Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[GeneralStark]

I would think it would be running down there in Orwell as the sap has started picking up here. It is over 40 with a few breaks of sun and the sap is flowing alright. Nothing too crazy but pick up .25-.5/tap if it continues the rest of the day.

[Stamford sugarmaker]

Thanks Gen Stark and Randy,

My spouts were used only for a couple of weeks last season, so fairly new.

I'm curious as to why that is so critical? It seems 5/16 is a pretty darn big hole to get restricted by seeping sap. I washed the taps last season but do they build up residue to restrict flow?

Peter

[Randy Brutkoski]

Pumped out the little sap i had at all off my dump stations and got 1000 gallons of sap that tested 3.1%. And i am surprised that i didnt have much ice left in my tanks. I recalabrated my digital sap hydrometer because it read so high and it was right. There is still a little ice in tanks so this is probably the reason.

[spud]

I have two thousand gallons in the tank. I shut the pump down this morning. Ten day forecast not looking good.

Spud

[drewlamb]

Stamford - Not about physically restricting flow, rather it's about restricting bacterial growth. Most tap hole dry out is from bacteria growing, damaging and "drying out" living cells along the tap hole. New spouts and drop lines start without these unwanted guests and so produce more sap through a season. It's my understanding that "dry out" is really a misnomer. I'm all buckets and so have learned individual tree flow in my bushes well over the years. New spouts always run better and last longer before drying out than old taps. Also, once the bacteria is on there, it is extremely difficult to get rid of season to season, weather by boiling, chemical cleaning, heating, or whatever. Old spouts do well enough over a season if you don't tap too early. BTW, DON'T put your aluminum taps in the oven at 500 deg to sanitize! Learned this last year. There are enough impurities in the aluminum, which should not itself melt, to cause the metal to deform and blister.

Thanks Gen Stark and Randy,

My spouts were used only for a couple of weeks last season, so fairly new.

I'm curious as to why that is so critical? It seems 5/16 is a pretty darn big hole to get restricted by seeping sap. I washed the taps last season but do they build up residue to restrict flow?

Peter

[GeneralStark]

As drewlamb clearly stated it is about bacterial growth. You cannot clean a spout. This is why the trend in the industry is to use new plastic in the tree every year.

Pulled in about 225 gallons yesterday from 485 taps. Not too bad and now we have about 325 to boil for the open house. Pump has been on for 3 days now. It is trickling in and if the sun comes out this afternoon it may actually run a bit. Marginal freeze last night to lines never really froze up. 35 degrees now.

Thanks Gen Stark and Randy,

My spouts were used only for a couple of weeks last season, so fairly new.

I'm curious as to why that is so critical? It seems 5/16 is a pretty darn big hole to get restricted by seeping sap. I washed the taps last season but do they build up residue to restrict flow?

Peter

[wsugar]

Don't get to nervous yet. Not to long ago I didn't tap any trees till March 23rd
using my time to make the tubing better and add more taps. My wife made me get more rolls of tubing and I made more drops. So back in the woods I go and add some more taps. I've always made syrup in the middle of April. Maybe we will be turkey hunting and sugaring this year

[GeneralStark]

Pulled in another 150 this afternoon. As soon as the sun started to filter through the clouds it really started coming in. Without vacuum the lines probably would have never thawed.

[sjdoyon]

Received another six inches of snow yesterday. Shoveling continues on the top of the sugarbush (2,400+) elevation, shoveling tunnels for the mainlines since they are 2 feet below snow level and sitting the laterals on the snow. Very odd to see some of these trees running with five feet of snow base. Thinking when the nice weather does show up, might have some sap coming into the sugarhouse. Next five days, forecast is for another cold front (hopefully the last) since we are expected to be -15 Sunday and Monday. Next Friday supposed to be the beginning of the warm weather. We can only hope.

[Homestead Maple]

Received another six inches of snow yesterday. Shoveling continues on the top of the sugarbush (2,400+) elevation, shoveling tunnels for the mainlines since they are 2 feet below snow level and sitting the laterals on the snow. Very odd to see some of these trees running with five feet of snow base. Thinking when the nice weather does show up, might have some sap coming into the sugarhouse. Next five days, forecast is for another cold front (hopefully the last) since we are expected to be -15 Sunday and Monday. Next Friday supposed to be the beginning of the warm weather. We can only hope.

You'll have to add a 3 foot extension to you spout puller when you pull taps at the end of the season!!!