Eastern Ontario 2021

[ennismaple]

Wow. I feel inadequate.

Tapped my 19 trees today, south of Acton.

LOL to each their own! You probably enjoyed tapping more than we did. After 2 days my calves felt like someone had beaten them with a baseball bat and the rest of me had been hit by a dumptruck! We can generally get 100-120 taps drilled per hour if I have someone on the hammer working behind me. If I'm alone it's more like 80 taps per hour.

The plan is to get the remaining 1000+ taps in on Saturday and then run the pumps Sunday so we can check for the worst of the leaks - which means walking everything again. The long range forecast doesn't show any days over the next 2 weeks that would be good flows.

We still have 2 pumps and connections to get hooked up to tanks to allow us to pump sap from 3100 taps back to the sugar camp. Our new 5x7 insulated building with the electric releaser is mostly ready to go now.

[Hkb82]

LOL to each their own! You probably enjoyed tapping more than we did.

Yup it’s a love hate relationship I’m sure once you get to that level.

[ir3333]

Decided to do a little research and tapped a tree today.(Feb.25) and sap is running.Surprising as it was +1 and windy!
I'll watch the flow from this tree through the warm weekend and look at the 14 day forecast to determine when to tap.
..either the 3rd or the 10th

Stirling Ont.

[PaulRenaud]

I'm in Darling Township, Lanark, and was planning to tap this weekend until I heard the weather forecast calling for snow/rain. Planning to tap 85 trees for my buckets this year, but not at the rate of 120 / hr - I have neither the stamina or the physical coordination for that!!

Early next week is supposed to be too cold, so may wait until mid-week. The problem of course is that it is easy for the forecast to be warmer by a couple of degrees (and it has been a warm winter overall) which would make for good flows.

[Hkb82]

I’d be tapping and letting the buckets hang. Worst case no sap best case weather hits a few degrees higher then called for and full buckets. Better to have em up in time then to be behind the 8 ball. I am putting my remaining taps in as we speak. Just on a little lunch break. The lines I have up were pretty frozen this am till around 1130ish but the holes I’m drilling now are running good as they do when you tap em on a sunny warm day. We have had a few years that the weather changed real quick and I sure wished I’d hit the first runs. Plus that’s when I usually get what little light syrup I do get.

[ir3333]

If you are a week or 2 late won't the sap still be there Hkb82?
I'm with you Paul..this is a hobby. Us old guys gotta' take it easy and enjoy it!

[Coatesy]

20210226_173637.jpg

2021 begins20210226_173637.jpg

[Hkb82]

If you are a week or 2 late won't the sap still be there Hkb82?
I'm with you Paul..this is a hobby. Us old guys gotta' take it easy and enjoy it!

Sure will providing Mother Nature is kind to us this year. It’s just a hobby for me also and I’m still taking it easy and enjoying it. Nothing wrong with a little encouragement from time to time. Ive been doing it for 7 years now and the weather is so unpredictable these days I think a lot can change in 2 weeks. I’m just saying

[Coatesy]

Attachment 22046

2021 begins

[Bushfrosh]

Put my 50 taps on yesterday afternoon and most were slowly dripping. The first bucket I put on had ~0.5L of sap in it 2-3 hours later. Should be at least a small collection later this weekend. Happy 2021 everyone!