Basically the end here; one more collection (if it's even good) from my remote sugar bush. Forecast is too warm. No freezes (or just a couple degrees below the freezing point for an hour or two) on the way per the 10-day forecast. Not a good season.
Pulled my 20 bucket taps yesterday. Most of these are large silver maples. Didn't even get 90 gallons of sap from them. Some that habitually overflowed 5 gallon buckets barely gave a drop this season. Pulling my vac taps - mostly silvers, very soon. Just haven't gotten to it yet. Not even 10 gallons of sap/tap off those. My 30 sugars a few miles to the north (and higher elevation) on 3/16 saved me a bit. Nearly 17 gallons of sap/tap on those.
Still, a not very good season. Days it should have ran hard, it didn't. Too many warm nights in a row during the season and perhaps a bit of a late start with the cold preceding it. Oh well, we still made some good syrup. Upside, it wasn't a very difficult season. I don't feel like I worked too hard during it, and that's ok too
42.82N
2015 - Small operation. 25 buckets. One excited 5 year old and one 35 year old that feels 5 again.
2016 - One year older. New Homemade 2x4 Arch, Smoky Lake Pan and looking at 52 maples, 17 box elders and 2 walnut trees.
2017 - Shurflo 4008 hooked to 42 stingy silver maples and a few Norways. A couple buckets on sugars and Norways. 10 box elders.
2018 - ...a few more taps.
2019 - ...more taps on 3/16 gravity. This spiral is heading downward in a hurry.
2020 - 4x400 RO - RB20 (uh-oh!)