We clean our syrup pan after every boil. Sugar sand hasn't been too bad. Sugar has been steady at 2.1%. After this 160 gal boil, we should be at about 75 gals of syrup. Looks like more sap next week. Sap is clear and no peepers yet.
We clean our syrup pan after every boil. Sugar sand hasn't been too bad. Sugar has been steady at 2.1%. After this 160 gal boil, we should be at about 75 gals of syrup. Looks like more sap next week. Sap is clear and no peepers yet.
280 taps, over half on 3/16 natural vac
14 x 20 sugar shack
Homemade 2 by 8 arch
Smokey Lake 2 by 8 dropflue pans with hood and concentric exhaust
7 in filter press and Smoky Lake bottler
3 generations working together
Wife that guards our syrup
43.74° N
Yeah, was looking at that small freeze here early next week. I probably won't want to be out cleaning lines and stuff during a rainy weekend, so no harm in seeing if we get some good sap thenOriginally Posted by WI Sugarpop
42.82N
http://www.wsmaple.com
As far as niter, it is about the same in the pan as normal. Filtering though, has taken quite a bit more DE. I'm at 155 gallons of syrup and it looks like I will have a shot at my goal of 200. Syrup has been bouncing around from light to dark and back. Went from 47% to 67% on by boil yesterday of 925 gallons. Been checking my yard trees at home, silvers and reds and no buddy smell yet.
Smoky Lake 2x6 dropflu pans and hoods on homemade arch
Smoky Lake 6 gallon water jacked bottler
Concentric Exhaust
250 Deer Run RO
325 taps
Amazing what the distance between us does. The sap from my silvers went buddy a week ago. Hope you crack 200! I may see a record for me this year, but only because I added 38 more trees (all sugars).
Overall, even after pulling silver maple taps a week ago, I'm just over 15 gallons/tap. Not too shabby.
42.82N
http://www.wsmaple.com
Have about 200 gallons of sap to boil today. Sugar has dropped from 2.5% to closer to 2. Biter has been thick by me ever since we had that 70 degree day. I’m cleaning my pan every 400 gallons or so. My north ridge and heavy woods has really just broken loose over the last few days. Took a while this year. Sap looks good, trees don’t look close to budding yet by me so I’ll be going through next week if forecast holds. These squirrels continue to be relentless. Losing 15 bags a day. I’ve put bags inside of bags and they chew through both. I’ve lined the bottoms with duct tape and they chew through that. I’ve sat out and hunted them but they don’t want to come out when I’m there…. Fifty cents a bag is annoying at best but the lost sap is frustrating. Only on my ridge top too. They aren’t bothering bags in my other woods. I guess I have a mission all summer long so this problem is less next spring…
2014 - 15 taps
2015 - 20 taps
2016 - 25 taps
2017 - 60 taps - added sugar shack and first evaporator
2018 - 70 taps on Bags
2019 - 90 taps - new 2x4 corsair with hybrid pro pan from Smokey Lake
Boiled 300 gallons tonight. Buddy flavor is starting. It's not gross, but no maple taste and the syrup wasn't darkening/caramelizing so what I was drawing off was pale. This is what happened to me last year; the sap turned long before the trees showed any indication that the season is nearing an end. I'm bummed, I tapped on 3/3 so this makes for a very short season. I haven't finished bottling but I think I'll only have about 50 gallons and I really wanted to make over 60.
Mark
2025 96 taps
2024 95 taps, 4040 RO build. 46 gallons syrup
2023 51 taps on 5/16" Shurflo vacuum system; Homemade oil tank evap, Smoky Lake 2x4' Divided pan; 3x150GPD RO. 48.125 gallons syrup
2016-2022 12 taps into buckets; 3 steam pans over cinder block arch, ~3.75gal syrup
SE Wisconsin
43.3N
I boiled about 1100 gallons yesterday and had about 600 in the other tank, I should get that done today along with what I collect this morning. Over the last 2 boils, I have gone from 49% transmittance to 75%. With 70 degrees today, the silvers will probably be done.
Smoky Lake 2x6 dropflu pans and hoods on homemade arch
Smoky Lake 6 gallon water jacked bottler
Concentric Exhaust
250 Deer Run RO
325 taps
Had a good surprise freeze on Wed night. Ran pretty good yesterday, but everything really slowed down last night. Between 12 and 24 hours after thaw, only got 10 gallons out of 100 taps on vacuum. Sap still looks pretty clear.
Even with the freeze at the beginning of next week, I am going to pull the plug today. Need to get on with my life. Will end up with about 0.33 gal per tap.
With what's in the bottler, I hit 200 yesterday. Went through about 1400 gallons of sap the last 2 days. Silvers and reds in the yard had no off smell on a test boil yesterday but I pulled the couple of box elders I have tapped. I was getting a slight off smell from my bottler so I drained it and it had a light layer of niter on the bottom. Cleaned it and no more off smell. I guess after 4 weeks and 170 gallons of syrup it needed it.
Smoky Lake 2x6 dropflu pans and hoods on homemade arch
Smoky Lake 6 gallon water jacked bottler
Concentric Exhaust
250 Deer Run RO
325 taps
Pulled all my taps yesterday. Now cleaning up and got sweet to finish and a bit more to bottle. Right around 17 gallons per tap overall on 134 taps. With a bunch being silvers and done earlier, I can't complain too much. Had a few pump issues at the new place I added this year so that cost me about 200-250 gallons of sap during good runs. Learning experience.
Have chatted with neighbors of the place I added this year and the door is open to go way bigger in the next few years. We'll see what I do
42.82N
http://www.wsmaple.com
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