2018 - NW Wisconsin

[Tommoore30]

Mpester545 take this with a grain of salt - I'm a small (30 taps) guy - weekends only, when the sap runs in day and freezes at night, I've cooked 2-3 week old sap and it came out great. Longer than 2 weeks, I ditch it. As long as it has that clear (or in my mind, that slight blue) color, I cook it. Everyone loved it.
Tom

[mike z]

Mpester... If the weather would stay cold, I think you'd be fine, but dang, it's gotta warm up sometime this spring. I'd plan on heading up next weekend, and if there is another week of cold temps forecasted, then decide to wait longer. It will likely make for darker syrup but whoop-D-doo. Sap keeps a long time at the beginning of the season, but towards the end it goes bad fast, sometimes only lasting a day. By calendar, we should be approaching late season at that time. Mother nature makes all the rules though and this season could stretch out to Memorial weekend.

[mpester545]

Looks like sap in the bags will not be a problem with the weather we are going to have! I bet I do not even get more than five gallons from my 24 taps this week. It will be a solid block of ice so I will take my chances and skip next weekend. Made about 1.5 gallons of very dark syr'p (people make fun of how I say it so that is how I spell it!) yesterday before the snow. We got 8-10 inches up at the cabin near Siren.

[GramaCindy]

I have not been able to get into the woods to hang my sap lines, or tap bags. (Well, I could actually have tapped the sap sacks, but I had no way to go collect due to still at least knee deep snow) Now another 8+" on top of that, more expected tomorrow and Tuesday. Highs all week below freezing....I can't believe this season. I am hoping to be able to bottle 80 small handled bottles for my daughter's wedding in Sept. but at this point, I have no idea if it'll happen. It's going to be fast and furious when it does start up here.

[Brad W Wi]

Strangest season I've seen. We've made 18 gals of syrup so far and we have run the RO once. With pails we were able to take out ice and have 4-5 % sugar. Some pails have a qt or more and the next has a tea spoon. Some collections were 60 gals and the best we had was 218. Cold keeps coming, yesterday and today we had -7 and up to 30. I think when it comes we better be ready. Remember a few years back when the season was over in 3 days.

[Austin351]

Weather forecast says nothing will break loose until at least Monday, Tuesday looks better. Tough season... hurry up and wait, freeze up for 10 days, then hope there is enough weather left to make some kind of a season up here.

[Austin351]

Long range forecast looks really good April 10th - 19th. Hopeful for a couple weeks of flow, could really turn the season around up here.....

[GramaCindy]

My saplines end at the bottom of a NW facing hill that has tried on several times to kill me this year. This **** snow. It's still past knee deep in the woods. Soft and mushy yesterday. Finally risked taking the tractor down there to get the ATV unstuck from 30" on the trail yesterday. WOW, what a job. Got said tractor stuck a few times, but the husbands skill managed to free it. Went to town and spent $300+ to get a pump, hoses, and extension cords to try to pump the sap up to the ATV tanks. Pump wasn't strong enough. At this point, I have collected 0 sap, and the nighttime temps aren't going to be favorable. I am trying to look on the positive side, no pan to clean, and it's beautiful out. Just sad that I completely missed the season.

[regor0]

Sorry to hear that, I feel your pain. I have yet to light up the evaporator either. I'm just glad I am not doing this to support my family, this year.

[Zucker Lager]

Same story here in Oneida County. I had a few test taps in since 3/11 yesterday I went to check and "MAYBE" the sap run is finally starting? I tossed the one gallon of sap that I got from the 4 trees since 3/11 and am hoping for enough warm weather to melt snow but colder nights than they are forecasting. Like Grandma Cindy deep snow super high snowbanks where I did plow and now horrendous mud trapped in between............is there such a thing as "Mud Shoes" so you don't sink to your chin? Jay