Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[sjdoyon]

Not liking your weather man Spud.

Had about 450 gallons come in today from our sugarbush behind the sugarhouse. Hope to get 1,000 plus gallons tomorrow so we can fire up the RO. Will be shoveling out lines for the next 4-6 days.

[Randy Brutkoski]

No sap again today. 2000 gallons this time last year and i am at 65 gallons right now with 900 more taps this year. Not looking good. I hope i have sap for open house weekend coming up. Had between 200 and 225 poeple at last years open house weekend.

[GeneralStark]

Pulled in maybe 50 gallons of sap from almost 500 taps today. Took a while for things to thaw out despite the warm temps. Sap is still trickling in at 32.5 degrees and steady snow. Going to leave the pump on through the weekend in hopes of pulling in every possible drop for open house weekend. Spent the evening making candy and cream so we have plenty of stuff to sell. Have no idea what to expect for attendance but we'll be ready.

[wsugar]

Made another barrel of syrup last night. Hope we have sap for the weekend.

[maplwrks]

No sap yesterday---pulled the plug on an open house this weekend. I think I'll go to Randys' and eat hot dogs! I was hoping last nights storm would be rain, but 4" snow instead. We gotta get some frost out of the ground before much happens here. Pumps are on and nuttins' comin' out!!

[Stamford sugarmaker]

What are the implications of tapping too early? I've got maybe 70% on tubing (no vacuum) and 30% on buckets. Tapped 2 weeks ago. Got 30 gallons sap.

Does tubing or buckets seal up first? How long?

thanks, Peter

[GeneralStark]

Depends. New spouts? Typically buckets will dry up first, but not always. I have had buckets go 5+ weeks with new spouts. But, I have also had them dry up after 3 weeks with used spouts.

Pulled in a little more sap overnight. A couple inches of snow and now it is raining. Supposed to hit 40 today so maybe we'll get a run.

[Randy Brutkoski]

I think if you tapped 2 weeks ago that you should be ok. I know a guy near me that has had his buckets in for about a month at least and he tapped his pipeline at the end of december. that might be trouble for him. Off to the sugarhouse to make a batch of maple butter. Made cream last night. nothing else to do. Thinking of getting these blocks of ice out of my tanks and making sculptures of myself, that will drive the ladys nuts for open house.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

[QUOTE. Pumps are on and nuttins' comin' out!![/QUOTE]

Hey Mike, my pumps are on and there is a lot coming out but unfortunately it is mostly air. The critter damage is as bad as I have ever seen. Hope I get them stopped up before we get any amount of sap!

[maplwrks]

The local paper called me for an interview last night and I was asked what we did while waiting for the sap to run. I told him that the time was spent getting the tubing real tight , so when the sap did run, we were ready. He really couldn't understand what would need to be done! This will be one of those years where you will want to be ready when it comes as I don't think the season will be very long.... I would like to be more optimistic, but time is ticking away. The trees are going to start reacting to the additional sunlight and will start budding. I do think we will sugar into April, maybe into mid April---we'll see!