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Thread: Early Tapping

  1. #201
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    109

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    davewittwer thanks for posting the photos! I really enjoy seeing other people's setup and final product.

    41 degrees here at time of this post, light NW breeze, mostly cloudy with occasional sun. Sap is running, slowly on some and very good on others. All trees appear to be putting out decent sap, even the ones that went buddy on me at the end of the last run a week ago. I re-installed more taps because sap was flushing down the tree trunks where taps had been removed. All taps are dripping with the exception of three that have apparently closed up. Those three closed taps are on trees that are each tapped with two taps, the other tap is dripping on all three of those trees.

    Again the weather not as good as was forecast but I just finished collecting 21 gallons of good sap. I will definitely have to collect tonight. I want 35 gallons to justify a processing run so if I have that total after collecting tonight then I will fire up the arch tomorrow.

    For the record all of my initial test taps installed back on January 30 produced sap the entire season and are still producing sap right now.

    I have been making maple sugar today. Also made my first successful batch of maple nuts/maple candied almonds. Folks aren't kidding when they talk about how delicious they are...
    Last edited by TooManyIrons...; 03-18-2017 at 10:16 PM.
    Been that, done there.

  2. #202
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    MOTLEY MN
    Posts
    32

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    Collected 15 gals. two days ago, but weatherman was 10 degrees off yesterday with a few dripping yesterday and freezing. Hope today is actually 50 degrees as predicted so that I have enough to run a batch. Maybe this week will be the perfect storm.

  3. #203
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Olivia MN
    Posts
    48

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    Syrup is the lightest i made all year after the week of cold temps taste is good more like honey not much maple flavor does have more sediment.The lighter jar is from what i collected friday and boiled yesterday and the darker was boiled on 3/9/17. Sap flow was better yesterday collected 80 gallons.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Home made RO thanks to MapleTrader
    2 LP fish fryers
    2013 5 gallons syrup
    2014 14 gallons syrup

  4. #204
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    46

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    Most of my 40 taps went in on February 10th. In the last 24 hours I collected 25 gallons. I expect to collect 60 gallons by tomorrow morning again because they were dripping like crazy when I emptied them. I did have 4 taps go dry on me which I pulled. My sliver maples are very close to being done for the year. I will pry pull the taps later this week. I am sure glad it got cold again. I should hopefully end the season with over 12 gallons of syrup
    2015 18 taps 3.5 gallons
    2016 24 taps 4.5 gallons
    2017 40 taps 15.25 gallons

  5. #205
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Eden Prairie, MN
    Posts
    1,636

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    Boiled about 375 gallons of 3% sap today. A great day with the new rig which is a tremendous improvement over last year.

    The trees ran great today and are still going as the sun sets, but warm temp tonight may bring things to a stop. Watching for buddy characteristcs and hoping for a few more days of good sap.
    John
    2x8 Smokylake drop flue with AOF/ AUF
    180 taps on sacks
    75 on 3/16 tubing with shurflo
    Eden Prairie, Minnesota

  6. #206
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    109

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    Collected 122 gallons sap over the last three days. Have 40 gallons left to process plus whatever I might collect tomorrow. Rain in forecast from Wed thru Sat so Tuesday is a good day to be done with the processing and be done with the season once and for all. Sap run is ending, taps are giving good sap right up to the end. May collect some sap tomorrow yet from the trees that are still running, who knows at this point.

    Syrup from this third run of the season is very flavorful and similar color as the rest of the syrup I have gotten this year, perhaps a little bit lighter in color. Better quality than what I was getting towards the end of the second run two weeks ago. Sure has been smelling wonderfully mapley during the boiling process.

    This third and final sap run of the season should give me another 4 gallons of syrup for a season total of approximately 24 gallons of syrup from approximately 730 gallons of sap collected from 25 trees using 52 taps. A season average sap to syrup ratio of approximately 30:1.

