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Thread: Northern IN

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Elkhart, IN
    Posts
    6

    Default Northern IN

    I'm in Elkhart county. Looking at forecast we are going to be above freezing a couple of days, then go back to deep freeze for a bit. It seems awfully early, but on the other hand there could be a nice run. Should I go ahead and tap? Do I need to pull taps and redrill after cold or can I leave them? I'm a very amateur hobbyist.

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    West Central Indiana
    Posts
    17

    Default

    While I'm no pro. You don't have to re-tap after a cold spell. I almost tapped today, but decided to try and wait till next week just because it seems so early, but you just never know what the weather is going to do. I think the only issue with tapping early is that your taps will seal off after a while, tree healing itself and you don't want that to happen too early and miss the season. I'm not exactly sure how long they will run, probably a month or 2. By the way it's the cold spells and then warm spells that make the sap flow. So if we don't have many cold to warm spells, makes for a bad season. It does seem like the sap season has been early the last few years. There are several on here who have already tapped as you can see.

    Hope this helps, good luck!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Elkhart, IN
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BrierPatch

    Hope this helps, good luck!
    Thanks for the advice! I may put in a couple take this weekend to see what happens...

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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    North Shore Lake Lemon, Monroe County
    Posts
    135

    Default

    You are farther north than me (near Bloomington), but I tapped last week and am anticipating a big run that hopefully started today, and with temps here in the 40's and low 50's with freezing at night it should be good...I typically tap when I see a forecast of more than 4 days in a row over 40. This is the earliest I have tapped, but I missed a couple of runs last year, so I'm playing the better safe than sorry game. Good luck!
    2014 - 8 taps, turkey fryer, 130 gallons sap, just under 2.5 gallons syrup.
    2015 - 50 taps and counting.
    2016 - 60 taps on 3/16 and a Bill Mason evaporator on order.
    2017 - 115 taps on 3/16, homemade r/o.
    2018 - 150 taps on 3/16, r/o a big help, but lots of leaks killing yield.
    2019 - sticking with 150 taps or maybe less, focusing on good vacuum and less waste to increase yield. Doubling up my r/o, and made a vacuum filter that looks promising.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Northern Indiana
    Posts
    100

    Default -

    Here in laporte county, set 150 taps yesterday, all on gravity sacks and buckets, started dripping by noon. its running good but not Awesome, expect to have over 200 gallons tomorrow morning, then a light freeze, then another warm up, and hoping for 400 gallons plus by next sat. Then get a week or so off before the n next big run.
    2016:100 taps added a JD 1023 sub compact tractor
    2015:break (new baby)
    2014: 70 taps, replaced my concrete arch with a manufactured
    2013: Added 15 more taps and a 18x24 warming pan
    2012 : 36 Taps, 2x4 divided pan on a concrete arch
    2006-07: Assisted an 'Old Timer' with 200 tapps, and his wood fired evaporator up in Wis.
    1986-1993: 5 taps, Boiled on a wood stove in Northern Mich.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Pulaski County, IN
    Posts
    18

    Default

    We tapped on Saterday in Fulton county. We had about 140 on 3/16" gravity and had about 1 gallon per tap by Sunday and they were still running good.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Munster Indiana
    Posts
    103

    Default

    I collected about 50 gallons off of 8 taps on a shurflow and 5/15 in my yard, only another 20gallons from 20 taps on a shurflow from my buddies yard before the pump took a crap on me. But I got it boiled down to about 10 gallons left in my pan. Just amazing that I got 50 gallons from 3 trees compared to the 20g I got from about 15 trees

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