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Thread: Tapped in Princeton 2023

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Princeton, MA
    Posts
    495

    Default Tapped in Princeton 2023

    We are partly tapped in Princeton. 166 taps so far, aiming for 300. Sap is gushing! Ran hard overnight. Barrels are full this AM. A new natural vacuum setup on 3/16 tubing 4 miles away has my new remote sap monitor system on it so I can check the sap level from my phone to save wasted trips. The pump station with 125 taps ran all night pulling 25” of vacuum on a small Shurflo 4008 pump. Scrambling to get things ready for first boil today. Second earliest boil ever I believe.

    Dave
    Mountain Maple farm
    2022 NAMSC award winning dark amber syrup
    2023: 320 taps, 70% red maples. Mountain Maple S4 diaphragm pump controller with automated sap transfer and text messaging
    Website:
    https://www.mountainmaplefarm.com
    https://www.facebook.com/MountainMapleFarm/

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Princeton, MA
    Posts
    495

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    We are 95% tapped now, around 300 taps, and ready for this week's run. Have boiled 6 times, and made 19 gallons. This is the most syrup we have ever made at this point in the season (mid Feb) by far. Sugar content started our OK then turned to crap during the warmup, but it still made really nice syrup. Hoping for a record breaking season.
    Mountain Maple farm
    2022 NAMSC award winning dark amber syrup
    2023: 320 taps, 70% red maples. Mountain Maple S4 diaphragm pump controller with automated sap transfer and text messaging
    Website:
    https://www.mountainmaplefarm.com
    https://www.facebook.com/MountainMapleFarm/

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Princeton, MA
    Posts
    495

    Default

    I will call this the "mid season update" Feb 23rd, with the cold weather setting in. Sometimes we have not even tapped by now! But so far we have made just over 30 gallons on 3000 gallons of sap, over 50% of last year's total. Most ever by far at this point in the season. We normally run through early April so it will be a very long season. Sugar content has not been stellar as you can see. We have about 300 taps now but 100 of those have only been in for the last week. Now we finally get a break to fix some problems...

    Dave
    Mountain Maple farm
    2022 NAMSC award winning dark amber syrup
    2023: 320 taps, 70% red maples. Mountain Maple S4 diaphragm pump controller with automated sap transfer and text messaging
    Website:
    https://www.mountainmaplefarm.com
    https://www.facebook.com/MountainMapleFarm/

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    chester, ma
    Posts
    910

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Biz View Post
    I will call this the "mid season update" Feb 23rd, with the cold weather setting in. Sometimes we have not even tapped by now! But so far we have made just over 30 gallons on 3000 gallons of sap, over 50% of last year's total. Most ever by far at this point in the season. We normally run through early April so it will be a very long season. Sugar content has not been stellar as you can see. We have about 300 taps now but 100 of those have only been in for the last week. Now we finally get a break to fix some problems...

    Dave
    I know, right? Normally I get 1 to 5 gallons per tap in February. This year so far I'm over 11! That's on buckets! What a crazy year.

    GO
    2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
    2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
    2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
    2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
    2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
    2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
    2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
    2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
    2024: 17 taps, 5.3 gals
    All on buckets

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Princeton, MA
    Posts
    495

    Default

    We had our last boil March 22nd. Best season we have had in a long time, thanks to the February run. We collected over 5000 gallons of sap from 320 taps, and made 90.5 gallons of mostly medium amber syrup. Syrup per tap ratio 0.28 gpt was best since 2008, and third best in 28 years. Oddly enough, our best season ever was the first year we tapped, 1996, with 11 buckets and 4.875 gallons of syrup (0.4375 gpt).

    Dave
    Mountain Maple farm
    2022 NAMSC award winning dark amber syrup
    2023: 320 taps, 70% red maples. Mountain Maple S4 diaphragm pump controller with automated sap transfer and text messaging
    Website:
    https://www.mountainmaplefarm.com
    https://www.facebook.com/MountainMapleFarm/

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