Willow Creek Sugarhouse 2022

[red maples]

Well are we getting close? been watching the wacky weather forecast... next week looks pretty good looks like sap might start flowing a little by maybe wednesday or Thursday? then freeze up for 4 or 5 days. Seems to be a fairly cold winter with very cold night temps. don't remember when the last 50F day was which is a good thing if the temps hold out this year the season could go well into April.

Watching the forecast closely maybe start tapping on Saturday once things warm up just a bit. Been cleaning and getting things ready. Still lots to do but getting there.

Purchased a brand new atlas copco vacuum pump this past year its all installed and ready to go. I bought a protection Valve kit with it as well, its plumbed in I just need to install the probes into the releaser. getting pretty fancy!!! (and expensive) with sales way down from lack of open houses and craft fairs I had to borrow from the house to get it done. last year the seals on my old Welsh pump pooped the bed so was pissing oil out like crazy really limped along to get through the end of the season last year. I only paid like $250 for it and ended up needing a new motor but it got me though what 6 or 7 years so I think I got my money's worth. and lets face it new is very nice.

Russ better be here this year!!! But his daily activites are gonna be like... "well sat on the porch in my Rocking chair havin' me some maple sweet tea..... watchin' the squirrels in the bird feeder..."

Pretty quiet on the tapping NH thread everyone hopefully in the sugarhouse. nasty out this morning...

Well I hope everyone has a GREAT 2022 season!!!

[collinsmapleman2012]

good luck! make lots of sap!
you'll like that atlas copco pump, they work excellent and are extremely quiet. let us know how you like that vacuum protection valve, although i hope you never need it! i ordered my pump from MES before they offered those, and have been considering an upgrade.

[red maples]

let us know how you like that vacuum protection valve, although i hope you never need it!

Yeah I hope I don't need it either. but to the tune of $425.00 it better work!!! I ordered the pump through MES back in June or July I forget but with all the shortages, delays, shipping issues etc I wanted to make sure it came in time and in finally came in November.

It is VERY quiet I can't believe how quiet it is. The loud sound of the Vacuum pumps is kinda the sound of the season since I started using them. Its kinda weird.

[red maples]

Got in 200 taps yesterday. had some errands to do in the AM but not bad. The bottoms of all the trees are pretty much encased in compacted snow ice and heavy thick snow ice in and around the swamp with a foot of dry snow then an inch of rain combined with snow, sleet and freezing rain its really easy to get around but its gonna take some sun and most of next week to get things going. but if nothing else it will get the lines flushed and I can get leaks under control and be ready for when things really get going. hoping to get the woods done here done today 300 to go over here. finding some more trees too hoping I can add in another 10 to 15 trees.

[Hop Kiln Road]

Brad, current forecast here is no sap in February. Got the woods more or less ready but won't tap for at least 10 - 14 days. But who knows with the weather. Good luck. Bruce

[red maples]

current forecast here is no sap in February. Bruce

Hey Bruce glad to see youre checking in.

the weather channel says different for you!!!
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l...c2411c51c453bd

[red maples]

Well got the new stuff up and running. get things turned on Wednesday and I got 4" of vacuum. shut off 1 section due to sap ladder base cracked bad. pulled that rebuilt that. then missed about 4 or 5 taps. replaced 2 drop lines. fixed 3 REALLY bad squirrel chews and poof pulling 27" I think I might get more but!!! vacuum pump is working really nice. Dumped nasty green sap on the ground all day yesterday. start collecting today. Got bulk tank all scrubbed and clean. RO put back together and Flushed out. Pre filter pressure gauge isn't working though Its not that big of a deal I use that one as much but as long as the machine works I am happy with that. Long day for me yesterday to get things ready. I get up at 3:50 AM for work and didn't stop until 11PM last night.

Forecast for February looks really good actually changed and is now a little on the warmer side. but it could change tomorrow ah. weather in New England.

[Hop Kiln Road]

So I see. Forecast is quite different. Probably start Wed or Thurs. More or less ready to go.

[BAP]

Forecast has changed a lot. Looks like some sugar weather later this week and after the last 2 days of thawing, the trees may be ready to run. I am looking to tap in the next 2-3 days.

[red maples]

Yes I was expecting 3 days of freeze up then a slow warmup over the next 7 days but nope that did change a lot.

So got everything tight and dumped nasty sap for all of Wednesday and collected sap since Thursday, not too much maybe 100 gallons on 465 taps. thats my woods. have more to go across the street in the neighbors woods. Friday and saturday it ran better and better some trees still not awake yet. Anyway ended up with 516 gallons of sap sugar only about 1.25 but the bottoms of the trees are pretty much still in ice so not expecting much yet. After squeezing had roughly 45 galloons to boil after I filled the evap. and actually made syrup on my first boil about 3-4 gallons. but I wasn't expecting a draw off because I rarely get syrup on my first boil so I didn't have the filter press set up yet or anything. just did a draw off into a 5 gallon blue. will have to reheat to filter.

But very smooth start to the season so far. waiting for something to break.

grabbing a bite to eat maybe a quick nap the probably start tapping across the street. get that going!!!

Put in the buckets next week some time. there are only 27 of those. Might set up a gravity line in one section to make things a little easier for me.

then come home and watch the game... don't have favorite team of these 2 so I hope the commercials are good. I wonder what Brady will do next season. funny if he ended up in vegas as offensive coordinator under McDaniels. ha that would be funny.