Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[hogisland42]

So you don't worry about a few reds budding?

[DrTimPerkins]

So you don't worry about a few reds budding?

About a third of our bush is red maples. The flower buds don't seem to affect the flavor. Typically our sap doesn't go buddy -- the flows slow down enough to the point where we get sour sap before that, so we stop at that point. Towards the end of the season we will boil a bit on the stove each morning before we concentrate and boil in the evaporator to see if it has turned sour or buddy. If it has, we stop. No need to make commercial syrup -- although if the season ended early this year we might continue as long as possible.

1.5 gpt of sap since yesterday afternoon, although the sugar content is averaging 1.45 Brix. Takes a lot of sap to make syrup with that SSC.

Afternoon addition: Reached 50% of our minimum target crop with today's boil, now at 0.25 gal syrup/tap. Still some sap in the tanks, plus what we have in the evaporator, and sap still coming in slowly, so we're gaining on it. Hoping we get some cold weather soon to bump up the sap sugar content and yield.

[hogisland42]

Good to know, thanks Doctor

[GeneralStark]

Still hanging in there for now. Boiled this morning about 1500 gal of sap that came in from Wednesday afternoon thru 9 this am. So, have been getting over 1 gpt despite no freeze since Monday night. I ran three separate batches through the ro into the chiller tank at about 6% and test boiled some last night. It boiled surprisingly well given the sap quality. The warm afternoon yesterday brought the sap temp up to 63F but fortunately storing the resulting concentrate at 36F seemed to do the trick. Made a little over 15 gal of nice dark syrup which means ssc is probably a little under 1. Not good but I'll keep the pump on for the next few days and see what happens. I'll probably do the same thing and concentrate into the chiller tank and test boil each batch before doing so. There's good syrup in the evap. and this is not the year to risk spoiling it.

Lots of signs of spring that usually indicate the end is near. Red maple buds are definitely popping and I heard the first few bold peepers tonight in the wetlands below.

It has definitely been a weird season and perhaps the weirdest part is the fact that there is still very little niter scale on the pans. While this won't be a bumper season, the quality of the syrup so far has been excellent. At .25 gpt right now and probably won't get much more, but given how weird things have been so far, who knows...

[TapTapTap]

We boiled 6 days in a row (Sun-Fri) to keep ahead of the warm temperatures. Sunday was a full boil with over 2,800 gal of raw sap. The subsequent days were about 1/2 batches processed to a lower sugar to keep the boil at about 2 1/2 hours. The syrup turned to DA on Wednesday. It was more effort and not cost effective but we maintained the syrup quality. The flow has dropped off and we won't be boiling today (Saturday). We hope that the cooler temperatures will preserve the sap so we'll have at least another 1/2 batch for Sunday.

I shut off my lower woods which is on a mechanical releaser and contains mostly soft maples in the wetter part of our property. Besides the flow dropping way off, the mechanical releaser was giving us problems due to the warmer weather (primarily expanding sap lines pushing the releaser off level). I hear lots of peepers in the lower bush and the reds are pretty buddy looking.

I hope we can see production on the upper sugarbush during the coming colder nights. Overall I'm at 0.23 gpt.

Ken

[sugartree310]

We also boiled everyday this week till yesterday , We had a major malfunction with our mechanical releaser on our main bush sometime over the night on Thursday night which left us with very little sap yesterday . I dumped what we had as it wasn’t enough to boil and looked pretty nasty and didn’t want to hold it since it was 68 degrees again. I think the reds look fine some buds may have swelled some but I have seen them bigger. Let’s hope these cooler temps help some with the sap quality .

[tapdrinker]

looking at the weather-it looks like the last week of sugaring.
Looking forward to gardening, flyfishing, golf, but I have to get this done first.
I want to thank everyone for their help on this forum and here is to another decent season.

[TapTapTap]

We also boiled everyday this week till yesterday , We had a major malfunction with our mechanical releaser on our main bush sometime over the night on Thursday night which left us with very little sap yesterday . I dumped what we had as it wasn’t enough to boil and looked pretty nasty and didn’t want to hold it since it was 68 degrees again. I think the reds look fine some buds may have swelled some but I have seen them bigger. Let’s hope these cooler temps help some with the sap quality .

