Eastern Wisconsin

[Pete S]

We are gearing up mentally. Although a smaller operation we still need to plan. We in the past have tapped early, and then only to chase pails and dump out solidly frozen pucks. I think with this last cold snap we really drove the "freeze" into the trees. I could be wrong, but that's what it seemed like in years past. Many of our trees are in shaded woods and subject to wind.

I would like to find a tried and true check so as to "tap when ready". A friend told me his dad would snap off some twigs on the maples and wait for them to drip.

Back in the day we'd sit with a revisit from the cold with 30 gallons of ice in a Rubbermaid garbage can waiting for the first run for what seemed like weeks! :-)

[WI Sugarpop]

We got 3/16 tubing in with 120 drops and need to finish tapping 25 tomorrow. We broke our last bit today so we couldn't finish. We wanted to get them all in before the nice day tomorrow. Today was a marginal day for sap on bags but the 3/16 was doing pretty good. Looks like we will be real happy with the results. We will be boiling on Wednesday I would think.
Good luck everyone.

[WI Sugarpop]

Not much better for us either. Only 34* today. On 3/16 we tapped 25 on Saturday, 50 on Sunday, 25 Monday, and 20 today. For a total of 120 taps on 5 laterals and there was about 60 gallons in the tank. Now we need to get the bugs worked out. A couple of leaks. First timers!!!

[littleTapper]

I'm all tapped, but I'm in the SE corner of the state. Haven't boiled yet, but hopefully after today I can.

I have mostly silvers, and they've been slow. The Sugars and Norways have been running very well.

[Super Sapper]

With new tubing you should be good to tap this weekend but it looks like it will cool off for the next couple weeks.

[littleTapper]

Nice to hear Sugarpop minus the broken bit. Last few days sucked. Too warm at night. Same as you here today with my buckets. Meh. Hoping it gets cold enough tonight.

55 gal drum almost full of sap though. Can't complain especially since my silvers aren't doing squat. I will end up making more syrup in Feb this year than all of last year

[littleTapper]

Yup, today was a dud. Only 5 gallons out there.

[WI Sugarpop]

At 5:30 this morning our landowner called to let me know that our 300 gal tank is full and 50 bags are full. 3/16!!! WOW!!!!! My son is going out to get 200 gal right away and I will be on my way after the coffee is ready. We haven't even tapped the 100 tap woods yet.

[WI Sugarpop]

Between yesterday and today we got 700 gal on 280 taps. I'm boiling like crazy. I love it. Half is 2.2 and half is 3%.

[Cody]

That's great Sugerpops,wife will have bigger role in guarding syrup