Sugaring 2013

[Michael Colby]

Got about 2/3 of my taps in now. Going slow because of the deep/heavy snow and a forecast that looks less than ideal for sap runs this week in Northeast Vermont. Should be tapped out by Tuesday — with a total this year around 2200. I like that it feels kind of “normal” out there — temperature and snow levels wise. Perhaps that means a good year. Sugaring is all about the dream.

[Ed Thayer]

Michael,

I hope your right and the the snow indicates a good season, we finished tapping all our buckets yesterday and the sap actually ran a little today. It looks like a good week weather wise. Anyone boiled in NH yet?

Ed

[Mark Cowdrey]

Well so much for all my prattling BS about an early season. Eric has boiled once a week or so ago, just enough to sweeten the pan. Even though it was 40 today, didn’t really want to shake loose. Still have our roadside buckets to hang. Here’s hoping March is moderate.
Mark

[mitchmaine]

still trying to beat my way into the woodlot after the last “weekly” blizzard. no taps or buckets yet

[Ed Thayer]

12″ More snow forecasted, UUUUUGH!!!!!!!!

Gathering buckets will be old school for a while to come with snow shoes. On the brighter side, it may prolong our season.

I am going to try and gather this afternoon and then sit tight until the snow stops.

Hope you don’t get to hammered with snow this week Mitch

Ed

[dominiquer60]

We started tapping on snowshoes 2/13, once the barn roof was stabilized from the blizzard damage. 518 taps behind the horse pasture and working on another 400+ today. Using vacuum for the first time ever on 2 rebuilt dairy pumps cobbed together with oil reclaimers and such. The 518 bush is on a Zero bulk tank, we have had some moisture problems but have gathers over 2,000 gallons so far. The neighbor is boiling for us, hopefully next year our new system will be up and running and collecting from all 2,000 taps on the farm. The first run produced some good A, but I am waiting for the B before I start squirreling some away for myself.

[mitchmaine]

hey ed,

the weathermen are promising three days of snow and rain. they haven’t done too god a job this year with their predictions, and they contradict each other often. bless their souls, they are doing the best they can.

we moved a truckload of pulp this morning, and came two buckets shy of cleaning up the yard. the road commissioner let us sneak in this morning before he tags the roadway. so i feel blessed that way.

in the past i have run around with a pail of spiles and a drill and just tapped the trees. we hung the buckets another day when the horses could get into the woodlot. we get a hundred or so taps on two batteries, and with a lunch in between can put in 250 per day. two days of that and we have it just about done. may have to resort to that strategy this spring. when i hang pails too soon, the sap trickles in and freezes and may build up to a point where it splits the buckets, so i don’t like to get out early if i don’t think we can tend them properly.

on a good note, the sugarhouse is spotless. truck me over a couple hundred gallons of five percent and we’ll fire up.

good luck this year, all of you. it’ll be the best year evah.

[dominiquer60]

What are folks getting for sugar content? so far we are 1.7% to 2.0%

[Michael Colby]

All revved up and ready to go. Just waiting on the weather. And I’m still liking the fact that the start date is more traditional and the snow cover is high here in Northeast Vermont. Now I just need to finish the repairs to my one-horse “saption-contraption” and I’m ready to roll.

[Ed Thayer]

I gathered just over 500 gallons of sap today and will boil for the first time tomorrow. i have not measured the sugar yet. Good luck to you all,

Ed

[Mark Cowdrey]

We are rolling. Sap running around 2.1-2.3%. Dealing w a leaky back pan…
Mark

[Ed Thayer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf_0HwErtlk

A little video of our operation. We boiled in all the sap yesterday and canned 10 gallons of very light syrup. I prefer the dark or B grade myslef but the light looks great in glass containers.

The sap was about 2% sugar, not bad compared to last years averageof 1.5%. Weather forecast looks promising for the week.

Ed

[mitchmaine]

great video, ed. wonderful seeing your arch. weather here is snow rain squalls every day. we tapped 100 thursday, a shy 200 yesterday and finished out the one bush this morning. we have another batch of trees in a hell hole at the back of the woodlot with 100 taps. we will get them tomorrow hopefully. should be 450 total. checked the thursday trees this morning and they are quarter full. yesterdays trees are 1-2″. so no worries. collect tuesday and see what happens. really like your operation ed.

[Mark Cowdrey]

Looking good Ed. I always thought I liked the dark stuff better until I started boiling myself. We are making a medium on the light side w a nice flavor. The ten day looks text book, we’ll see how it “pans” out!
Mark

[dominiquer60]

Great video Ed!

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