Maple Sugar 2022

Stephen1 · March 14, 2022, 08:34:59 AM

We are all tapped, no tanks out yet. we had 0F Saturday night. We will get the vacuum pump and the tanks out today or tomorrow. I am going to dig the holes today, in the snow, to put the tanks in. We still have 3' of snow on the ground here.

SwampDonkey · March 15, 2022, 06:28:12 AM

I don't see anyone tapping here near the road as they usually do. I suspect my cousin is on the back end of the lot tapping. Usually maple trees beside the road here tapped by the neighbors, none yet. And it's been mild for a week, with a storm on the weekend. But 30F here this morning, maybe I'll see some sap cans. ;D

SwampDonkey · March 15, 2022, 03:21:29 PM

I see the pales are going up today. ;D

Chuck White · March 15, 2022, 08:25:01 PM

We gathered 800 gallons of sap today and ran it through the RO, now it'll wait until tomorrow morning and two will gather (about 500, I guess) and the other two will crank up the evaporator!

Last night, it never got below freezing, and it was still 36° when I got up this morning!

I think it's going to be another short year, but longer (more production) than last year!

Stephen1 · March 16, 2022, 12:50:14 PM

We finnaly got our vacuum pump up and running late yesteday afternnon, weather broke yesterday and went above freezing. It finnally looks like spring here. foggy and cool here this moring, just above freezing, we will see if we get a run.

OH logger · March 17, 2022, 12:38:46 AM

Boiling the last of our sap here in western Ohio. Was a decent year. Had better but had worse too. 10.3 gallons per bucket. And just under .3 gallon finished syrup per tap. Not too bad. How do most of you finish your last boil? I normally boil all the sap then chase with water for an hour or so then get it down low as I feel comfortable with. Thoughts?

Kodiakmac · March 17, 2022, 07:17:55 AM

I was at the brother-in-law's sugar bush yesterday afternoon. It had gone down to 27F the night before and by 1:00 pm it was 37F - the sap was running really well.

Chuck White · March 17, 2022, 08:01:01 PM

The weather here has been CRAZY, it hasn't been below freezing at night in the last 3 days, but the sap ran last night and all day today!

We boiled what was still in the evaporator and all of what we gathered today and then bottled the 30+ gallons, that makes for a long day!

We're likely to do the same thing tomorrow, and it hit 60° here today!

Stephen1 · March 18, 2022, 07:32:28 PM

It wants to run but mother nature is just not cooperating. 60F yeterday, no freezing in the last 2 nights, rain all weekend and finally a cold front coming thru Sunday night. ?
Only 100 gallons of sap so far, not enough to fire up the rig yet. Vacuum is finally working after numerous challenges. Still only 10" of vacuum. So into the bush tomorrow to try and find the leaks. Last year I was able to get 18" of vacuum.

Chuck White · March 18, 2022, 08:04:57 PM

I do believe that we are VERY CLOSE to the end of the season.

It's just too warm!

We'll beat last years production, but not by much!

Chuck White · March 24, 2022, 08:30:30 PM

Well, we're ahead of last year's total by a good margin!

Last year we made a total of 88 gallons, and now we're at 120+, and it looks like it's going to hang on for a while yet!

mudfarmer · March 25, 2022, 01:31:41 AM

It sure is hanging on! Still boiling-- well, shutting down for the night hopefully anyway. Gotta work tomorrow, today, whatever. Ran hard again and hope the perpetual fog hangs in there a while.. have not sold sap yet like last few years just burning the candle at both ends

SwampDonkey · March 25, 2022, 06:11:16 AM

Been slow here, I haven't seen a single boil yet. Been cold, has only been 40 one day in a week. In the shade the ground here has been as hard as cement. Freezing rain today.

Chuck White · March 25, 2022, 04:35:09 PM

Not enough sap to gather today, so we bottled up some gallons, halves & quarts!

Total to date now is 129+

We'll gather and boil again tomorrow.

Stephen1 · March 26, 2022, 09:18:34 AM

We boiled all week from Monday night till today. This is the most 1st run we have ever collected.
50 litres bottled and another 25 in the rig to Finnish.
Winter is back here tonight what looks like 5-6 days. We will see.
Our best runs in the past have always been the 1st week of April.
We still have lots of snow in the bush and predicting 10-12" of snow tonight into Monday.

GAB · March 26, 2022, 09:50:33 AM

Quote from: Stephen1 on March 26, 2022, 09:18:34 AM
We boiled all week from Monday night till today. This is the most 1st run we have ever collected.
50 litres bottled and another 25 in the rig to Finnish.
Winter is back here tonight what looks like 5-6 days. We will see.
Our best runs in the past have always been the 1st week of April.
We still have lots of snow in the bush and predicting 10-12" of snow tonight into Monday.

