Great Season

Taps in Feb 24 ... Taps out March 23.

My favorite season so far. Mostly due to the home built RO. The stuff is mind blowing. Thanks to all the MapleTraders for the help on that one. Made about half my syrup using good dry Ash bark and Black Locust bark. Lots of refueling but man what biomass that stuff is when its dry. Had flames shooting two feet out the top of my stack. Looked like the aft burner on a F16! Kept lots of throwable sap nearby.

Had my first cook over out of the steam pans. Lost a quart or two of syrup. Not used to getting to syrup so quickly. Made that mistake one time, hopefully not again.

Finished with 10+ gallons on my 50 taps. Over 80% of my expectations.

More sap then other years. Less sugar content then other years. Never saw more then 2% on the Grand Daddy Maples. Small sugars 1% large sugars 1.5% was the general trend. Saw 1/2% on Red Maples and Silver Maples. Thank Jesus himself for the RO membrane or I would be boiling into July.

My two new Silver Maple taps ran profusely. Even still running today. Did not think they had it in them.

Still have a bit of good sap flowing today but the writing is on the wall.

Peaked at 17 inches of mercury on a 7 tap 5/16 tubing run. Not sure about my other runs. Will check them next year. All my tube runs are still putting out a bit potable sap. Especially the 17 incher. Vacuum gauges are cool. Natural vacuum is even cooler. Now wondering how high people have gotten on 5/16 natural.

Wondering if anybody has ever considered doing union connections between different natural vacuum runs in order to increase sap column size at times of low flow???

Glad I did not tap any earlier then Feb 24! Started to have my doubts in early March, but I suffer anxiety attacks like everybody else.

But anxiety is a killer of good things to come so steer clear of it.