Vernon County

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Hi fellow sappers, I went over Friday aft March 25th what a day, wind advisory for up to 50 mph gusts.with snow squalls. And there was plenty of both, the ground was white again trees bending over like I walk.But I did get my top tanks drained down to the big tank by sugar house. Sap tested at 2.5 percent. Saturday my son and I cooked 210 gal down to 6 gal syrup.he went home, and me well its clean up time YES finished that at 6:30 back to the cabin for time by the wood burner and supper. Sunday the 27th 17 degrees sunny and still a steady breeze out there. Went up top to empty old off color frozen sap from the buckets. Each one had about one quart inside. ready to see what the warm up brings this week, our syrup is quite dark this season where most seasons we make light to medium amber. Saw 3 deer running full out dont know what spooked them. God Bless.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Wow five days at the sugar bush, arrived Thursday March 31st had snow squalls with a covering of snow again. Gathered 540 gal sap with 70 in the tubing tank. took 7.5 hrs what a day, flurries steady cold wind up top. Friday April 1st 22 degrees will cook all day myself, cooked until 6 then cool down clean up.Made 7.75 gal dark syrup. then pumped two tanks into the big tank for Saturday.When I went down to the cabin I heard the first Peepers in the marsh,Saturday April 2nd woke up to 2-3 inches snow My son came and we cooked until 6:15 cool down clean up. The syrup was medium amber lighter color and taste the previous days? we made 9.75 gal syrup. Sunday April 3rd we gathered again every 3 trees was two full buckets to dump. took us 4.5 hrs got 550 gal sap and more in the tubing tank. he went home at 1 so I made three trips up top to get more firewood, think its dry enough to burn. were short a full days worth of wood.More peepers now, Monday April 4th I gathered all things for home will return asap to work on the stored 600 gals. saw 4 deer by sugar house, had a loud pack of coyotes sat night lots of geese in the marsh.God Bless.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Four more days under our belt, arrived Friday April 8th had an inch of new snow on the ground at home, but as I went west the snow all but disappeared.Spent three hours splitting more wood, had some dry elm and maple. Checked the buckets up top ,sap inside was off color or spoiled. Saturday April 9th morning temp was 24 degrees so got up at five am went up top with a headlamp to empty all the buckets for a fresh run of sap. 7:30 my son came we cooked the first half of stored sap until 7pm, more clean up hit the bunks at 10. Sunday April 10th we started evaporating at 8am finished at 4pm. we made 18 gal of dark amber syrup this weekend. I did the clean up he went home, then went up top to check on that expected run but found an average of 2or3 inches in the buckets.Monday April 11th the original plan was for more sap gathering but thats a no go so decided to call it a season. Got my 800ft mainline rolled up, packed things up for home. Season was above our average by 6 gallons for a total total of 54.5 gal some medium but most dark amber. Still need to go back and pull taps haul buckets down, wash all tanks pull tubing taps flush the line, saw deer at the bird feeder, heard a rooster Pheasant in the marsh along with peepers in force. God Bless.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Thought I would say hi everyone, tapped my back yard maple this afternoon February 7th on the north side of the tree and found it dripping. But still plan on the usual date of February 25th-26th. Sure has been a strange winter hear in Lodi. God Bless'

[Irish Ridge]

All I can do is read reports for the next week or so. I don't return from my winter migration for another week. Hopefully I will have my taps in by the 15th. Looking forward to an interesting season. in 2016 I tapped on Feb 14th with sap running and in 2017 tapped on Feb. 11 with taps running. If I was home I believe that I would be tapping, probably with success. Will share more in a week.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Hi everyone, traveled over to the land on Saturday Feb 18th have 230 buckets -lids along. Snow cover was sparse so glad to have the 4 wheeler to get things up top.There was 3-4 inches of snow in the valley shade, that went from snow to ice to bare ground as I went up. Placed my top tanks in their place but could not cover them with snow, that is a first for me in 13 years of sugaring. Saw two deer, heard lots of geese also. Stayed over and Sunday I cut more fire wood re marked the main line path down the hill with orange ribbons Like Irish Ridge the ice was a challenge on that task. We will be tapping the 25th so its truly on from there.God Bless.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Hi fellow sappers, spent 3 days over at the land,Friday Feb 24th arrived 3pm thankfully we had about 5-6 inches of dense snow so was able to cover my top tanks after all. Did that till dark,restful evening and night. Sat morning my son and friend came to help tap, took 5 hours to do 240 trees. Then they ran the 800 ft mainline down to the sugar house tank and hung it up on suspended wire near the tank. 4pm by then, but still had time for the Big Dirty. that is cleaning the soot out from the bottom of the flu pans raised flues. The weather was nice sun warm and a few trees running.Supper and a movie then bunk time,had some critter try to get in under the cabin but failed, it kept pulling on the wire at the bottom kind a of creepy sound when your trying to sleep.

Sunday 26th sunny cold 13 degrees calm, we went back in the valley to tap our 17 on 3/16th tubing, replaced some squirrel damage and ready to go. saw 2 deer on the sunny hillside. Season is on, God Bless.

[Irish Ridge]

6 am Monday. Nice update. I agree, the season is on. TV says we have received .67 inches so far overnight and about 4 more hours of rain. Hard to say how much of that packed snow around your tanks will remain when this is over. I checked my pails last on Friday and had a gallon on average of ice in each pail from the cold days and nights. Checked again yesterday and some had melted. Enough to collect after the rain and maybe even light a match later today. Wood peckers are going crazy in the woods. For a week I have been watching a couple of bluebirds claim a bird house. Looking forward to your next report.

[Mr Sugar Maple]

Back from a 4 day sugar camp, Friday March 3rd arrived late had buckets of water, cabin needs and the finish pan to get back to the sugar house. Able to use the atv for gathering, started 3 pm guess 20% buckets over flowing. finished 10:15 pm 485 gal sap. Gathering with a headlamp is not any fun, had coyotes barking on our hill a bit unsettling for sure. Saturday my son and I cooked all day till 6,cool down clean up late supper and bunk time. Saw 3 deer today hear robins sand hill cranes geese small birds. was a nice day. Sunday March 5th we had more sap to cook, also 50 gal in the tubing tank, we have never had tubing sap on first weekend. Finished at 2pm, total syrup made 11.5 gal light to medium color.After clean up started gathering at dusk, but rain came so went to the cabin and wow did it kick in, sleet rain snow was pounding on the south east wall . Monday woke up to 1-2 inches of sleet slop fog mist but had to gather again slipped and slid all over the sugar bush but collected 450 gal all in storage tanks for future boiling. Then time to head home asap. the 3 sugar moon nights kept sap flowing but today taps shut off. God Bless.

[Irish Ridge]

Love your report. Really nice start to the season. I was wondering about your rain. I woke up to the sleet hitting our windows in the middle of the night. We also got some rain Saturday afternoon but it was more of a nuisance than anything else. Sap continues to flow by us. I have to keep the fire going tonight to keep up. Not sure what the snow will do for us. At this point, not even sure when it gets here. Til next week.