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Thread: 2016 Tapping Plans in Missouri

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

    Default

    The warmup has shaken some sap loose, and I see some dripping. I haven't had any sap to collect for the last couple weeks, but hopefully that changes today.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    hills west of Jeff City Missouri
    Posts
    134

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    over the last 3 days, we put in about 140 taps in 126 trees. yesterday when tapping in the morning, the holes were dry. about 1 pm, the floodgates opened and the trees ran through the night and all day today. went around collecting after dark this evening, which is fun with the 4-wheeler and trailer, and headlamps are a must. we'll set the 70 gallons of sap somewhere cold and boil after we collect again later in the week. the 30 mph gusts this evening had me concerned about our buckets blowing over but we lay branches by them and that seems to protect em. still too cheap to get the blue sacks or connect with tubing. hey sugarbush ridge- do you ever have deer run through your system and tear up the tubing? good luck to all missouri syrupmakers!
    2020: 220 trees, most smaller than 20" diameter, made 25 gallons
    remote location in western Cole County
    5/16" plastic spiles, drain into plastic buckets or sapsaks
    haul sap out of woods using atv & trailer
    wood-fired pans on concrete blocks
    one Leader Half Pint 24 x 33" plus 24 x 30 ss pan from a junkyard
    cook batch process then finish in the kitchen;
    we dont sell our syrup; its for family & friends
    see website www.mosyrup.com

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    203

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    Had decent flow yesterday , only collected a gallon. Seems like my first sap of the year is really dirty. Boiled down a few gallons I had frozen from last year. Good luck!

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Cape Girardeau, MO
    Posts
    125

    Default

    uncle john,,,,, I have not had any problems with deer. Sometimes I may see where one went under and had raised a line. A bowhunter said he watched as deer walked along a mainline,, only a foot off ground,,, to get to the end and then walked around end. I don't know,,, seems like they can "see" the lines.
    May main problem is squirrels. Did have a bear bite an extension cord into,,,, 12-2/G,,,, power was off!!!!!!
    2012 200 taps on buckets,,, Built me a 2' X 11' arch,,, hope to put most on tubing next year.

    2011 100 taps on buckets, 30x 60 flat pan

    2009 63 taps on buckets,,,, 30x60 flat pan

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

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    I did my third boil yesterday. Got 43 oz of syrup from 12.7 gallons of sap. The raw sap was about 1.9% sugar. Finished the syrup to 69.7 brix and ended up with a nice light amber color. Canned the syrup in 4 and 8 oz jars for gifting throughout the year.

    The weather has been wonky, which has limited the flow from my 15 taps. Seems like it's either Antarctic temps or Florida temps, with few freeze/thaw cycles on single days. We're supposed to get cold again later this week, so hopefully we get some good flow from that. I'm up to about 2/3 gallon of syrup this year, but I'm hoping for over 3 gallons by the end of the season.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    92

    Default

    The last couple days have been the best of the season so far for sap flow. And the 10 day forecast shows some good freeze/thaw cycles, so hopefully there's more good flow to come.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Cape Girardeau, MO
    Posts
    125

    Default

    I dumped about 100 gallons today as it had dripped in at 25-30 gallons a day from over 300 taps,,, Not enough to light a fire in a 2x8 with 6' flue pan. It takes about 35 gallons just to fill pan. The new RO just sitting there. I did get to run 300 gallons thru it back on January 29. That was fun. I hope weather gets better later this week.
    2012 200 taps on buckets,,, Built me a 2' X 11' arch,,, hope to put most on tubing next year.

    2011 100 taps on buckets, 30x 60 flat pan

    2009 63 taps on buckets,,,, 30x60 flat pan

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    SE Missouri
    Posts
    289

    Default Not like other years

    Not a bad sap flow the past couple days, but nothing like past years where I could hardly keep up with sap collection. At the same point last year we were over triple what we have now. Hopefully February will catch us up!
    Now I have an outdoor hobby for all 12 months. Like I need anything more to do
    About 1000 taps on gravity tubing, MicRO2 RO, 2.5 X 8 Leader King, and a 1953 Willys Jeep to run around the maple woods with.
    http://www.gihringfamilyfarm.com/

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Defiance, MO
    Posts
    13

    Default

    It's been a little hit or miss here in St. Charles County but I managed to collect 150gallons thru the week, finished it yesterday on my oil tank evaporator. Looks like next week before any more sap runs.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    hills west of Jeff City Missouri
    Posts
    134

    Default

    Hey Johnnyf: greetings from around Jeff City. Like Ray said below, the few days prior to Feb 7 were good runs. We collected 120 gallons on Sunday 2/7, boiled it down today to almost 4 gallons of syrup, a little darker than our earlier batches. So we are up to almost 12 gallons syrup so far this year. I think you are new to this Missouri tapping forum, so why don't you describe your trees, evaporator and finishing equipment and methods, and where you are. Do you know of anyone else who taps trees in your area? the forecasts for this weekend have been getting colder every day, so I don't think sap will flow til Monday or Tuesday. John
    2020: 220 trees, most smaller than 20" diameter, made 25 gallons
    remote location in western Cole County
    5/16" plastic spiles, drain into plastic buckets or sapsaks
    haul sap out of woods using atv & trailer
    wood-fired pans on concrete blocks
    one Leader Half Pint 24 x 33" plus 24 x 30 ss pan from a junkyard
    cook batch process then finish in the kitchen;
    we dont sell our syrup; its for family & friends
    see website www.mosyrup.com

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