Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[DrTimPerkins]

UVM Maple Extension Specialist Mark Isselhardt asked me to remind folks to check https://vermontmaplebulletin.wordpress.com/ If any Vermont or nearby producers would like to contribute information (which he would greatly appreciate), send him an email Mark.Isselhardt@uvm.edu

[tcross]

sap ran pretty hard up this way overnight list night and still going strong. had empty tanks after boiling last night at 9:45 and now we have about 500 gallons. off my 400 trees. sugar content was at 2.5% last night... haven't checked it today. Pretty happy with that! looking like some great sugaring weather the next 6-8 days. not really any sign of bud swelling yet. my pond is still frozen solid all the way around. hopefully another 2 weeks of this!

[blissville maples]

Unbelievable runs we've had last couple days. My big bush gave up 9000 gallons of sap in 36 hrs-,2700 taps. I knew it would run hard Thursday night so I collected until 1015 pm. At 730 next morning tank was foot from top-3150 gal tank.....just topped 2040 gallons about .41gpt hoping for another 300 gallons. Flavor still holding good, nothing off flavor yet. Sugar down to 1.3/4

[randolphvt]

calling it quits after only 1 gal of syrup. Absolutely horrific in Randolph VT.
15 taps-usually get 3-4 gallons.

[randolphvt]

I just checked all my pulled taps and they are dry. This is one depressing year for me. I hope other small boilers get more than I did.
I did only tap 1/3 of my trees this year, but 15 taps should have yielded 3-4 gallons (my normal run). With 75 taps I get about 13-17 gal.

[MJPJ Sugars]

Good year in the yard

Final Tally was .29 gpt syrup on 12.94 gpt sap from our buckets.

Great flavor and color, although didn't see the dark-dark stuff this year.

Good luck all!!

[tcross]

looking like the end is in sight up this way. sugar content is still up around 2%, sap is nice and clear and has been running hard these past week, but there isn't a freeze, or close to one in the 10 day. that can change but my pond is clear of ice and its only a matter of time before the frogs start popping out. been a decent season. hoping we can make it though the weekend without issue.

[DrTimPerkins]

Heard peepers (actually wood frogs, but everyone calls them peepers) when we came out of the research building (Maple Processing Research Facility) yesterday afternoon. The end is no doubt near, but the sap is still running hard and no off-flavor. Just a tiny hint of sweat sock odor in the steam boiling this morning, so we'll keep going for a while. Hoping to make it til the end of the week, but no chance of a good freeze until Sunday or Monday. Red maple sugar down to about 1.4 Brix. Sugars doing better. Should make our 0.5 gal/tap minimum by the end of the day since we have 1,100 gal of 32 Brix concentrate and 15,000 gal of sap going through the RO now.

[elienman]

Good year for us. At .46 gpt after today. Looks like we may boil one more time tomorrow and call it quits. Ran out of firewood a few days ago and have been poaching my house pile, but that's a good problem. No major snafus besides our rotory vane vacuum pump malfunctioning for 1-2 hours a few weeks ago, and the fuse blowing on our water jacketed canner (at least I think that's the problem). Good luck to everyone.

[tcross]

had a pleasant surprise this morning with 28 degrees on the thermometer. looks like today should be another good day. buds are popping out in town so a couple more days max. probably pull the plug this weekend. we're at .42 gpt. after last night. a decent year for us! nitre build up is awfully frustrating.