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Thread: A short season

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Fort Plain, NY, Montgomery County
    Posts
    661

    Default A short season

    Well, a really short run. Several small snow storms, but lots of melting in between. The ground has been bare for weeks. Our 3 lawn trees are in full southern exposure. First time ever that the finished syrup has a funny taste. I used some in baking and it was fine. Probably blend it. The trees just never produced. Only ended with about 30 gallons from 3 trees. One day such high winds the bucket was pulled right out of the tree. Same day everyone's trash cans became projectiles. At least Ron kept busy for a bit. ( his back problem with the help of some meds has made it possible for him to get around again) We stopped at the nearest sugar shack a few miles from here and got a 5 gallon bucket of sap. That was from some nice old trees on the guys farm. Made a pint of really rich flavored syrup. Ron cleaned up yesterday. I will be experimenting with baking and recipes as the time being in the house goes by. At least we have the gardens to work on and can go for walks. Take care
    Last edited by highlandcattle; 03-25-2020 at 11:49 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Potsdam in far northern New York
    Posts
    775

    Default

    Here in St Lawrence County the weather looks good for a couple more days. If that's what happens our entire season will be about 25 days...a far cry from the past when folks would hope for a season running six weeks.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    New Hartford, N.Y.
    Posts
    2,093

    Default

    I agree.
    As a kid, I quickly pedaled my bike up the street to check the buckets at a neighbors. Then pedaled twice as fast to get home to tell my father that we had to go collect! I did that after school for what seemed like weeks and weeks. Sadly, weeks and weeks is not the case anymore.


    Steve
    2014 Upgrades!: 24x40 sugarhouse & 30"x10' Lapierre welded pans, wood fired w/ forced draft, homemade hood & preheater
    400 taps- half on gravity 5/16, half on gravity 3/16
    Airablo R.O. machine - in the house basement!
    Ford F-350 4x4 sap gatherer
    An assortment of barrels, cage tanks & bulk tanks- with one operational for cooling/holding concentrate
    And a few puzzled neighbors...

    http://s606.photobucket.com/albums/t...uckethead1920/

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Ogdensburg, NY
    Posts
    113

    Default

    I have pretty much cut my season short, or mother nature did it for me! My sap has turned cloudy and sugar content has fallen to 1.5 or less. Not even close to productive for my small hobby setting. I'll wait to see what the next run brings, but I'm ready to call it quits. 12 gallons + to give away to family and friends this year. They will be happy, and I am happy that I can still do it and have fun at it.
    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)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Eagle lake Maine
    Posts
    280

    Default

    Join the club, we only ever get 3-4 weeks here.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Clayville, NY
    Posts
    53

    Default

    My first boil was February 25. I missed out on a couple early runs but the sugar really hadn’t shown up. When the warmer weather came, it seemed to stay. My sugar dropped off quick. Today, after 2 nights of a hard freeze I measured.7% and the sap is cloudy with a bad aftertaste. See what this week brings but not expecting much to change.
    2x8 Smokey Lake Silverplate raised flue
    Around 250 taps mostly on 3/16" and a few on buckets
    CDL Hobby 250 RO
    Lean-to for the sugar shack
    Chainsaws, wood splitter and tractor for more good times

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Central Wisconsin
    Posts
    428

    Default

    Central Wisconsin, 4 1/2 weeks here. I tapped on 3-1-2020 and will be pulling 4-1-2020. All buckets or gravity flow 5/16. So far I'm over a quart per tap and that is with losing 30 buckets during a gale force wind a day after I collected and I wasn't around to notice for 5 days. I had some really good runs but sugar was less than 2% this year.IMG_1730.jpg
    1960 - 1970s 70 taps on galvanized buckets with Dad and Grandpa.
    1970s - 1985 Acted crazy!
    1986 - 2005 20-30 buckets.
    2006- 2017 70 buckets and bags
    2017-2019 100 bags and buckets
    2020 Finally retired!!! 75 buckets, 50-75 on tubing. RO Bucket, New 12 X 16 Shack and a 42X42 flat pan.
    2021-Adding another 125 taps along with a second RO bucket.
    2022- Shooting for 350 taps, with 100 on lines.
    Lots of Family and Friends and dogs named Skyy and Nessy!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Upper Valley, NH
    Posts
    146

    Default

    I tapped on 2 February...then things got cold (of course!). Two and half weeks ago it got up to 70 here and I thought we were done - and it would have been a horrible year. But it got cold for a few days and the sap is still running and good. I've made more syrup than any year in the last 6. Sugar content is consistently low, but that's been overcome by more volume (per tap). Thunderstorms and hail last night made for an interesting juxtaposition with syrup boiling! Like some here have said, until the peepers begin; chances are good the sap is good.
    2023: Award Winning Maple Syrup and Honey!
    2023: 200 Taps on 3/16" "natural vac"
    2022: 150 Taps on 3/16" "natural vac"
    2022: Lapierre Vision 2x6 with Preheater & Marcland Autodraw
    2022: Brand new post and beam sugar house
    2022: 4"x40" RO
    Kubota L4701, Kubota BX2380
    2 Black Rescue Dogs, 2 Livestock Guardian Dogs, Many Bee Hives, A Flock of Icelandic Chickens
    30 Acres of Wooded Bliss
    vikingmadeforge: Artist Blacksmithing & Bladesmithing
    https://blackdogbeesandmapletrees.com

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Eagle lake Maine
    Posts
    280

    Default

    Still waiting here in far northern Maine. There's still 2 1/2- 3 ft. of snow tightly packed against the trees and they're hardly running at all.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Upper Valley, NH
    Posts
    146

    Default

    What snow?! All gone here...even the snowbanks. A crazy non-winter for us.
    2023: Award Winning Maple Syrup and Honey!
    2023: 200 Taps on 3/16" "natural vac"
    2022: 150 Taps on 3/16" "natural vac"
    2022: Lapierre Vision 2x6 with Preheater & Marcland Autodraw
    2022: Brand new post and beam sugar house
    2022: 4"x40" RO
    Kubota L4701, Kubota BX2380
    2 Black Rescue Dogs, 2 Livestock Guardian Dogs, Many Bee Hives, A Flock of Icelandic Chickens
    30 Acres of Wooded Bliss
    vikingmadeforge: Artist Blacksmithing & Bladesmithing
    https://blackdogbeesandmapletrees.com

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