Hoping for another run or two next week, not giving up yet!
Hoping for another run or two next week, not giving up yet!
I'm hanging on . It ain't over till it's over.
" A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way."
Mark Twain
900 plus taps , 435 vacuum, 565 gravity
2.5 x 10 Thor on Tsunami arch
H2O Concentrater 300
Squeezing Bees
and
Draining Trees
Since 1980
http://www.sparkyshoneyandmaple.com/about.html
I'm convinced that my taps are drying up in spite of the check valves. The sap is still trickling in on vacuum, but nothing exciting. Finally made some dark syrup yesterday - it had all been golden or amber to that point. Buds look fine, but I went out and pulled my red maple taps yesterday just in case. I'll keep plugging away for a few more days and make a little more dark syrup.
Same here finally made some dark. Beginning of last week seemed like perfect weather but didn't really run that great. The few reds I have are definitely showing sign of budding.sugar maple not showing at all.see what the next few days bring I guess.
[QUOTE=abbott;353295]I'm convinced that my taps are drying up in spite of the check valves. The sap is still trickling in on vacuum, but nothing exciting.[/QUOTE
I was kinda thinking the same , but last year I was tapped in earlier and I had runs until April 14 or so. So I'm not totally convinced. Yet
" A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way."
Mark Twain
900 plus taps , 435 vacuum, 565 gravity
2.5 x 10 Thor on Tsunami arch
H2O Concentrater 300
Squeezing Bees
and
Draining Trees
Since 1980
http://www.sparkyshoneyandmaple.com/about.html
Yup, took me a while to believe it too. But we had so much warm weather in Feb. this year, so I think the bacteria got a jump on us then.Originally Posted by bees1st
I'm at 467 gallons now, which is about .56 gallons/tap, best ever by far. I'll keep plugging away for a few more days if the buds hold.
Steven Abbott
Over 900 taps on vacuum
30" x 10' D&G Woodsaver evaporator with Steamaway
Half acre market garden
2 farmers in training
Last boil today down here in Berwick. Buckets stopped producing early in the week and the 100 Reds on vaccum gave up the ghost yesterday. Great year overall, 35 gallons due to hobby RO. Took the pain out of boiling 1.25% Red Maple sap and used only 1/3rd the wood.
2015 - 40 buckets w/ drop lines
275 oil tank evaporator
2x4 flat pan
made 5 gallons!
2016 - 90 buckets
same evaporator and pan
hoping to make 12 gallons
2017 - 85 taps on vacuum w/lunchbox
50 buckets
Smoky Lake 2X4 drop flue pan
Great video ruralbrewer! Very enjoyable! You captured the essence of maple season.
Two 2x4 concrete block arches with three steam trays each
Tapping in Mount Vernon since 2016, 30 to 70 taps, 5/16" tube to 1.5 to 3.5 gallon buckets, some trees on collective gravity tubing to 5 gallon buckets.
Mostly sugar maples, a few reds on 200 year old homestead
Boiling again today. Sap has clouded up some. Weather looks ok for next week. We'll see how the sap quality is though. As Abbott said, tapped and running 3rd week of February might shut us down on gravity regardless of overnight lows.
That's a nice Total so Far, what's your sugar content been like Steve?my CVs are still going strong but I didn't tap until after that warm snap.
Nate Hutchins
Nate & Kate's Maple
2022 1000 taps?
3x10 Intensofire
20x36 sugarhouse
CDL 600gph RO
A wife and 2 kids.
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