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Thread: 2017 season

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Vermont, Illinois
    Posts
    80

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    Well looks the this season is over. Sap quit running yesterday. I'm going to drain the back pan and finish it off on the fryer. Not sure my total production but it will be less than half what we produced last year. I know it is supposed to cool off again by this time next weekend but I figure the buds will be swelling up by then. Maybe I'll be wrong.

    We had a lot of sugar sands this year. How is everyone else doing? Founder, how is the new pan working out? Are you getting the boiling rate you hoped to get? TreeTapper, hope you had a good season.
    Flatlander Sugar
    300+ taps on gravity
    Wood Fired 2X6 with piggy back
    Great family & friends to help
    One expensive hobby!

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Clinton, Illinois
    Posts
    69

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    I just tapped a week ago so I am sure hoping we're not done. Not a freeze in the forecast until late next week! UGH....
    2x6
    60 taps with 15 on 3/16 gravity

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Northern Illinois
    Posts
    93

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    Flat your calling it already? You are quite a bit farther south. We had no sap to speak of yesterday but an unexpected freeze last night hopefully will yield some today. Sugarsand does appear to be heavy up here as well.

    The new pan is doing well. It took awhile to figure out how to fire it but yesterday was getting a solid 20 gph out of it with the preheater. Finally drew syrup too which was stressing me out. It took about 400 gallons of sap and almost 20 hours of boiling but we got there. The new Smoky Lake draw off is nice. It's another level of safety into the operations.

    Hopefully there is some season left, good luck to all!
    New To Maple in 09'
    16' x 24' Sugarhouse
    Smoky Lakes Corsair Arch
    2' x4' Smoky Lakes Hybrid Drop Flue Pan
    200 Taps On Bags
    IH 806 Diesel & Allis WD
    2 Horses, Black cattle & Yes Chickens
    An Aussie Named Mable Sugar
    Wife, Kids And A Couple Of Friends To Help!

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Vermont, Illinois
    Posts
    80

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    I know its only mid February but I just don't see this coming back. Weather says it will freeze on Friday and Saturday night next week but then temps run right back up again. It will take more than a little freezing at night to get the sap running again and I think the trees will bud before it freezes up again. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted!!

    Mounder, glad the pan is working out for you. I assume 20 GPH is a better than your old system. That would definitely be a plus. I looked at Smokey Lake stuff a year ago when I was up that way. Pretty neat, would like to pull the trigger on a new set up but what I really need is a better filtering system. Maybe next year! Hope you guys up north get some freezing temps to keep it running. Good luck.
    Flatlander Sugar
    300+ taps on gravity
    Wood Fired 2X6 with piggy back
    Great family & friends to help
    One expensive hobby!

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Homer Glen, IL
    Posts
    9

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    Buds have popped on almost all of my trees. Only ended up with 2.5 gallons of syrup this year. Hope you guys have better luck than I did.

    Matt

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rockford, IL
    Posts
    175

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    Well it ain't over til it's over! And it's not over. Collected 89 gals tonight and am currently boiling it. Sap was clear and had a sweet taste. The boil smells fine.
    I tap mostly silvers and yes they all budded out. But......because of the deep freeze it killed all the flowers and so the trees are starting over. This happened last year if you remember. Three 70 degee days in a row and then pop out comes the buds. After we had a hard freeze. So we test boiled everyday and no bad sap. Ended up with 300 more gallons.
    I have also read on this blog that the trees start over if there is a hard frost after buds pop.
    So DONT GIVE UP YET! I
    2020
    8th year making sugar
    120 taps second year on vac

    2x4 Divided pan.
    Homemade RO 4x42XLE
    Shurflo 4048 pump

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Walnut,Il
    Posts
    101

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    I'm with you, Tapper. I checked my buckets Sunday morning and didn't have a quart of sap but by this afternoon I had collected 200 gal. from my 62 taps. I have all sugar maples on tubing. Keep bleeding those trees!

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Rockford, IL
    Posts
    175

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    The trees are still running. Just picked 50 gals between the rain drops. Have 20 more buckets to check. I think this will be a recird year.
    Go Dogpatch go!! Hahaha
    2020
    8th year making sugar
    120 taps second year on vac

    2x4 Divided pan.
    Homemade RO 4x42XLE
    Shurflo 4048 pump

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Batavia, Illinois
    Posts
    5

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    In Batavia, one tap, one tree (I know, big time operation!)
    Sap flowing well today, seems OK to me, no funky smells when boiling.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Walnut,Il
    Posts
    101

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    I couldn't check my trees until later this afternoon, I had buckets running over. Got around 80 gal. I will check them early tomorrow as they were still running.

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