Going to try tapping next week. Plans for last year fell apart with Lyme disease problems and an expansion by about 40 taps this year fell by the wayside when I broke my ankle just before Christmas.
Not ready to hobble into the woods yet but I'm determined to at least tap the trees right around the house.
A little is better than nothing and take it easy, you don't want to re- injure yourself. Good luck.
2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
made 17 gal. syrup
2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
2021 - Didn't work out
2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start
Thanks. I do push myself a bit as I refuse to be that old guy sitting around cataloging my aches and pains.
I can get 10 taps in, make some syrup and enjoy the process.
Wayne.
This sap run has been relentless. I did 928 gallons this week. All of last year I did 1,400 gallons. And it's still running!!!!
2x3 Patrick Phaneuf Divided Pan
Homemade arch
RB20 RO Bucket
121 taps total
Sugar Shack in future
Wife into it as much as me
Also do homebrew
http://s928.photobucket.com/albums/ad121/ZMANSYRUP/
Tapped on Feb 20th. Had 2 almost unbelievable runs. One I boiled 8 out of 9 days. Now after a long warm spell and then a long below freezing spell, I have weather in the 40, 50, and 60"s. Not getting a drop of sap anywhere. I understand tap holes dry out but I never seen them all dry out at once. Anyone in Lackawanna county making syrup. After the great start it looks like I won't match last year.
2x3 Patrick Phaneuf Divided Pan
Homemade arch
RB20 RO Bucket
121 taps total
Sugar Shack in future
Wife into it as much as me
Also do homebrew
http://s928.photobucket.com/albums/ad121/ZMANSYRUP/
Hi,
We tapped in January between the 2nd and 21st. We made a little mid January and quite a bit between the 26th and February 5th or so. Earliest we ever tapped. Earliest we ever made syrup. We boiled the last time on March 6th. Earliest we ever ended. We ended up with about 1/3 gallons per tap so pretty good. Low sugar as has been normal the past few years. Average about 1.2%. We put in a lot of effort with sanitation of taps. Calcium Hypochlorite rinse lines before season started and used check valve spouts. Bad squirrels this year. Had to do repairs almost daily. Sanitation helped but by the 4th of March we were making some real real dark stuff and I decided to end it when the run was really slowing down so there were diminishing returns each day. We might have been able to go longer but the quality was something I wasn’t excited about. We’re only at about 1200 feet so I think higher elevation spots would have had a later/longer season.
2400 taps all 3/16 gravity
New CDL 600 GPH RO that is freaking awesome
4x14 Leader/CDL rig with a steam-away
Still havin' fun
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