Saps running here!

[mike_van]

I tapped trees yesterday, about 10 days early. Overnight it warmed above freezing [the weather people wre right]  This morning I had some quarter full pails.  Get a few days in early, then it cools off again. Look close at the photo, I caught a drop partway down - 

[Nate Surveyor]

I love Maple Syrup. I have seen sugar trees from a distance, as we drove past.

I know next to nothing about it.

But, you are makin me hongery! ;D

Nate

[SwampDonkey]

We have a few weeks to wait up here. ;D

[mike_van]

Picked up 50 gal of sap tonight, some of the bigger trees are just thawing. not supposed to freeze here, so they should run all night - Maybe 50 more tomorrow - I guess I know were i'll be............

[SwampDonkey]

A deep freeze coming by the first of the week.

[Kevin]

Heard my first crow today.

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah? All I see is ravens and they also sounds like crows at times. But they return to mate in Late March here i think.

[mike_van]

I've boiled off 200+ gals. in the last 6 days - But, it came to an icy halt  tonight - It was 41 at 3:00 PM,  sap was just running - By 6:00 PM, there were frozen icesickles coming out of the taps, just got the SS tank empty in time, it was freezing to the sides.  It's 20F now, wind out of Canada @ 30 mph. 

[SwampDonkey]

Hey, it's warmer up here for a few.............hours maybe. ;D  Hard to believe the difference in temps within a day's drive, all be it a long drive. ;D

We must have close to 10 hours daylight now.

I can see around the yard by 7:30 am and twilight is until 6:15 pm at least. We are gaining fast. We will actually gain about 30 minutes in a week, giving us 10.5 hours daylight. By March 8, we gain an additional hour. By the March 26th we gained two hours from now.

[SPIKER]

I put in 14 taps last friday night, wasn't done until it was dark, ~530+ pm.   Next morning I had all pails full one over flowing others ready to top. so got 20 gallons in about 15 hrs. and started boiling it down went back at 330 pm & got 5 more gallons Saturday & Tossed it into the pan.   I went & boiled it down to about 2.5 gallons & set it aside to finish sunday. (didn't get to it as it was frozen near solid by the afternoon.)  buckets were also about 1/3 full & frozen.   hope none of them break, (using plastic white pales less damage when they freeze.)   anyhow it is all still froze solid and maybe will get some flow on the 14th..??  more than likely trees will be frozen solid by then with bitter cold and -20 wind chill ...  Watched weather and maybe sunday it will come above freezing again but not likely to thaw out then weather and every thing below 30 until following weekend???

What I had wasn't nearly as sweet as last years early batch that is for sure...

mark M
 

[treenail]

You guys are all making me nervous with all this boiling going on.  Still have two weeks to go before I'll be able to run the sugar house yet. This weather, below zero one day, freezing rain, the next, snow too, high wind damage in the sugarbush main lines, etc., is slowing down progress a whole lot. Traditionally I don't even boil until the first week in March , so I am hoping that Mother Nature will be feeling kindly at that point. Hard to know what is going on with the weather though. Good luck to you all.

[Raider Bill]

My Dad sends me a gallon of NY state maple syrup evey year [medium] plus about 40 lbs of new york mills buckwheat pancake flour. I look forward to that package!
Throw in some home smoked bacon, thick sliced of course and I'm a happy man!

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah I eat buckwheat pancakes 3 or 4 times a week in winter. The flour is milled locally and not refined so you have the peppery specs still in it. I like it that way, whole and natural. And maple syrup, we have drums full of it up in this country. ;D I see the government is selling more sugar bush leases this winter and helping existing ones with money to do improvements.

[Raider Bill]

Any other pancake is a waste of jaw movement :D

[SPIKER]

I had a buckwheat whole wheat combo pancakes with frozen blueberries yesterday,  8)ummmm, ;D ran out of the buckwheat but had nearly new box of whole wheat & added to the first batch in a 2/3 BW to 1/3 WW added in a cup or so of the smaller wally world frozen berries. man those were good, better than just BW or WW ones that was for sure!!!  We went through a large bowl of it just me & woman, I usually top out at 3~4 smaller ones but ate 5~6 yesterday!!!  also was covered with 2nd run syrup from last year.    Every thing is still frozen solid now here, haven't checked the buckets yet as it was only above freezing for about 2 hrs yesterday sunday may hit 40 degrees so maybe will get some sap & boiling done then.


Mark M :D

[Sawyerfortyish]

It was just a little cold here today for the sap to run but last week I made 7 1/2 gal of the lightest color syrup I ever seen. Can't wait till it starts really running. I got 255 trees on pipeline and 80 buckets out. I tapped 2 weeks earlier this year than last. Nothing better than the smell of maple syrup being made  8).

