Looks like we'll have quite a warm spell midweek, so I'll post my sugar % then. All my trees are reds, and average 1% on the dot. That sounds low but I'm on high vacuum, so we're pulling a lot more sap, probably double that of buckets.
One benefit of a vacuum sealed system is that the taps stay open for months, being less exposed to bacteria. So hole closure is not as much of a concern for me, especially with our short winters here. I just found 2 or 3 taps I missed tapping last year and not only were they still open, they were running. It's not the holes closing that stops us; it's the early heat waves.
On buckets my average tap time was 2nd week of January. This year on vacuum I started just before New Year's but I'm still a long way from done. Next year I'll probably back it up to mid December if it's cold enough.
-Laz
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Off vacuum and back to bags in 2023!
8000 saplings planted and growing
Leader 2x6 Oil-Fired, Revolution Pans