About two months to go?
looking forward to my first year of syruping since i was A kid. I'm in northern Indiana about 12 miles SW of Laporte....when do things start flowing around here? I see some posts from years gone by that it's around the last week of Jan. to the second week of Feb. is that typical? whats your experince?
Your best clue for that is multi fold. Check the last few years almanac records for your area. Also study the archives for Indiana Tapping on this site. You might also check another surrounding state but look for areas with weather close to yours.
Guessing starting dates is tricky at best. What I do is try to have things ready to go and watch the 5 day and 10 day weather forecasts, when that looks right start tapping. If you are just starting out my guess is that you can tap everything in an hour or 2, that makes you quite flexible. Producers with thousands of taps often start tapping a few weeks before the expected season, but that is not an option unless you are on tubing and a tight system.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
We are getting ready down here, but will be tapping at around January 20th. I am getting a flue section made for my main 2' x 3' pan so I can increase the boiling capacity. We were at about 100 taps last year and would like to go to 150-175 this year. We have plenty of trees and just bought another 24 acres, so we have even more. We have plenty of firewood. I just need more storage and faster boiling to make me happy.
Matt M.
2008 - 15 taps, boiler made from a file cabinet, 4 gal pots
2009 - 31 taps, same boiler
2010 - 71 taps, new 2x6 homemade evap, flat stainless pans
2011 - 99 taps, new sugar house, same evap as above, working on flue pan
2012 - 138 taps. New 2x3 V-flue pan
2013 - 150 taps.
2014 - Shooting for 200 taps, new dedicated sugar shack, will start work on new pans and evaporator.
How cold does it get/stay down there in southern Ind? do the warmer temps shorten your season? how many weeks of cold do you need to make the trees go dormant and stay dormant until sugaring time? The reason I ask is we are having an a warmer winter so far....(apart from this weekend) we have had highs in the upper 30's/ and low 40's and lows in the upper 20's.....im hoping we'll get a few really cold weeks around the first of the year...before things start up here in feb.Originally Posted by HAHA I 1
You're worrying way too early. "When the days get longer, the cold gets stronger." Winter solstice is Dec 22, and by early January, you'll be shivering and relieved.
I've lived in various places in Michigan my whole life (I'm 45), and we've never had a winter too warm for the trees to go dormant. And Wanatah is spittin' distance from MI (w/ a good stiff wind).
Last edited by Cake O' Maple; 12-11-2011 at 06:30 PM.
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Beth
Dad boiled when I was a kid; I helped haul wood & sap, & taste test.
2011: 6 taps, full size hotel pan, turkey fryer: 3 gallons + 7 pints.
2012: 80 taps, 105K & 210K BTU propane burners, 2 double size hotel pans. Dad says he won't need to come help 'cause "there won't be anything to do if there's no wood to chuck in.": ~25 gallons.
2013: 55 taps, 28 gallons; same burners/pans as last year.
I do custom cakes: www.bethscakes.bravehost.com
Well, in early January its usually in the 20s/30s during the day and 10s/20s at night (sometimes colder). Right now its in the 40s/lower 50s sometimes during the day and mostly 30s at night. We tap around January 20th or so usually. We get a good run for a 3-4 days or so, then we usually have a week or so off due to cold again, then it runs most of February and the first week of March. Then we pack it up and call it a season.
Matt M.
2008 - 15 taps, boiler made from a file cabinet, 4 gal pots
2009 - 31 taps, same boiler
2010 - 71 taps, new 2x6 homemade evap, flat stainless pans
2011 - 99 taps, new sugar house, same evap as above, working on flue pan
2012 - 138 taps. New 2x3 V-flue pan
2013 - 150 taps.
2014 - Shooting for 200 taps, new dedicated sugar shack, will start work on new pans and evaporator.
I know what your saying is true, but when it's 57 degrees two weeks before Christmas it's a hard to belive it...glad it's a little colder now, and looking a much colder a few weeks from nowYou're worrying way too early. "When the days get longer, the cold gets stronger." Winter solstice is Dec 22, and by early January, you'll be shivering and relieved.
I've lived in various places in Michigan my whole life (I'm 45), and we've never had a winter too warm for the trees to go dormant. And Wanatah is spittin' distance from MI (w/ a good stiff wind).
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