Looks like next weekend could be it here in NY. I see flower sprouts coming out of the ground in the flower boxes at work. What do you guys think? If its over, this would be the quickest season I have ever seen.
Looks like next weekend could be it here in NY. I see flower sprouts coming out of the ground in the flower boxes at work. What do you guys think? If its over, this would be the quickest season I have ever seen.
2014 - 19 taps on gravity, propane camp stove with just 3 gallon pot - made 6 gal
2015 - 130 taps on gravity, 2x4 flat pan on run-down arch - made 25 gal
2016 - 300 taps on gravity, 2x6 A&A metal shop raised flue evaporator - made 25 gal (missed 2 weeks of season and then had to dump 10 gal of syrup)
2017 - 275 taps on gravity - made 38 gal (again missed out on some runs)
2018 - 275 taps on gravity - made 52 gal
2019 - 275 gravity - homemade RO (2 4x40s)
I hope not, I still have over a foot of snow and ground that is frozen solid. Tapped last weekend and from 24 taps have seen maybe 10 gallons since Saturday, I don't think my trees have even started.
LOL, maybe where you live! Those flower boxes might be in one of those "things" called an ecological niche. I can see an excellent season ahead.
2016 - helped at afriend with a small operation, 300+ taps. = hooked
2017 - 20 taps @ home, 1 gal @ home on propane, then hauled to friends operation
Bought a whole shack locally, with a Leader 1/2 Pint, moved it home
2018 - 50 taps, 9 on 3/16 gravity and 41 pails -14 gallons of good sweet stuff
2019 - 27 taps, 17 on 3/16 gravity and 10 on pails - 12-3/4 gallons of good sweet stuff (most fun I've had with this hobby)
Check AccuWeather, it shows you have 2 more warm days, then into early April most nights will be below freezing, making a good maple season
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
Already over? I am not even done tapping yet.
16x24 Timber Frame Sugar House
Mason 2x4 Evaporator
90 trees on buckets
I'm in central Michigan. I watch both accuweather and the weather channel app's. Accuweather has us running great out till April 1st . The weather channel app has us done next Friday. I pray it's more than 10 days. We just had a 3 day thaw with good thunderstorms tonight I think the frost is mostly out of the ground now. I hope the flow picks up here.
25 years sugaring
2018 191taps. Made 80 gallons
Two taps to a 5 gallon bucket roadside trees.
A retired dad to hump buckets and do most of the boiling the great wife that let's me spend lots of time and money.
New Smokey lake 2×6 raised flue SSR on my own version of the silverplate arch.
2019 new hood and new preheater concept that worked great.
306 taps roadside trees
My first real flow was today so I hope we've got another 3 weeks or so
2012 - 12 taps into gallon jugs / 1 gallon syrup
2013 - 12 taps into gallon jugs / 1 gallon of burnt syrup 🤔
2014 - 20 taps on buckets / 2.5 gallons of syrup
2015 - 20 taps on buckets / 3 gallons of syrup
2016 - 30 taps on buckets / 3.5 gallons of syrup
2017 - 45 taps on buckets / 6.5 gallons of syrup
2018 - 70 taps on buckets / discovered mapletrader.com / 40 taps on 3/16 into 300 gallon poly tank / Fuel tank evaporator build / no sleep whatsoever / 22 gallons and counting...
Flowers coming up? frost out? i'm just hoping the recent rain hasn't made the hills on our camp road too slippery to drive in on and that it's knocked down the snow enough so that i can get to the trees without having a heart attack! it's going to be no fun shoveling paths thru the plowed snow banks on the road to get into the woods especially if they're ice encrusted. i think we might have a week or 4 of season left in the UP.
Buds, flowers, mud, birds...I try not to worry about things I can't control.
My suggestion....people should quit looking at things like this and just make syrup. It isn't over until the sap stops running or turns buddy. There will be plenty of time to talk about it when it's done.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
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Snow cover, depth of frozen soil, sun, air temperature, topography all play a part in awakening the sap flow.