Thunder & Lightning in March!
I can't believe I'm hearing & seeing thunder and lightning. It's March 2 for crying out loud!
On the positive side, today was my best sap run. And it looks like it'll be staying above 0 tonight.
But then it's going to drop down again over the weekend.
Since the forecast was for a gusty night, we collected the sap just before dark.
Now I can only sit and hope that the wind's not going to knock down my buckets that are probably still filling with sap.
Homeschooling mama to 8
2010-30 taps, steam pans on a fisher grandma bear woodstove outdoors. Bottled 18.5L
2012- 70 taps - 20L
2013 - 70 taps, 3 steam pans on concrete block arch. 50L
2015- 70 taps, 50.5L, 3.3lbs accidental sugar
2021 - 120 taps, new-to-me 2x5 flat pan with a cast iron arch atop a brick firebox.
It's been strange weather down here as well. We had thunder and lightening just the other night that sent the dogs under the bed. Spring is just over the horizon here as we've seen many huge flocks of Canada geese heading back your way. Now a favor please? Can you keep them there?
Good luck this seasonHope the winds weren't too gusty for you last PM and that your sap runs fast and plentiful this year.
The geese are definitely coming back here...heard them honking away a few days ago. Along with a few early spring birds. Too early for them, though.
It was mighty gusty here - lots of branches down. And 2 of my buckets came off (the holes on these 2 were some of my worst ones - drilled them too big) Probably lost about 1.5gallons from those 2 bucketsBut sap was running all night - fighting the urge to go empty them. It's still awfully gusty right now.
Homeschooling mama to 8
2010-30 taps, steam pans on a fisher grandma bear woodstove outdoors. Bottled 18.5L
2012- 70 taps - 20L
2013 - 70 taps, 3 steam pans on concrete block arch. 50L
2015- 70 taps, 50.5L, 3.3lbs accidental sugar
2021 - 120 taps, new-to-me 2x5 flat pan with a cast iron arch atop a brick firebox.
We had a thunderstorm Wednesday night. I remember one year in the bush during the day and having lightning.
Well the geese are coming back and there's been an open season on them for the past week.
I saw the first flock of swans mid February and that means they're 3 weeks to a month early.
So will syrup season be done early as well?
2239 total taps. 443 gravity line, 1806 buckets
3x12 remake of a Small Bros. Lightning evaporator.
3x9 Darveau raised flue pan, 3x3 D&G reversible finishing pan.
Reist arch
94 Argo 8x8 Magnum
06 Argo 8x8 Avenger with a 100 US gal. poly tank in the back.
30 - 45 Imperial gallon gathering station barrels
1200 Imperial gallons in holding tanks
Husqvarna 61
Husqvarna 365
The birds are probably just as confused as we are. I remember a few years ago, some mourning doves laid their eggs in our hanging baskets a little too early in my opinion (but it was unseasonably warm), only to abandon them a week later when winter returned.
I think Brent might be right - lots of starts & stops this season. Mid march looks like a write-off, but hopefully that won't be the end.
Argohauler - how are you finding your plastic buckets. I hate seeing those lids flapping around like a crazy bird. And I had a few buckets fly off, along with the spile with this wind (but then again, those were the ones where my drilling was off.)
Homeschooling mama to 8
2010-30 taps, steam pans on a fisher grandma bear woodstove outdoors. Bottled 18.5L
2012- 70 taps - 20L
2013 - 70 taps, 3 steam pans on concrete block arch. 50L
2015- 70 taps, 50.5L, 3.3lbs accidental sugar
2021 - 120 taps, new-to-me 2x5 flat pan with a cast iron arch atop a brick firebox.
I don't actually have any Embee plastic buckets. I have a lot of 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20 & 23 litre food grade pails that I hang on the tree. They work all right. Some of my lids don't cover them that well though. A few blew off in the wind. With winds this high it's hard to keep anything on the tree. I have 2 different kinds of cast aluminum spiles that really stay put in the tap holes that I put out near the field edges, fence rows, laneways.
My uncle who makes syrup is skeptical of plastic buckets. His brother bought some back in the early 80's and a couple years later they got brash and he burnt them all in the evaporator! I think the ones being made now probably have better UV resistance built into them.
2239 total taps. 443 gravity line, 1806 buckets
3x12 remake of a Small Bros. Lightning evaporator.
3x9 Darveau raised flue pan, 3x3 D&G reversible finishing pan.
Reist arch
94 Argo 8x8 Magnum
06 Argo 8x8 Avenger with a 100 US gal. poly tank in the back.
30 - 45 Imperial gallon gathering station barrels
1200 Imperial gallons in holding tanks
Husqvarna 61
Husqvarna 365
We had snow thunder in NW PA last night
Jim
12 x 16 Sugarhouse, 12 x 16 Woodshed
2 x 8 “The Mutt” Evaporator with Marcland Drawoff
Leader oil fired arch, Dallaire raised flue, Smoky Lake syrup pan and hoods with pre-heater
New Leader Clear Filter Press/Air Diaphragm Pump
5” Hand Pump Filter Press from Daryl-One of the first three! On loan to a friend.
Deer Run 250 gal/hr RO
A Very Understanding Wife
"At any time during the day you're only 10 seconds from disaster!"
We were shook hard by a number of storms all night long last night...crazy weather for March!
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