+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 39

Thread: western mass 2018

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    westfield ma
    Posts
    438

    Default western mass 2018

    its been awfully quiet around here, how is it going for everyone ?? i can`t be the only one wondering how others are doing, it has been a different season once again, sap flows and sugar content is all over the place, but thats sugarin` . ive talked with a few locals producers i know and they all seem to think everyone else is doing better than themselves ..... lets here what ya`ll have to say .
    2x6 leader WSE with AUF, hood,preheater
    waterguy RO
    leader 16 gal custom water jacketed canner
    10 in short stack wes fab filter press
    540 taps on tubing with vac & always adding
    2- benders running 25" hg from GAST vac pumps
    few stainless bulk tanks
    1978 chevy 1 ton 4x4 dually
    IH T340 dozer with 6-way blade

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Chesterfield MA
    Posts
    488

    Default

    Had a hard run during that warm up 2 weeks ago boiled off what we had. After the last storm things slowed down quite a bit. Collected and boiled off 55 or so gallons yesterday of 2% Have 2 gallons of finished syrup to bottle tonight everything in the woods is mostly dry Looking forward we may get a few warm days. Weekend high for us was 39 degrees not much happened some drips late afternoon that's about it
    1st Year Turkey Fryer Guru-10 taps and No Clue
    2nd Year Warming Pans on a Barrel Unit-25 taps Still No Clue
    3rd Year 2 X 3 Divided Pan on a NEW Homemade Barrel Unit-45 taps Starting To Learn
    4th year (2017) Mason 2 X 3 Inside Small Shack-85 Taps I Think I'm Addicted!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Feeding Hills, MA
    Posts
    39

    Default

    Haven’t been flooded with sap yet, but have been collecting 70-120 gallons of sap daily when the temps are right. Evaporator is real sweet and ready to push out more syrup.
    -200+ taps
    - Sugar shack with wood pecker holes
    -2x6 Leader Patriot
    -4x4 Honda quad to go "rippin on"

    -"Sapping ain't easy"

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Wendell MA
    Posts
    91

    Default

    My neghbors here in north central MA are getting real dark syrup. Is that the case everywhere? I don't boil amymore.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Savoy, MA
    Posts
    490

    Default

    I'm in the NW corner at 2,000 ft. and like WESTMAPLES I had a hard run 2 or 3 weeks ago. Couldn't keep up with the sap, and I ended up making more syrup than I've even made that early in the season. I don't even normally tap until the 1st week of March on average. We now have 48" of new snow and another foot or so coming tomorrow...yeah, things have grinded to a halt. Buckets that I hung when the grass was showing are now just about buried as they hang on the tree. It's going to get good again though. Once all this snow melts and the temps. warm I am ready for another hard run.
    16x24 Timber Frame Sugar House
    Mason 2x4 Evaporator
    90 trees on buckets

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Williamsburg, MA
    Posts
    227

    Default

    our first boil was 2/21. We are almost at half a crop. Sugar has been 1.5 to 1.8. Not much lite syrup
    Paul & Serena
    Sugaring for over 50 years.
    4000+ taps on vacuum
    4 Airtech Vacuum Pumps
    4 X 12 Force 5 with D&G Pans
    Lapierre 1200 GPH RO

    www.paulssugarhouse.com

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    westfield ma
    Posts
    438

    Default

    good to hear you guys are still making it along too, picked up just over 400 gals this morning - sugar content is still just above 1% , im making it along running the RO constantly, without it i would have thrown in the towel .... i figured it would have come back to the 2% atleast, just have to wait it out and see. i look at my snorkel and then i have to watch the weather in hopes a sap tsunami is headed our way, instead these forecasters keep saying something about snow...... next channel .....
    2x6 leader WSE with AUF, hood,preheater
    waterguy RO
    leader 16 gal custom water jacketed canner
    10 in short stack wes fab filter press
    540 taps on tubing with vac & always adding
    2- benders running 25" hg from GAST vac pumps
    few stainless bulk tanks
    1978 chevy 1 ton 4x4 dually
    IH T340 dozer with 6-way blade

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Chesterfield MA
    Posts
    488

    Default

    Strange yesterday. Went home to find the buckets overflowing which were emptied Sunday late afternoon. We had 2.25% on the buckets and the 5/16" gravity and 3/16" run did nothing all day.........

    Bottled 2 gallons last night.

    Hoping for a good run after the storm passes.....
    1st Year Turkey Fryer Guru-10 taps and No Clue
    2nd Year Warming Pans on a Barrel Unit-25 taps Still No Clue
    3rd Year 2 X 3 Divided Pan on a NEW Homemade Barrel Unit-45 taps Starting To Learn
    4th year (2017) Mason 2 X 3 Inside Small Shack-85 Taps I Think I'm Addicted!!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Granville, MA
    Posts
    88

    Default

    Only one bucket and my 3/16 line still running the last few days. All the other buckets have been trickles since the last snow. Thaws begin around 2 PM and last into the evening. Got about 11 inches of snow so far today. I am beyond my yearly production however so can't complain. Sugar has been steady around 1.5% since mid Feb.
    50 taps ave. half on buckets half on 3/16
    2x3 pan on fire brick / fieldstone arch
    started 2012

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    blandford ma
    Posts
    104

    Default

    Collected 200 from Sunday and Monday the 3/16 that I tapped back in January in Westfield still running good

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts