2024 Tapping Season in CT

[Mike Van]

sap was running here in Kent, despite another crummy 34 degree day with no sunshine.

[woodguyrob]

Starting tomorrow here in Pomfret should have all 50+ in by saturday.

[CTfarm]

I collected 105 gallons of 2% sap today off of 97 taps. I wasn't expecting anything today but it was still flowing.

[SkunkWorks]

Running well for me too! I do not expect to be able to fire the evaporator until this weekend, hopefully this sap does not spoil.

[Mike Van]

we really need a frost - I think it's coming tonight, Sat night for sure.

[TheNamelessPoet]

So last year I tapped this weekend. I was looking at the weather, thinking I should this weekend again, but now it looks TOO warm so I am going to wait until next weekend as of now.
Last year, I think, was a little too early because as everyone else was getting good runs, mine were drying up. I only have the capacity of about 55ish taps, so even though we had a few more trees I stopped at about 55-60 between my house and a friends house. So, when I saw that some of our best trees were giving probably ½ what they were earlier in the season, I decided to tap a couple others just to see, and they ran like I would have expected. I do think that my tap holes dried out, because we did get a week almost of 50’s temps IIRC. I heard at the yearly preseason meeting, a few guys say that you want to find the best 20 days generally over time that you have and plan around that based on weather.
Next season I am really going to see about using a vacuum, but I absolutely have to upgrade my RO first or I’ll just be dumping it on the ground lol. The idea of vacuum also interests me, because then we can get a large tank or 2, and just run everything into there, making collecting MUCH easier in the dark at night!


SOOOO excited to get started tho. I sold it for the 1st time this past year and I couldn't believe how much my "regulars" loved it! Bring on the sap Mama Nature!!!

[TheNamelessPoet]

Hello, this will be my second season tapping, I was hooked from the first drop that landed in my bucket and I have anxiously awaited the 2024 season. On my property I have 6 Red Maples, 2 Silvers, 1 Sugar and then on my in-laws property there are three large sugars and 5 reds. Last year I was able to get about three gallons of syrup with the majority of the sap coming from the sugars and the silver maple. I barely got anything from the Red Maples. I would have to say that 2 or three of them didn’t even fill a buckets worth throughout the season. I am in the Hartford area, my property sits a bit low so in the spring the soil is a bit sloppy but my in-laws is not. Questions I have are:

- Is this quite normal for red maples?
- Does anyone else have this issue?
- Could I have tapped incorrectly?

Would like to know because My neighbor has 8 really large red maples she said I could tap but do not want to Either waste the resources if I could find something else or, assuming I tapped incorrectly, make the same mistakes.

Thanks for your time and any advice is welcome and appreciated.

Also in Northern CT... Interesting about the Red's I did not have GREAT luck with my Red's this past season and my silver gave almost nothing.

[TheNamelessPoet]

Who is going to the Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut (MSPAC) meeting this sat? This will be my first year going, as I just joined this fall.

Hey... welcome! I wad there too!

[tanta]

Sorry...I listed an Ad but don't see the pics there, so I must've done something wrong. Sigh. I have misc. supplies including a finishing pan, with burner, 3 metal and 3 plastic buckets, spiles, hydrometer, a new drill bit, a dial thermometer, etc. A $1200 value give or take according to the recent Bascom catalog. I'm selling the lot for $500. I'm no longer teaching at Brooksvale Park and I'm hanging up my Sugar Mama hat and concentrating on my art and writing. kirstenwalker.com I used this equipment as an on the road teacher during Covid and to tap my own trees. It's all in good condition. If you're starting out or teaching the next generation, I'd love to sell it to you. If you live in CT we can arrange to meet. If you are not, it's probably too costly to ship. Thanks!

[Mike Van]

I had 2 moths in a bucket yesterday, don't think they saw their shadows though. Little early for moths - But with no snow, ice, or frost in the ground everything else is early too. Maybe our tax return will come early too -