I expanded by 550 taps this year on a new electric releaser with the pump station right behind the sugarhouse. I love it. I diverted my existing upper bush onto the same system. It is far more reliable than the mechanical releaser I use for our lower woods and easier to monitor. I monitor both with an internet camera but it's hard to see what's going on besides a few tell-tail things. However, on the electric releaser I also watch the operations with a Sense electrical monitor in my breaker box. The sense is a smart web-based system that monitors voltage and amperage and looks for unique signatures. It easily picks up pumps, garage doors, refrigerators, ovens, etc. I use it to see how often the electric releaser is running. I've measured each discharge as a minimum of 4 gallons each.

Screenshot (154).jpg

Screenshot (152).jpg

I can monitor on my phone or computer.

[sugartree310]

I expanded by 550 taps this year on a new electric releaser with the pump station right behind the sugarhouse. I love it. I diverted my existing upper bush onto the same system. It is far more reliable than the mechanical releaser I use for our lower woods and easier to monitor. I monitor both with an internet camera but it's hard to see what's going on besides a few tell-tail things. However, on the electric releaser I also watch the operations with a Sense electrical monitor in my breaker box. The sense is a smart web-based system that monitors voltage and amperage and looks for unique signatures. It easily picks up pumps, garage doors, refrigerators, ovens, etc. I use it to see how often the electric releaser is running. I've measured each discharge as a minimum of 4 gallons each.

Attachment 22297

Attachment 22298

I can monitor on my phone or computer.

I also have an electric releaser at the sugarhouse with about 800 taps on , I really like how the electric releaser works , I plan to add more taps to it in the future. This sap comes from the hill above the sugarhouse. My mechanical releaser is down at the bottom of the hill close to the interstate and I have about 3200 taps on it , its been pretty reliable over the years, I have had it for over 20 years , its been rebuilt a few times. I may move my operation another 300 ' lower to add the last of the maples on the property I may be looking to change the releaser out then. My station now is 1800' from the sugarhouse , I ran power down there a few years back and I run a 1hp Goulds deep well pump layed flat in a SS round bottom tank with a float set up . it works great . I run cameras on all the tanks ,Vacuum pump and on the RO and can monitor with my phone or iPad at the house .

If I have it right Ken the property you are on was the old Browns property or part off and I remember the old sugarhouse up there in the woods and when I was in Boy Scouts the scouts used to help them. That was in the mid-to late 70s. I also helped Steve Boutin once or twice when I was in high school who tapped up there. he ran a main line down to the old farm house on South Rd . I have had the Maple bug since then. Good luck I hope we all keep the sap flowing for a while .

Oh I forgot todays sap has cleared right up and sugar is 1.7%

[TapTapTap]

I also have an electric releaser at the sugarhouse with about 800 taps on , I really like how the electric releaser works , I plan to add more taps to it in the future. This sap comes from the hill above the sugarhouse. My mechanical releaser is down at the bottom of the hill close to the interstate and I have about 3200 taps on it , its been pretty reliable over the years, I have had it for over 20 years , its been rebuilt a few times. I may move my operation another 300 ' lower to add the last of the maples on the property I may be looking to change the releaser out then. My station now is 1800' from the sugarhouse , I ran power down there a few years back and I run a 1hp Goulds deep well pump layed flat in a SS round bottom tank with a float set up . it works great . I run cameras on all the tanks ,Vacuum pump and on the RO and can monitor with my phone or iPad at the house .

If I have it right Ken the property you are on was the old Browns property or part off and I remember the old sugarhouse up there in the woods and when I was in Boy Scouts the scouts used to help them. That was in the mid-to late 70s. I also helped Steve Boutin once or twice when I was in high school who tapped up there. he ran a main line down to the old farm house on South Rd . I have had the Maple bug since then. Good luck I hope we all keep the sap flowing for a while .

Oh I forgot todays sap has cleared right up and sugar is 1.7%

Yup, it sounds like you know my trees really well. Not only do we own 87 acres of the old Brown Farm, I lease the sugarbush from the Boutins. I've heard others talk about their Boys Scout years and how it started their maple bug. You're also dating yourself. Like you I was in Scouts (Troop 122, South Hero) back in the mid 70s. This May I'll be the big 60!

And yes, sap has started to clear up. I'm at about the same sugar. Coming in slowly but I should have at least 1,500 gallons for tomorrow morning. I like to have more like 2,500 but it'll still work.

Ken