Backyard Syrup Enthusiasts 2023

[CanterburyMaple]

I know, it's not even 2023 yet, but thought I would kick it off as I started tapping today. Several things at play for me down in Southern Maine:

• New Maple gear as Christmas present
• Big thaw and rain over New Years
• Warm January predictions
• Need to wrap up sugaring by early/mid march for family reasons
• General impatience

So this will be a bit of an experiment: We'll see if my tap holes will last me into early March!

[Mvhomesteader]

Good luck! I look forward to what your experience is with an early season. I was discussing pros and cons of January tapping with my wife earlier today as it sure felt like March. In fact I think the warm weather made me curious if anyone was on Mapletrader.

I'm particularly curious as to your sugar content and how well the trees run versus how well they typically run in similar temperatures. I have a theory that the trees "know" it is January and hold back for spring----perhaps due to a lower sun angle? Love to follow your experience.

What did Santa bring you?

[Swingpure]

Good luck! I look forward to what your experience is with an early season. I was discussing pros and cons of January tapping with my wife earlier today as it sure felt like March. In fact I think the warm weather made me curious if anyone was on Mapletrader.

I'm particularly curious as to your sugar content and how well the trees run versus how well they typically run in similar temperatures. I have a theory that the trees "know" it is January and hold back for spring----perhaps due to a lower sun angle? Love to follow your experience.

What did Santa bring you?

My sugar content in Northern Ontario today range from 2.5% to 3%.

[Mvhomesteader]

My sugar content in Northern Ontario today range from 2.5% to 3%.

Are you tapping as well? I would have guessed you'd be frozen fairly tight.

[CanterburyMaple]

I got 1,000 feet of 5/16" tubing, T's, check-valve spouts, and a 2-handed tubing tool for christmas and I had a blast this past weekend putting up 3 lines with 5-7 trees on each. Learned a lot Not much sap from those trees yet as they're smaller and in the shaded woods, but I did another 10 trees (in sunnier locations) on drops into buckets, and got about 7 gallons of sap all together, boiled for an hour on my 3-pan block evaporator (Modifications: 3 vs 2 pans last year, swapped cinder block chimney for pipe stack, built more of an arch in the back to push heat up to pans, ceramic blanket insulation inside...) and made a pint of syrup last night. Brix was 1.5% for me, which is similar to the 2021 season as I'm all reds and I'm expecting this past summer's drought is going to hurt sugar content. More sap in the buckets when I just went outside today, I'm guessing the Gorham temperatures today and tomorrow will give me another 5-10 gallons.

I'm interested to see how this turns out too, MV! A grand experiment for sure I've done some fall tapping in 2020 and 2021 on of a few trees so I can boil on Thanksgiving and Christmas as weather allows (usually inside on the stove), and I've been surprised that most of those trees were still giving sap into March. I'll tap the rest of the 40 trees around the neighborhood as more reliably warm weather peaks its head into the 14-day forecast.

[Mvhomesteader]

Sounds like your having fun already, which is the ultimate goal (plus syrup of coarse). I experimented last season with some tubing, which went well, so I'll be using more this season. Saved time emptying buckets.

I was wondering if the drought would affect the sugar. I hoped the wet fall would compensate, which maybe it did for sap quantity, but sugar production was probably over. I'm pretty sure that Dr.Tim once mentioned that the current ssc was based on what the tree experienced several years previous. If so, it was probably one of the other summer droughts we've had!

In any case, I hope the weather is in your favor! Keep us posted!

[Mvhomesteader]

I checked last years thread. I started last season with around 2.07%, so it appears similar this year. He refractometer reads to the nearest 0.2 % so I'll get a more concrete number after my first boil. Perhaps I should invest in a digital version.

[maineboiler]

My plan is to start tapping tomorrow. The forecast looks good for the weekend, but last year started like this and then had a freezeup at the end of February. We'll see how it goes. Good luck to all----------

[Mvhomesteader]

February 2 again ---this year expecting a deep cold snap rather than a snow storm like last year.

I'm giving serious consideration to tapping next week, which is probably a week or so ahead of when usually tap. The temperatures look pretty favorable to an early run, and since my season usually ends the first week of April I likely won't loose anything to healing tap holes. I'll decide Monday when I can see the two week forecast. If it's high 30's or better I will go for it.

I haven't decided how many taps to do this year. I've still got 7 gallons left from last years' mega run, so technically I only need to tap enough to assure 7 gallons or so of new stock. I would probably be wise to overshoot.

Any one else thinking of tapping??

[Mvhomesteader]

I've decided to tap this weekend (11th and 12th) in anticipation of the 5 day in the 40's run beginning Monday. Since I've got 6 gallons+ left from last season I'll tap fewer trees this year, probably in the low 30's which should give me 10 ish gallons. I often tap at this time, so I'm really only a few days earlier than usual. I've cleared away all the snow from the east/south/West sides of the trees so the sun can warm the trunk, if that makes a difference. It's something to do to get ready.