Do you have any idea what your sugar content is?
GAB

Corley5 · March 26, 2022, 10:05:44 AM

We're running. Been a rough start. Lots of squirrel damage in the woods, frozen underground lines from the cold and lack of snow. We missed an early run because of it. Plumbing the new RO was more of a task that I envisioned and we were missing the bottom fittings for a membrane vessel. I got them from my maple equipment guy and lo and behold they're different from the other vessel. I've got to go to his place Monday and get the right ones if he has them. I'll call first. We're running 600gph with one membrane pulling to 9.5% in one pass. It's cool but 14% would better

. Thursday I ran out of tank space late in the afternoon and ran some sap on the ground :( until the RO project was complete. When we started chewing on sap there was about 4,000 gallons tanked up. After yesterday's run we got the rig sweet and pulled about 50 gallons of finished syrup and have 1,300+ gallons of sap to process today. Sap's right at 2% as it usually is in our bush. Cold for a few days. Looks like sap weather again Thursday.

Corley5 · March 26, 2022, 10:10:08 AM

We had a film crew yesterday too 8) 8)
Dee's family is coming today for the show. Her Uncle Bill from Sioux Falls came in late yesterday afternoon to see the operation. He's helped tap in the past but has never seen the syrup making process. He's coming about noon today to help out 8) 8) The rest of them will be here later in the day. I'm getting a late start so I'm not done before they show up ;) ;D No sap today 33 for a high and falling to the teens later.

Corley5 · March 26, 2022, 07:18:00 PM

The season's underway. Two 15.5 gallon kegs and a 55 gallon drum filled, 5 gallons or so left for seed in the canner. Caught up. Going to be a few days before sap weather again.

OH logger · March 26, 2022, 08:30:42 PM

We had a good year I suppose. Ended up with just over 56 gallon off 200 buckets. Also with a couple boils left dad finally got tired of washin flat filters which was always his job. I dont have time to do it either. So
I called sugarbush supplies in Michigan about filter presses. They happened to have a wesfab/CDL 4 bank electric diaphragm pump press on hand. I went up and picked it up. Used it for About the last 3 batches. Usually we'll try to filter 10 gallon batches. Worked real good but I'm no pro at it yet that's for sure. That should be plenty big for that size batch I'd say unless it's end of the season stuff or real sandy. I really didn't need an air pump even though I know they're nice but kinda overkill for me. Didn't want a electric gear pump at all. So this seemed to be the best fit. They say the pump isnt warrantied because of the heat but I figure no more than what I do it'll be just fine. Any of you guys familiar with the wesfab 4 bank press?

Lebel Logging · March 27, 2022, 05:30:45 AM

Quote from: OH logger on March 26, 2022, 08:30:42 PM
We had a good year I suppose. Ended up with just over 56 gallon off 200 buckets. Also with a couple boils left dad finally got tired of washin flat filters which was always his job. I dont have time to do it either. So
I called sugarbush supplies in Michigan about filter presses. They happened to have a wesfab/CDL 4 bank electric diaphragm pump press on hand. I went up and picked it up. Used it for About the last 3 batches. Usually we'll try to filter 10 gallon batches. Worked real good but I'm no pro at it yet that's for sure. That should be plenty big for that size batch I'd say unless it's end of the season stuff or real sandy. I really didn't need an air pump even though I know they're nice but kinda overkill for me. Didn't want a electric gear pump at all. So this seemed to be the best fit. They say the pump isnt warrantied because of the heat but I figure no more than what I do it'll be just fine. Any of you guys familiar with the wesfab 4 bank press?

Do you have any pictures ?
Im familiar with 10 inch square press with a diaphragm pump. The secret is to charge it good at the beginning. The first syrup of the season gonna need lots of powder because there no particule in the syrup to make a filtratiom cake in the bank. Once it make lots of particule in the syrup not much powder to no powder at all will work. At the end of the season when it stop making sugar deposit in the pan you will need a lots of powder again, and i mean A LOT :D. It got to look like cake before you charge it. Hope it will help you !

Chuck White · March 27, 2022, 07:33:59 AM

Corley, you sure have a clean sugarhouse.

We're up to 139 gallons now, the rest will go into a barrel or barrels.

Stephen1 · March 27, 2022, 10:01:51 AM

We measured just over 2% sugar which is normal for us. I oulled another 100 gallons of sap in the evening and boiled till midnight. Cleaned everything out and stored the almost syrup till next boil. Should be Thursday or Friday. Winter is back, with lake effexts snow flurries here. looks like nid winter here again.

Jeff · March 27, 2022, 10:50:46 AM

The Film crew just finished eating pancakes and Maple Syrup at our cabin, and I am sending them out to sit by the cell tower on Airport road to upload to da network.

NEWS AT SIX :D