North East Ohio 2019

[christopherh]

I’ll be tapping this weekend.

[miboss]

Tapped this past Sunday/Monday, collected about 1400 gallons between Tuesday and last night, first boil tonight. Sugar was 1.5% on Tuesday, Since yesterdays run mixed with Tuesdays, it looks like yesterdays was a little up from that, the mix is reading about 1.6 or 1.7. Should be a long boil tonight.

[Sugarmaker]

I will be tapping probably this weekend in Ashtabula County. Looking at accuweather after seeing Chris' post on the NW Pa thread, I don't see a whole lot of good sap weather until mid March. A day or two here and there but that's it. Of course, extended forecasts are usually wrong anyways.

Jason,
Yes I agree it looks like maybe a couple days each week where it might run over here on the other side of the line.
Boiled in 180 gallons of 3.5% sap last night (dumped about that much slush ice). There is another 300 - 400 gallons waiting from last night.
Looks like the year for things to break. Blower for steamaway overheated and stopped. Broke a old fitting which had been soldered and spewed 200 degree sap into the room.
Just normal syrup stuff.
Hope your season is good. I did have the good fortune to help set your old oil arch down closer to position with Jim. Nice unit!
Regards,
Chris

[heus]

Glad to see you are off and running Chris.
I am only tapping sugars this year so I am curious as to what my sugar content will be. With about 45% reds in the past it was always low (1-1.5%). It would be nice to see 2%. Plus its been a few years since we had our woods select-cut so I would think that should have a positive impact on sugar content in the near future.

[johnallin]

I will be tapping probably this weekend in Ashtabula County. Looking at accuweather after seeing Chris' post on the NW Pa thread, I don't see a whole lot of good sap weather until mid March. A day or two here and there but that's it. Of course, extended forecasts are usually wrong anyways.

Heus - Amen to the inaccuracy of extended forecasts...

I raced sailboats on the Great Lakes for over 33 years. Always said they should put the weather gurus in a room that had some windows - so they could at least look outside!

Unless there's a real "daisy cutter" charging across country, I don't trust much past a day or two!

[DrTimPerkins]

Of course, extended forecasts are usually wrong anyways.

And if you want that explained a bit more scientifically.... http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/Weather.pdf

[woodburner]

Nice run last night and some today. Finished off 11gal. Sap at 2.4deg. Syrup getting lighter with each run.

[miboss]

For first boil last night, I made 11 gallons of very light amber (Hanna reading 73) I thought for sure it would be golden, but very good amber/rich taste. I drained pans (about 25 gallons) because it looks like we won't boil again till the middle/end of the week, so I'll have plenty of sweet to start the next boil.

I only had one small problem, where I forgot to drain an outside line from a couple weeks ago when I thought I was getting things cleaned and ready, and it had cracked, thankfully it was a quick fix and I was up and running.

[johnallin]

Getting closer. Got the tank in place on Saturday and the booster set up down by the creek yesterday.

Fought for over an hour last night trying to get a 1" hose barb connector fitting into the blue vac line, to transition to flexible hose at the booster, with no luck at all... Not sure what anyone else does, but there is no way it was going together.

I am dead set on getting this all finished by the weekend so we can tap!

2019 tank.jpg2019 booster tank.jpg

[heus]

All tapped here and 98% ready to go.