 Maple Pro wood fired evaporator Arctic Cat 4x4 1980 Snowmobile 225 taps on buckets 17 Taps on 3/16th tubing on steep hillside

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Wisconsin -Vernon County
    Posts
    43

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    Collected 20 gallons Saturday 3/21 from 24 taps. Some trees had several gallons, some had none, most had a pint, from a week in the woods. One tree at home produced almost 15 gallons. Still optimistic.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    West branch Kickapoo River Valley, Southwestern Wisconsin
    Posts
    192

    Default

    Well my son and I went over on Saturday morning to our sugar bush to gather sap, The weather was sunny calm and warm. We gathered 145 gallons from 200 trees, all but a few had some sap, half pints to 2 gallons. with the stored sap our total was 180 gallons.We started the evaporator at 1:00 it took 100 gallons to make sweet water, then made 2 gallons of medium to dark amber syrup. The taste was great. Sunday morning we took a long hike checking out future maples yo tap, 11:30 started for home.
    12x16 Sugar House 2x6 Maple Pro wood fired evaporator Arctic Cat 4x4 1980 Snowmobile 225 taps on buckets 17 Taps on 3/16th tubing on steep hillside

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Prairie du Chien, WI
    Posts
    201

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    Tuesday, March 24th, Vernon County friends I am wishing you the success I enjoyed as I gathered sap today. 49 out of 50 trees now playing ball. 46 gallons collected and who knows how much ice I tossed out of each bucket. My guess is at least 2 or 3 gallons total from the buckets. Snow was 14 inches deep and a pain. I need to cut the width of my yoke. It worked great today except for catching on a few small trees. I realized that the cross piece only has to be a bit wider than than my shoulders. May you find abundant sap on your next walk in the woods. And that is the story from Irish Ridge, Crawford County.
    Last edited by Irish Ridge; 03-25-2015 at 06:18 AM.
    2019 47 taps and 10.75 gallons of syrup
    2020 45 taps and 21.25 gallons of syrup
    2021 50 taps and 13.5 gallons of syrup
    2022 50 taps and 18.5 gallons of syrup
    2023 49 taps and 18 gallons of syrup
    2024 49 taps and 9.75 gallons of syrup

    56 acres above the Mississippi River in SW Wisconsin
    43.01N

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Viroqua, WI
    Posts
    62

    Default

    Thanks for the updates! I cannot wait to get over there to check on my trees Friday night. Hope all 5 gallon buckets are overflowing!

    2014 - Cinder block fire box, 2 roaster pans (thanks Mom), mix of 11 red and sugar maples tapped, 1.75G syrup.
    2015 - Same fire box reconfigured for Smoky Lake 24" x 33" pan. 17 taps on 16 trees with tubing to 5 gal buckets. 114g sap down to 2 3/4g
    beautiful syrup.
    2016 - Cinder block fire box is holding up fine. 20 taps, 155 G sap, 3.37G syrup. Great fun with friends.
    2017 - 21 taps on 5 gallon buckets. Good sap runs and reached my goal of producing 5 G syrup.

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