Tapping for winter 22–23

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple,
I got Robin’s number Saturday, had to send her a picture of her with a baby Beagle that the young couple’s children had with them! They was from Wirt County and discovered syrup and sap at the lodge! Young father is getting into syrup production, maybe Robin told you about them! Apparently her long time Beagle pet had recently passed! She texted back and thanked me and Mike for coming to her woods for some on the mountain training and suggestions. I sent her another suggestion on how to get her mountain tapped! What is your estimate of the amount of taps available on her property? 10000? More? I would like to do some plot surveys. She is probably at that 100 taps per acre just like down in the Dryfork on the 267 acres I would like to lease. That property plotted 100 to 120 taps an acre! Easy 25000 taps!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

CanaanMaple,
I got Robin’s number Saturday, had to send her a picture of her with a baby Beagle that the young couple’s children had with them! They was from Wirt County and discovered syrup and sap at the lodge! Young father is getting into syrup production, maybe Robin told you about them! Apparently her long time Beagle pet had recently passed! She texted back and thanked me and Mike for coming to her woods for some on the mountain training and suggestions. I sent her another suggestion on how to get her mountain tapped! What is your estimate of the amount of taps available on her property? 10000? More? I would like to do some plot surveys. She is probably at that 100 taps per acre just like down in the Dryfork on the 267 acres I would like to lease. That property plotted 100 to 120 taps an acre! Easy 25000 taps!
Mark 220 Maple

she could probably get to the 10,000 mark! I've spent over a decade on the whole mountain both skiing, and clearing woods and trails in the fall for skiing. Almost all sugars and hardly any reds. saw Mikes truck out there yesterday when I was picking up sap, guess he was up helping her fix stuff. I try when I have time, even though I am buying sap from her, because it's worth getting as much of the 2% + I can get!

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple,
Some sad faces down here, within a six hour window are forecast of two weeks of winter temperatures disappeared, I for one was not surprised, I never pay any attention to long range forecast! I’ve said many times I wouldn’t believe the Weather man if he told me his mother was a woman, same statement applies to politicians! My buddy Ed at SweetCreek Maple in Tyler County had been telling me since the last week of January, hang in there brother cold weather is coming, I asked two days ago if he believes we will get a good freeze in December, he sent back a sweating emoji! So good luck to you high elevation producers, hope you get a freeze everyday that we get down to 33 degrees!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

CanaanMaple,
Some sad faces down here, within a six hour window are forecast of two weeks of winter temperatures disappeared, I for one was not surprised, I never pay any attention to long range forecast! I’ve said many times I wouldn’t believe the Weather man if he told me his mother was a woman, same statement applies to politicians! My buddy Ed at SweetCreek Maple in Tyler County had been telling me since the last week of January, hang in there brother cold weather is coming, I asked two days ago if he believes we will get a good freeze in December, he sent back a sweating emoji! So good luck to you high elevation producers, hope you get a freeze everyday that we get down to 33 degrees!
Mark 220 Maple

I like that quote about weatherman and politians. At least one of those two are guessing and not actually lying! I think there is a pattern flip coming, but just a little late.
This is the lowest snowfall in the 73 years of record keeping here! 3.9" :O We had more snow in April last year than Feb this year!?

this guy (who is selling his house, so losing the official nws observer) has kept records for the past 20+ years and you can see detailed data. We are only at 40" snow for the season, but have never been under 100 since 2000. (altho in the 1930's is was supposed to have been this bad a year or two) extreme detailed winter weather data for this area since 2000 ... http://data.canaanmtnsnow.com/

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple,
Just curious do you get the high winds like I get down off the mountain? Today’s forecast is wind of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60! Little to stout to fly a kite! Or do anything in the woods, last time I was out checking lines a limb broke off and landed about 10 feet from me, it actually hit a lateral so hard it knocked a spile right out of a tree! Nice size dead limb, sometimes referred to as a Widow maker!
Mark 220 Maple

[canaanmaple]

CanaanMaple,
Just curious do you get the high winds like I get down off the mountain? Today’s forecast is wind of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60! Little to stout to fly a kite! Or do anything in the woods, last time I was out checking lines a limb broke off and landed about 10 feet from me, it actually hit a lateral so hard it knocked a spile right out of a tree! Nice size dead limb, sometimes referred to as a Widow maker!
Mark 220 Maple

It's pretty much never NOT windy in Canaan :P But yeah high wind warning and was wailing all night now with snow. Have a handful of trees down in yard but they were standing dead pines anyway. only 29 so doubt enough to make the sap run, but who knows, sometimes I get surprised. One more 58 degree day in forecast before a steady dose of nightly 20's in the 10day.... 2/3's the way to making what I made last year, so I hope to match it or exceed... only worried about buddy, but the last syrup I made thursday night was a delicious amber! (steyers said they did also...I always check in on them to see whats going on since they are the closest big producer, even though over the line, but just barely by a few miles so we can count them as mountaineers!)

[darkmachine]

I'm looking at the forecast and i'm hopeful I can get at least a few more gallons made, we are usually a little colder here, last night we had 27, but this morning at 9am the power went out and didn't come back until 2pm....a whole day of run wasted...when the power came back on boy did it run.

[220 maple]

Darkmachine,
I don’t remember if you posted you elevation, if your much below 3000 feet considered yourself lucky, I would have to believe your the loan survivor, possibly the new producer near Circleville, my sources tell me he made some good syrup last week, the last good sap I got was on 2/21/23, not buddy just eat up with bacteria, ropey syrup! Everyone in the Higher elevations should get two more weeks, Dr Mike and I took a portable RO to another new producer in Grant County, he has good sap and fresh taps, at least another two weeks I hope for him, we got a deal where I finish, filter press and bottle his syrup, on a barter where he pays me in syrup, good deal for me because I’m at 50 % of crop! Hopefully he will sell me some bulk also, his main goal is to get his land the farm discount on property taxes! 75% discount is good savings on property taxes, another advantage for landowners to lease their trees or sell sap!
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

Finally getting the darn pattern change prognosticators have been predicting. Yesterday started out at 20 degrees, but went to 60 and sunny. Hopefully the last 60 degree day in a while!! Sap ran great in my new north facing woods, but seems to have really slowed on the northwest facing woods that have the bigger trees...need to go walk the lines I guess. Still making a nice amber. Need to go check out DarkMachines operation! Wardensville is only an hour away from me because of the superhighway that ends there

[darkmachine]

I'm not far off from being done, after my rounds this morning, i poured out about 100 gallons from yesterday that went ropey while our power was out...not enough to fire up the RO. I'll rinse and clean and let it run on the ground until the flow picks up, and if it doesn't i'll flush and pull my taps and hope for a better season next year, lol.