2020 Missouri activity

[Goggleeye]

Well, my question aligns with the Missouri forum a bit, as it has to do with local sap flow the last couple of days, our upcoming weather and sap flow. I know ideal weather is lows in the 20's, highs in the 40's, with possibility of 1 gallon per tap per day. Over Tuesday and Wednesday, from 17 taps, I got 2.2 gallons. This is the local wx forecast for the next 10 days:

Attachment 20629

Not ideal for sap, though I'm sure it will cool off again. Winter isn't over yet! What do I do until wx gets ideal for sugaring? Leave my taps alone, re-drill and re-use them or drill new?

Thanks for the help. Also, in old forums, found a link for a reasonable price on Full Size Steam Table Trays, will see what shipping is.

Cheers!

John

Leave things alone and wait for the trees to give more sap. You may get a little sap - freeze it until you have enough to cook it down. Just make sure it doesn't sit in your containers for more than a day if the temps get mid 40's or above.
I'm surprised your trees only gave a total of 2.2 gallons for those two days. Most of my trees gave a gallon on Tuesday and a half on Wednesday.
Check out our website and give me a holler if you want to come out.


This last 5 days has been one of the better runs we've ever had.

[Goggleeye]

I haven't been posting much because we've been so busy. Only getting 4-5 hours of sleep each night, as I'm usually finishing the wash cycle on the RO about 1 am.

We've collected about 3000 gallons on the 585 taps since Saturday, some runs still producing almost a gallon per tree yesterday despite the lack of temp fluctuation. The new tubing system is really paying off. 1 collection point and not having to fight the mud for by 175 tap woodlot has been great. RO a real lifesaver. But still haven't had time to finish syrup. Finishing pan is full, all my ss milk pans are full, and the wife has filled every stock pot we own. I want it to slow down but yet I don't. In 5 days we are at a quarter of last years production. Hope to catch up this weekend.

[Jjuhl54]

checked our taps on jan. 27 brought home 46 gallons off of 24 taps went back jan. 31 had 18 gallons and one baby squirrel drowned in the sap bag. been to warm in southeast missouri for a good run. walnut trees are not running at all.

[JayTee]

I haven't been posting much because we've been so busy. Only getting 4-5 hours of sleep each night, as I'm usually finishing the wash cycle on the RO about 1 am.

We've collected about 3000 gallons on the 585 taps since Saturday, some runs still producing almost a gallon per tree yesterday despite the lack of temp fluctuation. The new tubing system is really paying off. 1 collection point and not having to fight the mud for by 175 tap woodlot has been great. RO a real lifesaver. But still haven't had time to finish syrup. Finishing pan is full, all my ss milk pans are full, and the wife has filled every stock pot we own. I want it to slow down but yet I don't. In 5 days we are at a quarter of last years production. Hope to catch up this weekend.

Sounds like you need some local, semi-skilled, help that will work for syrup . . . I have JUST retired recently . . . <grin>

John

edited for clarity

[buckeye gold]

Some years it shoots right through filters and is crystal clear others it's slow and cloudy. your not doing anything wrong.I just got in the habit of double filtering all of it and I get all clear. Sometimes the cloudy doesn't show up for a day and I hate bottling and discovering cloudy syrup. even at that it will settle and won't hurt anything. We are all self-conscious of losing syrup in the filters, especially early in our sugaring days. I have come to accept it as part of the game and something that needs done. I do rinse my second filters in the flew pan to save some sugar. It's a choice of what you want as a finished product.

[unclejohn]

Well, the stupid trees were dripping well at 72 deg F yesterday. They're not supposed to do that! Fortunately we had collected most of the sap already. There is some that sat in sapsacks thru that warm weather; I tasted it and it tasted OK, and was not cloudy. Then the night got chilly, like 40 deg. So I think I might be able to salvage that sap when it is diluted in the next run.

So far we have made about 14 gallons of beautiful gold syrup. Good luck to all!

[JayTee]

So, my fellow Missouri Tappers, as a rank newbee, I've got a question about the 'End of the Season'. Most, if not all, of my trees are Silver Maples; probably like many of yours. This crazy weather has been all over the board, with some good temperatures finally coming back, at least for a few days. I'm also seeing buds popping open on my trees. I had read somewhere that you should pull taps when buds start popping, as hormones will give the syrup a funny flavor. I've read that you can sugar Silver Maples until they go 'dry'. Tasted some the sap and flavor seems fine.

When do I HAVE to quit? I can get a better picture with my DSLR; this was out of my phone, zoomed in. Humph! This picture does not show sideways on my computer; sure does when I upload it!

MaplesBudding.jpg
Thanks!

John

[JayTee]

Soooo, knowing I had more time that some might and to aid in answering my question, here's more pictures. Maybe 1/3, or less, of my trees have buds popping:

MapleBudPopping.jpg

The rest are still tight:
MaplesTightBud.jpg

Trees are making great sap; my 'favorites' already have 1/2 a gallon.

Thanks for looking.

John

[Goggleeye]

It’s all up to you. Keep collecting until the trees quit giving or you don’t like the flavor.

[unclejohn]

If you're worried about the quality of this next batch of syrup, bring a small pot of sap into the kitchen and boil it down, see how it tastes. That might avoid a whole lotta work. (Some folks still take budding syrup, and even though it has an off taste, use if for sweetening when baking, cooking, etc, rather than as a pancake syrup)