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Thread: what a weird winter - or lack of?

  1. #51
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Weston, CT
    Posts
    474

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    Dumped about 5 gallons total of cloudy sap from my buckets and barrels today. Anticipating back to clear, good running sap beginning tomorrow.
    If you think it's easy to make good money in maple syrup .... then your obviously good at stealing somebody's Maple Syrup.

    Favorite Tree: Sugar Maple
    Most Hated Animal: Sap Sucker
    Most Loved Animal: Devon Rex Cat
    Favorite Kingpin: Bruce Bascom
    40 Sugar Maple Taps ... 23 in CT and 17 in NY .... 29 on gravity tubing and 11 on 5G buckets ... 2019 Totals 508 gallons of sap, 7 boils, 11.4 gallons of syrup.
    1 Girlfriend that gives away all my syrup to her friends.

  2. #52
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    CT
    Posts
    275

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    Dumping 70 gallons of runs from the past few days. Cloudy stuff.
    I'm heading out of town and hoping to return to an overflowing IBC of god clear sap when I return after the weekend.
    Started soaking and cleaning the pan after 3 boils. Lots of scum and sand. Those reds are scummy trees!
    All good otherwise, and hopeful for plenty of season ahead.
    2025 - 160 taps, Shruflo 4048. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 Raised Flue. 5x400 RO - 30 gallons
    2024 - 160 taps, Shurflo 4048. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 Raised Flue. 5x400 RO - 19 gallons
    2023 - 121 taps. Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 20 gallons
    2022 - 103 taps. Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 XL, 4x150 RO. 23 gallons
    2021 - 77 taps on Shurflo 4008. Sap Sucker 4-D. Mason 2x4 2020
    __________________________
    Trout Brook Valley
    Weston, CT

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Hartford
    Posts
    51

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    Syrup I made yesterday had a slight bitter aftertaste. I could not detect it, but it was rejected by qc (wife)

    Is this season over?

    Or is this a result of cloudy sap?
    Last edited by SkunkWorks; 02-19-2023 at 07:33 AM.

  4. #54
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    northwest CT
    Posts
    86

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    anybody up in Litchfield county have any kind of run yesterday ?, i checked around noon and nothing was running but didnt know if they started later in the day

  5. #55
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Kent Ct. USA
    Posts
    388

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    I had a few [in the sun] start a slow drip on Sat., Sunday i'm hoping will start & run all night. Looks like some promising weather coming.

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    Cornwall, CT
    Posts
    357

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    Finished 6+ gallons Friday and bottled it today. Still dark but good. Grateful for my milk tank. Was able to keep 400+ gallons at 36 degrees for a couple day before I could get to boil.

    Looks like a good week coming up. Fingers crossed.
    1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
    2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
    2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
    2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
    2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
    2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
    2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.

  7. #57
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Kent Ct. USA
    Posts
    388

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    Even though the temp here is 32 right now, the sap ran all night - still dripping too. I have some almost full buckets near the house. I know where i'll be for the next 2 hours. Takes me that long to collect from 125 or so.

  8. #58
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Kent Ct. USA
    Posts
    388

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    So, what started out as a season with promise is slowly circling the drain after only 2 weeks. I put the blame on the 3 hot days we had. I've got a few dozen new trees I can go tap, probably after the big freeze tomorrow night. I took one pail off today, it was done. Others just putting an inch or so of sap in, after almost full buckets early on. If this is going to be the new norm, it sucks. A two week season is not worth all the work, all the cleanup after. Maybe next year i'll tap new years eve, see how that works.

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    162

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    Agreed. Glad I tapped at the end of January, or I would have nothing to boil. Had a lot of plans and ideas to try this year, but my trees are pretty much done. I'm sure people on vacuum did ok. I'm on buckets, and they are more like decorations than sap collectors.

  10. #60
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Ma
    Posts
    59

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gord View Post
    Agreed. Glad I tapped at the end of January, or I would have nothing to boil. Had a lot of plans and ideas to try this year, but my trees are pretty much done. I'm sure people on vacuum did ok. I'm on buckets, and they are more like decorations than sap collectors.
    I'm with you Gord, I'm located in MA, I boiled once this season and produced a small amount of syrup. It did seem a little bitter as others have mentioned the sap wasn't bad i just think it is what is being produced this year. I was excited for a banner year with my new set up....... there is always next year I guess.

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