[mike_van]

We got up to 45 for a few hours today, my smaller trees ran, that was it. Did about 35 - 40 gal of sap tonight.  Won't be any tomorrow, but Sun night into Mon. it's supposed to rain [what else] here again.  Wednesdays snow has 2" of rain soaked into it & froze solid, so whats a little more.  Yesyerday I darn near went down 4 times -  Saved only by my [rapidly fading] lightning quick reflexes.  :D

[thecfarm]

Might be a hard year to set the taps.But might be a good year because of the snow.Right now we have at least 3 feet on the ground.In the last 10 years or so,we can walk right up to the trees with hardly any snow.We'll just have to wait and see.

[SwampDonkey]

Won't be no sap running this morning, ten below.  :D :D

[mike_van]

Swampdonkey - Your nose will be running though!  :D      cfarm - I know what you mean about the deep snow, one year here it was over my knees, took me all day to tap my 50+ trees & I was absolutley whipped.  This year, I did them all in 3 hours - what a difference  8)

[mike_van]

Just about drowning in sap here!  Last year, for the whole season, I had 640 gal/sap, last night I hit 650, and today I can see half full buckets by the dawns early light -  8)

[SwampDonkey]

It turned cold here after the ice storm. Tonight going down to 0 F. It's been getting up to mid 20's and about 30 during the day. 20F this morning, it has been going down to 5 F the last 2 mornings.  No sap here for awhile. : My cousin says his lines are all under snow up on the ridge. 

[Stephen1]

no sap yet, still trying to get the tractor started. I am on the way to the sugar bush with new points, condenser, plugs and coil, sure hope it will run. If we do not get it running there will be no tapping as we will not be able to haul the sap in. We still have over 4 feet of snow on the ground and it is still  real cold. We are hoping for some thawing next week.

Pancakes , there is nothing better than Buttermilk pancakes!

[beenthere]

Stephen1
That's a bummer...hope you get it running. 
Is it the crawler in your maple sap pics not running?

Good luck.

[Stephen1]

No, we actually hire Morris( in the picture) to come and plow out the bush, sure makes it a lot easier to get around. Our tractor is a TEA2080 Harry Ferguson tractor, only 25 horse. We've had it for 30 years and this is the 1st time it wouldn't start.

[SwampDonkey]

It is 36 F here today, still not quite sap weather. Maybe next week.

[mike_van]

Boy, what a difference a few hundred miles makes - We've had no snow on the ground for a week or more, most of the frost has gone out. My last few times dumping buckets, I didn't even need rubber boots. I went over 750 gal. yesterday for the season, from the looks of the weather, going to be running here for the next few days.

[SPIKER]

I did a bit of collecting yesterday and boiled it some too kill off any bacteria.  I got some 50 gallons will need done shortly but having to work all time this is for my self only but having fun doing it.   it filled five gallon buckets over night yesterday and they are over flowing now too. but will have to wait. :(   have to get the wood and stuff ready for sunday I guess it will be a big day of boiling

running like crazy and those 5 gallons are from 4 to 6 taps into the bucket over night and over flowing   snow is about 90% gone now and expect 99% gone by morning...

took some phone snap shots of the pan cooking yesterday but my back was killing me bad all night as I'm also working 12 hr shifts at work on top of trying to make some syrup for the year.

mark M

[Stephen1]

We got the old Fergusan tractor running, put in a new condensor, reset the gap on the points, fired right up 1st time, it was very nice to hear it start. Anyways we are going to plow and tap tomorrow & sat. It is the most snow we have had in 35 years. It rained on tues & wed, still only 34 f ,with any luck it will be easier to plow. We are still looking at winter here until next week at the earliest but at least, we will have everything ready when it comes. We are 2 weeks late and I have the feeling we are going to go from winter to summer with not a long season

[mike_van]

Hope you don't kill that old Fergy in that DEEP snow up there -  Still going good here, i'm over 1000 gal/sap for the season, next few days look good too - I do have a half doz. trees that stopped running.  They all had  Warner cast spouts in them. ?  Maybe next year I'll leave those behind.

[SPIKER]

Well I ended up with close to 3 gallons of Syrup after the past weekends boiling.  all caned up in mason jars & all.   I think I ended up with 100~120 gallons of sap in my small buckets 20 gallons at a time or so.   Every thing worked out well and I have some cell phone pics of the sap boiling in my home made pan.   I think the fire got really HOT this past time. as I had 2 different times (kept the sap at max fill) boil over and onto the fire blocks...      Anyhow It was pretty good for it this past weekend as it was COLD and DRY with some sun and only a moderate breeze.    8) 

I posted the pics but forgot that FF don't let you post from photo bucket :(  ,maybe I can find time to make them smaller so they can be uploaded
?

or you can see them at my photo bucket page which is under " wpspiker "  they are in the trees and property pics page.



Mark M

[SwampDonkey]

Probably won't be running here until mid April. Next week is still going to be quite cool, too cold actually in the 20's for highs. We have a major storm going on right now and won't see the sun until Monday.  : Snow's 8" up past the bottom ledge of the picture window on the north side of the house. Never seen that for a few years.

[jjmk98k]

anybody here going to make maple sugar? I used to buy it from a fellow here in PA, but he stopped making it.....