Southwest PA Tapping 2023

[DRoseum]

2023 thread - considering tapping this weekend.

[SRM]

I am not ready yet, but it does look good for Sunday to start. I am trying a small RO this year. Hopefully it helps with less wood having to be burnt.

[DRoseum]

Best of luck on the RO and the season! ROs are game changers, you will love it. If I don't tap this weekend, perhaps next.

[HowardR]

Forecast looks great for this week -- frosts tonight, Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday with highs well above freezing. The frost on Thursday is tenuous, but the others are supposed to be well below freezing. Good weather for maple syrup so far this season!

Now if I could just stop spilling sap.... Today's big spill was caused by a junction that came apart in the main line -- due to the very cold weather last night. I thought that the sap wasn't running because the sap in the line was frozen, besides, I was busy with other things. Then, after losing about half of today's sap, I finally walked the line and found the break. We have a saying in our house -- "No use crying over spilled sap."

[DRoseum]

I am pretty much exactly half way between you guys and got a half decent run overnight. Hopefully more today...and maybe a couple more days if it actually freezes tonight ...but the season is near over - tapholes and tree buds are definitely indicating we are close. Definitely a very odd year.

[DRoseum]

Tapped last night, sap was flowing nice. Have to find a leak in a line quick after work tonight and fire up the RO and evaporator. Its officially begun! Best of luck to everyone on their season!

[SRM]

Yesterday afternoon I was able to tap 1/3 of the total I want this year. First time using 5/16 gravity line and the two handed tubing tool. It took a few tries to figure out how to use the tool efficiently. Today I'll finish the rest. The low is 17 today and the high will be 37. Hopefully sap will be flowing. I have parts for a solar vacuum system coming in as well. I plan on testing it out on about 15 taps latter on next week. We will see how it goes.

[SRM]

With the warmer weather, I've noticed slightly yellow sap and very yellow color sap in some of my sealed buckets and hanging hooded buckets. About 5 taps out of 115. I know it is not from any neighbors doing something they shouldn't. It seems to happen when it's warm and sometimes after a rain when it is warm outside. I'm thinking of using vacuum next year. If I do, I won't know if any of this yellow sap will be making it's way into my collection container. Can anyone tell me what causes this sap to look off color. The trees that had some slightly yellow sap and even darker yellow sap have produced clear sap afterwards. It just happens with a few trees when the temperature is above normal. The trees look healthy as far as I can see. Would the clear sap that they produce afterwards be okay to boil? Do any of you experienced this in the past?

[HowardR]

SRM,

I can see two possibilities as to the causes of the yellowed sap in 5 of your buckets: (1) rain got into your buckets despite their seals and hoods, or (2) you're were getting a bit of sap that is influenced by budding. Of the two, I think the most likely is the first.

[DRoseum]

Or more bacterial activity due to warm weather.