Southwest PA Tapping 2023

[HowardR]

D. Roseum,

Good point about the concentrate. I wasn't even thinking about it because I have a continuous process system: The sap flows flows right from my holding tanks into my RO's, and the concentrate flows right out of my RO's into my evaporator, so I never have any concentrate lying around.

[DRoseum]

D. Roseum,

Good point about the concentrate. I wasn't even thinking about it because I have a continuous process system: The sap flows flows right from my holding tanks into my RO's, and the concentrate flows right out of my RO's into my evaporator, so I never have any concentrate lying around.

Very nice, that's the way to do it! Nice and efficient! Similar here - try to keep it all continuous, straight thru and as automated as possible.

Hope the season is going well for you and everyone in SWPA so far!

[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."

[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.

[Pdiamond]

I have had it happen to me, as you said, usually after a rain. It's from the rain running down the tree and into the bucket and it discolors the sap.

[SRM]

Thanks everyone for the information. Should I discard this sap? I have been tossing it, but not sure if I should. There isn't any smell to the lighter yellow sap so I'm not sure if its bad. Should I save it? The darker sap just looks real bad so there is no keeping that.
I already cleaned my buckets once this year because of bacteria growth on the bottoms after a few days of 60 and 70 degree weather. I don't like these two to three days of 60 to 70 degree weather we are having here this year. It just kills the sap that I'm getting. Is it different when using taps on a vacuum? The taps on gravity just all shut down. I'm going from 85 gallons per day to 20 if I'm lucky.

[DRoseum]

You arent alone! It's been a historically awful year for syrup season weather. 3 straight weeks in Feb over 70F in PGH region.

I'd toss sap that doesn't look right. Just had to do that with over 160 gallons from the hot weather last week that I couldnt boil immediately. Just 1 day of sitting at those temperatures will spoil the sap. It was kind of depressing.

Vacuum does help keep the sap flowing but it's still problematic. I am on vacuum, use new check valve spiles each season and fully clean all of my lines meticulously at the end of the season and take them down and store inside. All that to try to keep yields high and stretch the season as long as possible...but these temps are killing yields and the season quickly. I am cleaning out the vacuum pump strainers/tubes and every tank daily to combat the warm temperature effects.

I am at approximately 55 -60% of normal yield this year and hopeful to close that gap a bit over the coming week.

Best of luck finishing out the season!

[HowardR]

Sap is flowing well today. It's not pouring out, but it's not trickling. I haven't seen it flow well for more than a week.