    It has been quite an experience, never thought I would ever see a season like this especially the way it started. Never thought I would have the physical capability and equipment capacity to process that much sap into syrup. I am a small timer, my system is designed to comfortably handle and process 300-350 gallons of sap in a season. Collecting, processing, finishing, and bottling this much sap/syrup this year has been a challenge. For example, that entire 730 gallons of sap was collected and carried to the arch in 5 gallon carboys, one at a time because I can no longer physically handle carrying 2 full carboys at time. That means I walked 146 trips carrying a full carboy. I don't think I really want to know that sort of information. LOL

    Out of firewood, I have had to resort to cutting up deadfall in the woods for fueling the arch. The stuff is working fine but I have to figure out where to get firewood for next season. If I cut something down I have to do it soon so the wood has a year to cure. Being that I got so much syrup this year I may just skip next season or only tap a few trees to make a little bit of fresh syrup. We'll see what happens.

    ADD: I want to add that the trees I complained about in my posts way back in this thread that did not produce sap during the first run back in February are some of the last trees that are producing sap now. It is interesting how different the sap run is from tree to tree and even the tap location on the trunks, and it changes from year to year. There is no logic to it that I can discern and that is okay, Mother Nature should not give up all her mysteries.
    Last edited by TooManyIrons...; 03-21-2017 at 09:57 AM.
    Been that, done there.

  7. #207
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Olivia MN
    Posts
    48

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    Finished making syrup for the year to day last 2 quarts of syrup does have some budding flavor.

    Tapped trees Feb 10
    Feb 10 to Feb 28 242 gallons sap 6.3 gallons syrup
    Mar 1 to Mar 9 380 gallons sap 9.3 gallons syrup
    Mar 18 to Mar 25 388 gallons sap 8.9 gallons syrup

    Total 1010 gallons of sap 24.5 gallons of syrup

    Very good year my previous high for syrup was 14 gallons.
    Home made RO thanks to MapleTrader
    2 LP fish fryers
    2013 5 gallons syrup
    2014 14 gallons syrup

  8. #208
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    109

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    Very nice 4010. Thanks for posting your totals, always fun to see what people accomplished.
    Been that, done there.

  9. #209
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Caledon, Ontario
    Posts
    1,930

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    TooManyIrons, I'm very impressed with what your trees have given you this year! Almost a half gallon of finished syrup per tap!!! That's incredible! You did really well to keep up with the pace.
    ~ Karen ~

    2012 - 10 taps, 1 turkey fryer - 169.5L sap 4.2 L syrup
    2013 - 23 taps, 2 turkey fryers - 748.5 L sap 17.56 L syrup

    2014 - 22 taps, 509 L sap 12.5 L syrup
    2015 - 28 taps, 1093.75 L sap 25.1 L syrup
    2016 - 25 taps, 1223.5 L sap 28.25 L syrup
    2017 - 21 taps, 518.5 L sap 12.7 L syrup
    2018 - 28 taps, 2 turkey fryers & Denali 3 burner propane stove - 798L sap 16.9 L syrup
    2019 - 28 taps, 1409.5L sap 40.12L syrup

    Sugar, Norway, Manitoba, Silver and Freeman Maples



  10. #210
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Eden Prairie, MN
    Posts
    1,636

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    We have finished up, draining the flue pan and finishing all in the syrup pan with water in the flue pan. Took it right to 68 brix over a wood fire, which was not the plan but all is well. Looks like we will have between 55-60 gallons, so about a quart per tap. Trees are still running slowly but the forecast is not good and buds are swelling. A great year with the new equipment. The 3/16 worked well and we will convert another section next year.
    Last edited by RileySugarbush; 03-28-2017 at 09:01 AM. Reason: Bric/brix
    John
    2x8 Smokylake drop flue with AOF/ AUF
    180 taps on sacks
    75 on 3/16 tubing with shurflo
    Eden Prairie, Minnesota

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