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Thread: Tapped my early Trees today

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Lawrence County Ohio
    Posts
    350

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    [QUOTE=Maplefarmall;375635]I think I'm going to start tapping this Sunday looking at the weather[/QUOTE



    Maplefarmall


    I sent you a private message about your Maple Pro


    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

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

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    Had a good run today, 42 gallons off 40 taps. Syrup still running a little darker than usual. Sap still at 2%
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Sunbury,Ohio
    Posts
    10

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    Got in the woods today, allot of clean up trees down got most of that done working in lines and squirrel damage think I might take a day off this week to work on the woods would like to tap next weekend
    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

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Ashville,Ohio
    Posts
    89

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    Buckeye, sounds like got a head start tapping on me. Hopefully sap % stays at 2 or bumps up a little this year.
    Hoping get tanks and pump out middle of this week, let mud dry a little.
    I'm a little behind but looks like start tapping end of the week.
    Last couple wind sessions knocked a bunch of dead stuff down.
    Mel
    24"x57" homemade evaporator
    with forced air
    24"x24" syrup pan with hood
    24"x33" drop flue pan with hood and pre-heater
    Homemade 12 gallon canner with steam heater
    UV light for 2011
    homemade RO for 2012 (no more raw sap for me)
    Added 2nd RO membrane in 2013
    Gas powered Gast Vacuum Pump
    Built RO room for 2020

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    OH
    Posts
    174

    Default

    buckeye gold - how are your early taps doing? How would you rate the quantity of sap you are getting? I'm looking at some of my data from the past 2 years and it seems that early season produced less quantity of sap.
    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!

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default

    Hey Mel, good to hear from you. Glad your getting close. I think my regular taps (75) are going in next weekend and I'll still have the 40 early going. So I'll be all in at 115 taps. If sap flows good It'll be a lot of boiling since I still only have the small pan and no RO. This is my highest tap count since I was a kid working with dad 50 years ago(~300 taps then).

    jdircksen, I haven't had many runs, but they been good at ~1 gallon per tap and good sugar at 2%. Typically the early taps do run less and 1/2 gallon per tap is a good early run. Sugar is usually lower too. I finished as much sweet as I was comfortable with last week and drained my pan and took the remaining sweet to the spare refrigerator. I also washed the pan and all my tanks, so I pulled the lines out of my collection tank and any sap that ran went on the ground, it was just too warm. I put the lines back in last night thinking I'll get enough to boil today. After Sunday it looks like a cold week and no runs. I have commitments on Tuesday & Wednesday so that's ok and I'll be going to Maple day in Morrow County Thursday. I always like talking with friends there and getting the new information. I also pick up my bottle order from Sugar Bush Supply and the savings on shipping pay for the day.
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Ashville,Ohio
    Posts
    89

    Default

    Dana, got everything tapped Sunday. Ditch washed out bad in part of the woods so can't get to some of the trees this year. Got 225 in though.
    Checked vacuum pump, holding around 22-23".
    Glad getting this cold stretch. Would be nice for another one later.
    Hopefully we are both busy end of this week. Will see how sugar % is this year for me.
    Mel
    24"x57" homemade evaporator
    with forced air
    24"x24" syrup pan with hood
    24"x33" drop flue pan with hood and pre-heater
    Homemade 12 gallon canner with steam heater
    UV light for 2011
    homemade RO for 2012 (no more raw sap for me)
    Added 2nd RO membrane in 2013
    Gas powered Gast Vacuum Pump
    Built RO room for 2020

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Ashville,Ohio
    Posts
    89

    Default

    Forgot to mention, I took early retirement end of March last year. Now can concentrate on important stuff, syrup and getting farm house and buildings fixed up.
    24"x57" homemade evaporator
    with forced air
    24"x24" syrup pan with hood
    24"x33" drop flue pan with hood and pre-heater
    Homemade 12 gallon canner with steam heater
    UV light for 2011
    homemade RO for 2012 (no more raw sap for me)
    Added 2nd RO membrane in 2013
    Gas powered Gast Vacuum Pump
    Built RO room for 2020

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Southern Ohio
    Posts
    1,349

    Default

    Good for you Mel, I hope your retirement goes well and is enjoyable. It's nice to have the time, but you'll fill it up with all kinds of new work. I do think that the end of the week will bring some sap. I'm going to Maple day Thursday, and I plan to tap the rest of my trees Friday. I had a small run night before last, but not enough to fire up the evaporator so I reduced it on the wood stove and set it up to make Maple vinegar. My daughter has been wanting some. This is my first attempt at vinegar, but hey I usually make a hole pan of it when I let the last sap of the year ferment to clean in the pan. My guess is we'll have a pretty strong early season then it'll be a fight with warm temps by the end of February. The trends seem to point that way. I usually quit when that happens as it's just too hard to keep everything clean and I don't like fighting spoiled sap and sweet.
    125-150 taps
    Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
    Modified half pint arch
    Air over fire
    All 3/16 tubing
    Southern Ohio

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Lawrence County Ohio
    Posts
    350

    Default

    We got 250 in last Friday. It didn't start flowing to about 4. I let it run out to flush the lines. I tapped another 150 yesterday, hope to get the last 200 in today then finish my float regulators and plumb the AOF/AUF. Looks like it should start running Wed afternoon. Hopefully we can boil Thursday. I'm excited to try out the new evaporator. THB 2020 Maple Pro 2x6.jpg
    Last edited by bmbmkr; 01-21-2020 at 08:35 AM.
    '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

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