Sugaring 2013

[Ed Thayer]

I see the Honorable Mark Cowdrey of Andover, NH took part with NH Governor, Maggie Hassen, to tap a ceremonial historic Maple Tree in Andover this week.

Way to go Mark. May I have your autograph? :p

Our season is off to a super start. We have made 1/2 of last years crop allready this year and are hoping for more sap flows to come. Any bare ground up there in Maine yet?

Ed

[mitchmaine]

hey ed,
we hung all our buckets, or all we expected too, and collected yesterday in the east wind with snow rain and hailstones. that was a first. horses didn’t seem to care. we collected 270 gallons 1.8 sap. boiled it all down in 5 hours. didn’t make a draw, but the front pan tests 56 brix, so i might drainit off and finish it on gas. looks like cold weather here for a day or so. with the rain the snow has a crust that won’t hold you so it’ll be poor going here for a little bit. top it off, i cracked a scoot runner yesterday. hope it lasts the season.

congrats to mark! i have committed my share of sins in this life and fully expect to attone for them come judgement day, but i have yet to shake hands with a politician. just kiddin’, bud. wish i could have been there. mitch

[Mark Cowdrey]

I stayed back at the sugar house and when the crowd showed up I just kept my head down & kept stoking the arch. Did have a reasonable conversation w Lorainne Merrill (Comm. of Ag) later in the afternoon. Thought about writing “Ax the Pledge” in the dirt on the side of my truck but a nervous look from the boss’s wife convinced me not to make waves. Would have been good since Peter Thompson showed up later in the day! Oh well, I’m more bluster than action.
Has been running good here. We have made about 175 gallons of light & lightish medium. Last year total was 270 w no light. That number is deceiving (sap production-wise) because we have been trucking in sap from another fellow who has a bigger operation & is still struggling to get up & boiling.
Good luck all,
Mark

[garryl]

Garryl here,started tapping 2 weeks ago, 1500 taps.weather has been around freezing 32 degrees.here in Nova Scotia.1 1/2 feet of snow, no sap yet! Horses are standing in the barn getting fat.

[Ed Thayer]

Frustrating cold snap has brought everything to a halt here. It does not look like much sugarin weather for several days. I hope it does not warm too quickly once the cold snap breaks.

Ed

[dominiquer60]

It just started to break today, the ice started to loosen in the lines of the new bush that we started tapping yesterday, and then the sun went away 🙁 We will take more cold weather over sustained hot weather, just have to cut more wood for the greenhouse is all.

[mitchmaine]

glorious day! Ice thawed in pails enough to get about 440 gallons 2.9 sap. Kept the ice for one more pull, then heave it.
Maine Maple Sunday tomorrow. Sap to boil. SWEET!

[Baystatetom]

The buckets with direct sunlight on them were full today, any shade at all and they were bone dry. I had 12 kids from my neighbors pancake breakfast joint following the sled through the woods collecting buckets and they didn’t care at all how much was in there, so we’ll call it a success anyway.
~Tom

[Ed Thayer]

We had a great crowd on Saturday. Sold lots of syrup and gave a bunch of sleigh rides. Hoping for a little less wind today. The sap ran on the sun side but still froze hard on the back side. Glad to hear you finally thawed out to gather Mitch. The week ahead looks promising.

Ed

[mitchmaine]

same as you and tom, ed. direct sun made the difference. hardly any wind in the woodlot, but if it could it would stop the sap too. anywhere there was half a bucket of ice i kept the ice thinking there was probably sugar in it, but when it got coffee cup size we chucked it. sweetened the sap up really well. today is our open house, glad yours went well. what elevation are you and tom? we are right on 44 north line. not the best sugaring part of the state but the best we got. good luck this week coming, could be the best year ever.

mitch

[Ed Thayer]

the sap ran great the last couple of days, look like it may slow with warmer weather soon. We have gathered about 700 gallons in two days.

 

We canned about 8 gallons tonight and it has gone to medium here for us.

Ed

 

[dominiquer60]

Should be a great run today in Northern CT.  Some folks are shutting down but were are still going strong. The last few days we have shipped over 1,000 gallons each day to the neighbor for boiling.  Since we tapped one bush rather late it is flowing well, while the one tapped 2/13 is starting to slow some. Some pails are doing well, yesterday they made the shift to the better pails coming off the north side of the trees.  We changed many of the star sap ladders over to a two pipe ladder and increased our vacuum at the end of the lines by as much as 8 inches in some places, starting with nothing in November it is amazing how much you can learn in one season. All in all a very good start to the first season in over 15 years.

[Ed Thayer]

Glad to hear your vacume is working well, that is in my future plans in the bush behind the farm. Checked the pails this morning and there is sap to gather today. We are above last years dismall season so things are looking up.

 

Ed

 

[Eli]

Talked to a friend who taps about 1500 trees and he said things are going strong in Wisconsin started cooking monday. I don’t know much about it other than welding some parts for people. Just a little info.

[Ed Thayer]

Eli,

 

How long have you been tapped in Wisconsin?

 

[Author]

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