Willowcreek Sugarhouse 2018

[BAP]

I wish it wasn't such a big warm up. I don't want or need 70 deg.

Hopefully, the weatherman are wrong again and it doesn’t get that warm.

[Russell Lampron]

It looks like you are off to a smooth start. It sure takes the pressure off when you are ready to go.

[red maples]

I don't want 70* either.

Didn;t get as much sap over the weekend as would have liked. too cold saturday and didn;t get going as good as I would have thought on Sunday either. only got a combined total of about 150 gallons. go figure. I think it is just really cold in the back of my woods yet and things really haven't broken loose.

It was cold last night too we were at 16* in the woods and 19 at the house. so it took a long time for things to get going so only about 50 gallons so far today as of 2:30 pm. and right on cue its clouding up but no freeze for the next 3 nights forecasted so we'll see how long the sap lasts. no boiling tonight. gonna save it for 1 more day. no sense in firing up the machine for 200 gallons.

I did get in 30 sap sacs yesterday and have another 25 or so to put in. seems every year I loose a few and gain a few. last year lost 20 big roadsides because they sold their house and new folks didn't want me to tap their trees but gained 20 from another place but they were selling their house and the new people want to make their own but they haven't tapped their trees yet. but managed to pick up another 10 for now maybe more. As much as the buckets are a PITA the sap is always a tick sweeter than the vac sap.

Hope everyone else is getting a boil over weekend or getting ready to. good luck all.

[red maples]

Quick update: Figures as soon as I need more late nights we are shorthanded at work so need to be in earlier all this week... but making syrup so its worth it.

Had over 700 gallons by Tuesday. so made first syrup of the year. It was very tough to filter though. Had to break down the press several times but then when checked it after it was about was about WAY over heavy so that makes sense.

sap slowed quite a bit over the last 2 days to have about 350 gallons for Thursday night. but cam home from work yesterday and vac. pump was limping along not sounding good at all only at 15" thought uh oh. but belts were failing I knew I needed new ones on there so had back ups ready to go. switched them out and back in business. Don;t think missed too much considering. then once things got going Releaser issues. The mechanism on the newer lapierre releasers has a little spring loaded plate that changes the direction of the vac to move the piston to shut off the vac to the holding tank of the releaser and was dumping but then getting stuck. took off the top, flushed it with hot water adjusted one of the stop pins and lubed it and it seems to be working good now.

I hope the forecast holds strong for the next weeks.

Hope everyone else is going well!!!

[Russell Lampron]

I combined my syrup from Tuesday and Wednesday's boils and had 16.5 gallons to run through the press. About half way through the press clogged up and I had to stop. I was too tired to deal with it so I left it for later. The density was right on so I know that it is just too much nitre in the syrup.

You didn't miss anything yesterday. I only pulled in about 70 gallons with no vacuum or releaser issues.

[Amber Gold]

I had problems filtering the first batch of syrup too. I had to break the press down after a few gallons. Worked OK the rest of the night. The second night's syrup filtered better, but then I wasn't messing around and put a full press together. I wasn't making much on the first night, so I should've been able to get by on a 1/2 press.

[red maples]

yeah last nights boil filtered better not great but better. lots of niter. a little worried my pump might be going but hot syrup taking the pressure right to 80 or 90 pressure is just too high. never had that problem. doing the same amount of DE that I usually do. maybe a little more to compensate for the extra niter? I don;t know.

Ended up with about 150 gallons of sap today. with no sun and slow warm up its about what I expected. sugar is up to 1.25 so thats better it was down to a hair under 1 yesterday but that was several days without a freeze. What a difference the new belts made for vac levels they were tight before but I think since I put the new ones on its running about .5 to 3/4 of an inch more of vacuum and releaser is working perfectly again. but got things pretty tight been running between 25.5" and 27" depending on outside pressure. lots of water to deal with in many parts of the woods right now with rain and snow melt so its not too easy getting to the swamp maples.

hoping for big sap tomorrow but will have to save it and boil on Sunday have to go basketball tourny for my son in Bow. So if they win keep winning we won't be home until about 8pm. Then if we loose then they play again on sunday afternoon then sunday night. I hope they win so we don't have to go back on Sunday... but then they go again next saturday. its a big tournament.

[Russell Lampron]

As cold as it was today I was surprised to see that I got 150 gallons of sap here too. It looks good for tomorrow too.

[red maples]

more releaser woes... the float rod keeps hanging up... I don;t know. I have a big leak somewhere I need to find only at 22" but sucking some serious air. and releaser backed up twice yesterday. I have had this for 4 years and except for the bottom seal broke after the first year it has been extremely reliable. missed out on most of yesterday's sap since I didn;t want to risk things backing up etc etc etc. gotta find the leak first. It was coming in pretty good until the clouds showed up then it slowed right down. It ran perfectly all friday night and had 450 gallons total by morning which I RO. while I was taking apart the releaser again then to my son's bball games. got home about 8:30 and started the evap at 9:00. filtering going much easier now. still not perfect but much better. lots of niter but filtering out the syrup pan at the end of boil each time has helped with charging the filter before the heavier stuff comes through.

they only had 6 players and the first team was Weare they won 55 to 26, My son scored 20 points and had more than 1/2 of the rebounds. then they played Goffstown and they had a 6th grader that I think was 6'1" but which my son and the other tall player on the team were able to stuff him a few times but the he was just good and had easily 8 to 9 inches on them both they lost 60 to 33. but my son made 3 - 3 pointers but couldn't make a lay up in the second game to save his life. but hit every one in the first game... I have to give them credit for keeping it that close. they were big and pretty good and very physical and were fouling the heck out of our boys and only called for 1/2 of the fouls. but without that 6'1" kid he made about 40 of their their points. on the last play of the game the other 6th grader on our team landed bad on his foot and broke a bone and a bad sprain just on a 1/2 court buzzer beater shot. wasn't pretty. So on to to the looser bracket with 5 kids 1-6th grader 3-5th graders and 1-4th grader. anyway enough about baskeball it was just fun to watch.

[Dill]

I hear ya on the releaser issues. I've got my vac pump off now too. Not sure if your town does a basketball tourney but we are sponsoring the one here in town this year. We sold a lot of syrup last year to bored parents who wanted to get out of the gym during down time between games.