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Thread: Tapped my early Trees today

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default Tapped my early Trees today

    This is later than usual, but I deliberately waited this year. I tapped the 40 trees I usually do for fall today and hope they will run into spring. They're all on 3/16th. I had 5-10 gallons of sap by mid afternoon and actually didn't expect any run until later in the weekend. So maybe tomorrow or Sunday I'll get to start sweetening my pan. I guess it's here for me.
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

    Default

    Congrats to you. Keep us informed how it progresses. How is your sugar content?
    2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
    2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
    2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
    2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
    made 17 gal. syrup
    2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
    2021 - Didn't work out
    2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default

    pdiamomd,

    I dumped the first run as it was small ( ~15 gallons) and it flushed the lines. It's Going to freeze up now so my first boil probably won't be until next week. I don't expect any big runs but I'll post what I get. This is just some trees I tap early to make a little bonus syrup and work any bugs out. I'll tap my regular 100 late January
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Lawrence County Ohio
    Posts
    350

    Default

    Good Luck this year Buckeye.

    I hoped to be tapped by now but the weather hasn't cooperated. We've had some high water down here- I'm runnin an 800' pumpline/mainline across the bottom behind my folks place to get the sap from 300 taps over there, to over here. I don't mind floatin the john boat or kayak over there to turn a pump on & off but not really wantin to haul sap on the boat.

    If my floats for my new evaporator come in this week I should be ready to tap by next weekend. I got a "new to me" 2x6- didn't get the floats with it, the seller bought his farm at auction and the evaporator was there- 2009 Maple Pro raised flue that was only used for 2 years. It's like brand new. I got in contact with the original owner and no one knows what happened to the floats. I have added AUF an AOF- new blanket & brick. Can't wait to try her out!

    Ben
    '12 15 jugs - Steam pans
    '17 125 3/16 - 18" x 72" drop flue on homemade arch
    '18 240 3/16 - Deer Run 125
    '19 450 3/16 - Converted RO to electric/added a membrane
    '20 600 3/16 - Maple Pro 2x6 Raised Flue, added AOF/AUF
    '21 570 3/16 - Built steam hood, Smoky Lake filter press
    '22 800 3/16 - Upgraded RO to 4 4x40
    '23 500 3/16 - Re-plumbed RO, new "Guzzler"
    '24 500 3/16 - Steam Away, DIY 8x40 RO

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default

    I was surprised I got a bit of a run yesterday and last night, as it never went below freezing. So I have about 25 gallons of sap. I may build a fire this afternoon and start making sweet, or I may wait to fill the head tank in a day or two. Most likely I'll go ahead and cook this sap for a while and get the sweet started anyway.

    Good luck Ben. I bet you are anxious to at least work out the bugs in that new set up. I hope you got your floats in, but I'm sure you can still boil some without it, just keep it deeper than usual.
    Last edited by buckeye gold; 01-06-2020 at 09:44 AM.
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Lawrence County Ohio
    Posts
    350

    Default

    I tapped a big silver right below the house the day before yesterday and hung a bag on it, nothin yet, it MAY run today. I just want to test the sugar in these silvers, I have a couple hundred of em. They get a lot more sun than the sugars up in the woods, but they bud so early..we'll see. If they are sweet enough, I may tap em next year or the year after.

    I got a message from Bascom's yesterday while I was out wiring up another pump line. I called them at 8:01 AM this morning. They have one of the floats I ordered (the second time around), the other they were goin to have to have made and it was goin to take another 2-3 weeks. The lady put John on the phone and he found a used one and they are shipping today with another 2 rolls of 5/16's. My new evaporator is a raised flue, so I need two floats. I did contemplate what would happen if I ran both pans 8" deep.

    Headed out now to finish the 800' pump line, we're bringin 300 taps off the hill and at the bottom of the mainline, pumpin it straight up 10' with a shurflo, from there it'll run 800' across the bottom to right beside my folks house. Maybe next year or so I can put a real vac pump and a sap ladder in and not have to worry about flooding. The field I'm crossing was 3' under water 3 weeks ago.

    Happy Boiling!!

    Ben
    '12 15 jugs - Steam pans
    '17 125 3/16 - 18" x 72" drop flue on homemade arch
    '18 240 3/16 - Deer Run 125
    '19 450 3/16 - Converted RO to electric/added a membrane
    '20 600 3/16 - Maple Pro 2x6 Raised Flue, added AOF/AUF
    '21 570 3/16 - Built steam hood, Smoky Lake filter press
    '22 800 3/16 - Upgraded RO to 4 4x40
    '23 500 3/16 - Re-plumbed RO, new "Guzzler"
    '24 500 3/16 - Steam Away, DIY 8x40 RO

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default

    Glad to hear you found floats. Push come to shove a local machine shop could make them.

    I boiled down the sap I had and the pan is fairly sweet now. I was pleasantly surprised it was 2.2%. I'll take that all spring long. Not much ran yesterday, but perhaps today may run some. I really need to get a freeze and reset these threes. Our lowest temp for several days is 31 degrees and that was this morning.
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default

    Had another 25 gallons of sap this morning and pulled a small draw off and finished (1000 Mls or 1quart +). The first syrup of the season was darker than I usually start with, a good rich taste. This quart will stay in the house for our use.
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Sunbury,Ohio
    Posts
    10

    Default

    I think I'm going to start tapping this Sunday looking at the weather
    850 taps
    H20 kwik vac pump
    H20 vertical releaser
    5/16 lateral, 3/4 main,1.25 wet dry
    Maple pro raised flue 2x8
    Cdl 600 R.O
    16x20 sugar house with 14 foot lean-to
    Kubota RTV 900 and 500

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    OH
    Posts
    174

    Default

    Interesting that its darker than usual.
    I'm planning to tap on 1/25 once I get back from vacation.
    2021: 28 taps. 18"x36" flat pan and dual natural gas burners.
    2020: 31 taps. 3 full size steam table pans on a custom 6x water heater natural gas burner setup.
    2019: 31 taps on silvers. Back porch gas cook top with 2 full size steam table pans. An amazing 14.9 gallons in my backyard!
    2018: 22 taps on 9 silvers. Propane turkey fryer and full size steam table pan on electric stove. I made 4.25 gallons in my backyard!

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