South Central Ohio early taps in sap running

[buckeye gold]

I put out 38 taps on my fall line this afternoon. They were running good when I quit. As I tapped I let sap run out on the ground for a couple hours and then put lines in the tank. It took about an hour to get 5 gallons, so I should be able to sweeten my pan a little tomorrow. I won't do my main woods until Late January or early February, but this will give me some early bonus syrup. I guess it's game on.

[bmbmkr]

Thats Great! My buddy tapped down in Paintsville KY this past weekend, has close to 400 taps, he's already boiled a couple times. I will be tapping in the next 10 days or so, cleaned out the sugar house today. Goin to rain Friday but supposed to be 60F so that'll be powerwashing day. I've got a mile of tubing to run yet, have the laterals ran with twine already, just waiting on tubing to get here. We should have around 425-450 taps this year! Hope your sap is sweet and plentiful this season! Ben

[buckeye gold]

Collected about 30 gallons of sap and sweetened my pan a little. My AOF modifications seem to really add to my boil intensity. Finished putting new taps on my main woods today. Ready to rock and roll

[Sugarmaker]

Collected about 30 gallons of sap and sweetened my pan a little. My AOF modifications seem to really add to my boil intensity. Finished putting new taps on my main woods today. Ready to rock and roll

Wow it seams early, but your down south a ways too. Good luck with your season. We need some pictures boiling that 2018 sap!
Regards,
Chris

[bmbmkr]

[QUOTE=Sugarmaker;361067]Wow it seams early, but your down south a ways too. Good luck with your season. We need some pictures boiling that 2018 sap!
Regards,
Chris

Chris, we are usually finished boiling down here before some of our northern friends tap the first tree. If I have any gumption and wood left, I'm goin to tap some river birch in March.

I ran another 3000' of 3/16 Saturday, got the drops t'd in. These trees are all between 700'-800' ASL, the 400' mainline runs from about 620' to 600' ASL where the tank is. My help didn't how up Saturday so I have another couple of laterals and 100 taps on the bench to run, then start running tubing down the steep tying those laterals to the mainline. Have another 50-75 trees down in the holler closer to the main, haven't decided whether to use 5/16 on those or 3/16. More than likely goin to put a 12V pump on the main. Right around 175 taps in this woods, and I'm goin to have to haul the sap a mile and a half to my house. I have a 330 IBC for the collection tank, goin to have to use 2 275's to haul or one and make two trips. Last year and the year before I got well over 2 gallon per tap on my woods here at the house with a lot less drop and a lot more mainline on a lot less grade.

I have my new drops on, (70) and new spiles (240) on my woods here at the house. I put up another 600' mainline on the lower end of the property that over lapped part of last years main put in 70 new taps and ran some of last years laterals further down the hill to it. Then I ended up taking down a few hundred feet of last years main, AGAIN! Will use it for a pump line from the new tank up the the old main. The new tank is collecting 175 taps, and about 800' from the house, plan on pumping it up to the old mainline which carries 125 taps and empties into a 330 IBC, that gets pumped the last 300' to the sugar camp- 800 GL bulk tank that I bought from Buckeye Gold's cousin last year. Lots of pumping and hauling this coming season, will be between 450-500 taps.

I upgraded my Deer Run 125 to electric and a second post added with 2 brand new XLE's. She's goin to earn her keep with this many taps and my small evaporator.

It's pouring rain today, but supposed to hit 65F, I'm about to don the rain gear and go fire up the pressure washer and do a final rinse of the pans, corny kegs, milk cans, bulk tanks, head tank and IBC's.

Lord willin, I'm going to tap next week.

[buckeye gold]

It's been a little slow starting but the next week looks good. I'd like a little colder reset for a couple days , but the forecast is 28-32 at night and ~45 days, so hoping that gets sap flowing. I have cooked 50+ gallons of sap, but have not finished any yet, just sweetened the pan. I hope it runs today so I can build a fire and keep the sweet sterile. As Ben said they are forecasting 60+ degrees today. I have not checked sugar content yet. I'll stay with these 38 taps until mid January then I'll tap my other 80 in. This may be the year we cook all through January. It was like that a few years ago and I made 80% of my syrup before Feb. 15th and the early taps saved my butt, as season was over by the last week of February. If I see that trend all my taps will go in by January 20th.

[jdircksen]

I'm just north of Columbus and I think I'll tap a few trees tonight. I have silver maples and they bud early anyway---but it seems like this weather is going to put an early end to my season. The forecast for the next 2 weeks is lows below 32* and highs in the 40s.

[buckeye gold]

Man it stayed warm last night. The sap is not running and the forecast now says warm for a week solid. Maybe I should have waited a week to tap. Oh well, it'll run sooner or later. I just fear the bacteria load that comes with warm days. At least it's only a few early taps. It done this last year and these same taps ran until March, but slowed up. I'll have to build a small fire today and keep my sweet from spoiling.

Thought I'd come back and update. I went down to the sugar shack to light a small fire and keep my sweet, but I decided to take a taste and man that sweet seemed good. So I drained the pan and finished it on propane. I was right it is good medium dark syrup. I made just short of a half gallon. So I have my first syrup of 2019. I only prefiltered it, but since we'll most likely keep it for home use I'll just let it settle and use it.

[netsplitter]

I tapped a little early this year - kind of went with the trend (a lot of Kentucky farms seemed to be getting started early, and thought I would follow).

Looking at it now, wish I would have waited. I caught a good couple days, got around 40 gallons, but everything has stopped wiith no good freezing tempts in sight.

Hopefully in the next couple weeks the weather improves .

This is my first year using 3/16th gravity tubing, I remember reading that the taps do not dry up as fast with tubing as with buckets - am hopeful I will get through Mid/late February.

[buckeye gold]

you'll be fine netsplitter, The taps will run longer on the 3/16th. I ran a couple lines from Christmas till March 1st last year. It slowed a little, but in the end more runs equaled the same amount of sap.