Sugaring 2013

[Rod44]

We helped friends tap last weekend and have been collecting all week.  Running decent.  A couple slow days when it was cloudy.  Have around 300 taps out.  Made about 10 gallons of syrup to so far.  We are in SW WI between Richland Center and Viroqua.

[mitchmaine]

still at it here in maine. weather is good. woodpile disappearing faster than the sap. making a good tasting grade b. weather wants to make sugar for another week. no buds yet. penny, me and the horses showing the wear. best year evah, i can just feel it.

[Ed Thayer]

Back to winter here, yesterday only got into the 30’s, not much expected to run today,but the cold snap will reset the trees and we are hoping for one more good run by the end of the week. Then looking at 60 deg plus and it will likely be over here. We have made 100 gallons and are much happier than last year.

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[mitchmaine]

i don’t mind plowing down the garden at the end of summer, and i have never minded winter coming, but i always get a little sad about the end of sugaring. we’ll be plowing ground in a couple weeks, and it gives me a little time to hit the woodpile undisturbed, which is fine, but it always bothers me a bit.

you tap trees in three feet of snow, light the fires in the evaporator and smell sweet sugar. Collect at night under a full moon. before you know it, its mud everywhere. the woodpile is gone. the smell in the sugarhouse is sharper, stronger. you are dog dead tired but still, i hate to see it go.

[dominiquer60]

Ed, looks like you are having a light year too.  It ran light here into last week, most folks are done.  Our neighbor is boiling thru this cold snap then he/we are done.

[Ed Thayer]

Mitch,

I too am always a little sad at the end. But it turns a page and I look forward to turning ground and spreading compost and all the other things we must do in Spring.

Rod,

Glad to hear you are running in WI. How late do you usually sugar in your region?

 

 

[Kevin Cunningham]

I am always jealous of you east coast/hardwood forest folks, when you are “sugaring.”  So here is my question who is willing to sell some of that goodness to a poor west coast boy?  We don’t use a lot of it mainly because we don’t have it here but for special occasions it can’t be beat.  Anybody want to ship a gallon or a couple quarts? You can email me kecunningham “at” gmail.com if the private message is not working yet.

 

[Baystatetom]

Kevin Why don’t you come out for the DAP get together in September, then you can bring some home.  My friend that I work with sugaring put 200 taps out 3 weeks later then the rest about 200′ higher in elevation.  Those taps were running well the first half of this week.  Another client of mine retapped half his bush and got a good run this week.  But we all know its the last of it.

~Tom

[Ed Thayer]

We gathered 500 gallons today and still had 3% sap, supposed to freeze again tonight and may run again tomorrow. Hoping for more runs before it’s all over.

Ed

 

[dominiquer60]

So we are not done after all, 2 loads yesterday and 2 loads today, and yesterdays lightened up to almost fancy again.  The peepers have sung for 6 nights  total now even though it seems too cold (windy really), I don’t know when this season will really end.

[Ed Thayer]

The 12 gallons we made yesterday was almost back to medium, but was dark. Super flavor and color. We need more dark anyway.

 

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