Tapping for winter 22–23

[220 maple]

I was helping Dr. Rechlin measure some trees in the Circleville area Thursday, the individual who owns the trees had some syrup setting in evaporator, slightly off flavor, his trees started running real hard that day, he cleaned evaporator and started with fresh sap, reported that new sap made excellent syrup! He is setting at 3000 foot elevation! Also been getting low 20s.
Mark220maple

[canaanmaple]

220 maple,
thanks for your and Rechlins enthusiasm about and pushing the mapling in the great state of WV! one of five states with sugar maple as the state tree with so much untapped potential! every maple tree needs a tap!

[220 maple]

CanaanMaple,
Yes hanging with Dr. Rechlin is a blast! However I’ve told him it’s also semi-depressing, he takes me to places where as we’re driving by I’m saying who owns this land!? Which brings me to the time I ticked off the Representative for Vermont on the North American Maple Syrup Council. We had just been approved to join the council at the big meeting at Seven Spring Resort in Pa. I had already met the then President Dave Hamelton, he knew I was the President of the WV Maple Syrup Producers Assoc. right after the vote he invites me to the from of the room to say a few words about West Virginia and are joining the council. So with no prepared words written down I begrudgingly walk up. This is what I said, Thank You for allowing us (West Virginia) to join the Council, we’re a new association, and I’m open to suggestions on how to build membership, and by the way we have more maple trees than the State of Vermont! Of coarse that got a chuckle from the crowd, but the look from the Vermont Representative, it appeared to me he was thinking who the hell do you think you are! As soon as we had a break I rushed up to him and told not to worry half of are trees are on hillside to steep to get to! I don’t know if that smoothed the hard feelings I created, but it is the truth we have more maple trees than them simply because are state is larger! This is true of a lot a states of having more maple trees than Vermont! It’s a way of life in Vermont, have a maple tree tap it! Just not that way here yet but I never give up encouraging people too tap there trees!
Mark220maple

[220 maple]

At my location I’m always trying something to prove or disprove a theory, have not got one drop of good sap since Feb. 21st, syrup was ropey, so tasting it was irrelevant! Ropey is a bacteria issue or so I’ve been told! So yesterday I tap 5 of my old granddaddy trees in a location that nothing was tapped due to logging, two taps per tree into water cooler jugs, should yield me 20 gallons of sap to test sugar content and boil in my small finishing pan. If the issue turns out to be dirty pipelines, surely have missed out on a lot of syrup, if sap is off even though there is no sign of buds on any of the sugar maples then that a different issue. Will let you WV guys know!
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

I pulled in about 300gal today but my Ro gave up some parts are on order and hopefully tomorrow doesn't bury me trying to get it boiled

[220 maple]

Darkmachine,
Good to here your getting good sap, only 5 known producers still in business, you must be over 3000 foot elevation, the other four I know are over 3000 foot, everyone else sap headed south for the Summer!
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

I'm actually in a hole, but the trees are not budded out....but i did have to dump a tank of snot...I cleaned everything really well and so far so good, i'm only at about 1500 feet but we are always 10 degrees or more colder because of the geography between the mountains, can't explain it, but not going to argue with good sap!

[darkmachine]

sideways pic but back at it, had 300gal to boil on my 2x6 with no ro and warm breeze trying to spoil my sap!

[220 maple]

My little test boil from 5 trees I tapped Tuesday proved that the sap was bad, 2% sugar Crystal clear, no buds visible on any of the trees, buddy syrup , I didn’t believe it would be good because of the daffodils, ground warm enough to get them to bloom then tree roots to warm also! An older producer than me told me years ago when them daffodils start growing you better move fast! The end is near!
Mark220maple

[darkmachine]

Mark, Did you sap have an odor?