Maple sap is running strong

[Lead pot]

It has been very cold this new year and the January thaw was short. I tapped one tree like I do every January to catch the early flow when the sap is the sweetest but the thaw was short and just the last four days it finally made it in the mid 30's to mid 40's and the flow has increased enough to fill 2 5 gallon buckets a day from the 10 trees I tapped this year. This year the sap is very sweet here must be from the heavy rains we got last year. I just finished boiling down 20 gallons and I almost got a whole gallon of very sweet syrup. Usually it takes 35 to 40 gallons to get what I got from 20.
This batch I quit boiling when it reached 125 degrees about 15 degrees above normal boiling point a little less then I usually pull it off. I better get more jugs washed, It will be a good year.
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[WebMonkey]

sweet!
;)

[Lead pot]

sweet!
;)

Yes :)

[30calflash]

I thought about trying it at home with a couple trees here but the weather didn't look too promising with some evenings getting above freezing.

If there is a short spell, say 2 or 3 days of above freezing at night, and it goes back to normal for the season weather will it change the tree's output of sap to a large degree? What does it take for the trees to stop producing?

Thanks in advance. 30cf.

[Lead pot]

The sap really starts when it's above freezing during the day and drops below freezing at night. Yesterday it was close to 40 and dropped down to about 5 above that stopped the flow. It's been so cold here that the drip tubes freeze shut over night. The buds are getting heavy so time is getting close to pull the spikes when they start popping open and replace the spike with a wood plug.
It works best if I tap over a large root on the full sun side of the trunk or when the tree has two or three main trunks I tap each.
I pick the trees that stand in water after a rain or snow melt they produce the best.

[30calflash]

The sap really starts when it's above freezing during the day and drops below freezing at night. Yesterday it was close to 40 and dropped down to about 5 above that stopped the flow. It's been so cold here that the drip tubes freeze shut over night. The buds are getting heavy so time is getting close to pull the spikes when they start popping open and replace the spike with a wood plug.
It works best if I tap over a large root on the full sun side of the trunk or when the tree has two or three main trunks I tap each.
I pick the trees that stand in water after a rain or snow melt they produce the best.

Hey thanks for that! Several things you covered that I didn't think about.

I'm going to pass at this stage as we've had warm days and nights off and on. That plus I've not done it before, need to prepare now for next season.

[farmerjim]

Lead pot, where are you located?
I used to have a sugar maple orchard on an old dairy farm in upstate New York about 6 miles below the Canadian border. It looks like it is warm enough up there now. 20's at night and high 30's days.

[Lead pot]

Jim I'm in the north western corner of Illinois

[farmerjim]

I would not have thought that it was a cold enough area for maple syrup. But what you have there looks mighty good. A friend I worked with in Montreal is in northern Vermont now. He has a large sugar maple orchard on his parents old property. He is on a hill and has all the sap piped to the sugar house. Where I had my property was flat, and I had to use the buckets that I found in the barn.

[toot]

we have taps in the sugar maples already in RHODE ISLAND, and also a very good flow.

[FISH4BUGS]

Here in south central NH (about 25 miles inland) the sap is just starting to flow. We have our trees tapped and the guy gives us a gallon or more (depending on the flow) of syrup for allowing him to tap our trees.
Sounds like a fair deal to me!

[30calflash]

The warm weather has hit us in Ct. no nghts below 40 for 3 days, then it drops below freezing again.

How much or how many nights of warm weather before the flow changes? Can it start again after 3 nights of warm (above 32*) temps?

[Lead pot]

I would not have thought that it was a cold enough area for maple syrup. But what you have there looks mighty good. A friend I worked with in Montreal is in northern Vermont now. He has a large sugar maple orchard on his parents old property. He is on a hill and has all the sap piped to the sugar house. Where I had my property was flat, and I had to use the buckets that I found in the barn.

It gets plenty cold here. In this little corner of ILL. we are in zone 5A and it's not uncommon to see the temp for better then a month straight to be below zero. These last few years it has been what I call mild except this January it has been normal. The problem here it has been very cold at night two nights it dropped back down to 4 degrees and stayed cold during the day but last night it dropped down in the 20's and it's 41 now. I call this Ideal for my trees. :) I just collected another 15 gallons.
I don't go at this hard, just enough for us to can to last the year. I use 5 gallon buckets to collect the sap and this is working fine.
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[FISH4BUGS]

The warm weather has hit us in Ct. no nghts below 40 for 3 days, then it drops below freezing again.

How much or how many nights of warm weather before the flow changes? Can it start again after 3 nights of warm (above 32*) temps?

Mother nature works very well. My understanding is that the flow DOES start and stop depending on the daytime temps and the overnight temps.
I only go out and look in the buckets. The syrup maker gathers it and boils it down and gives us syrup. :)

[Geezer in NH]

F4B Just started running here north of the big lakes. Lines and buckets are out my friend figures a week or so and he will start the boiler when he has 1000 gal or more ready in the tank.

[MaryB]

Still the frozen tundra here... might tap my boxelder tree again this year.

[Lead pot]

Get that drill battery charged there are better days coming. Boxelder is good to go.

[farmerjim]

I like your 5 gal bucket collection method.

[Lead pot]

Nothing goes into the bucket except the sap Jim. The drip tubes fit tight through the 1/2" hole through the lid. I do just lock the lid in one spot on the bucket so it comes off easy in the cold.

[docone31]

I tapped one tree back in the late '80s. Ended up with 40 gallons of sap, that I boiled down to get 2qts of serious syrup. It was black maple and it was so sweet my teeth hurt when I had it. It was great though. If I was back there, I would definately do it again.
Gotta boil it slow though. It is easy to lose with too much heat.

[quilbilly]

Our season is already almost over here in the PacNW. We only tapped 4 trees this year so as not to be overwhelmed but the sap just kept coming and we got overwhelmed anyway. This year we tried some new things. Instead of reducing all the way to syrup, we just reduced 2/3 way and tried cooking rice with it. Delicious and is now what we call a dessert rice better than what I ate in Japan on holidays. I also reduced some 3/4 way to syrup and turned it into sticky ice cubes then put one into Scotch - very nice.:bigsmyl2:

[MaryB]

Maple syrup mead... that could be interesting!

[Tom W.]

My first MIL lived in Kingston, NY. and had several maple trees in the yard. I remember them boiling it down but when they got finished the syrup was mighty watery.. Tasted good, though. Being from North Carolina on the coast, We had pine trees....

[maxreloader]

Im just waiting for our hummingbuddies to come back! I cant wait! Maple syrup is the early warning alert! the sap-suckers come and then everybody else. Gotta clean the feeders and get the sugar ready!

[Lead pot]

Here is the results of my harvest this year about 5 gallons. I cooked it down into three different stages from light to heavy.
We had some light on ice cream last night and heavy on waffles this morning and I must say it was worth all the work making this fine syrup :) Kurt

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[reloader28]

I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head, but I would defiantly do this if we had the trees. I'm very jealous

[Lead pot]

I pulled the spikes yesterday and plugged the holes to keep the bugs out and hold the sap from leaking but I went around and checked the trees and the wood dowel plugs are leaking sap, not around the plug but through it so the tree is still pushing hard.
Next year I will cut back down to 4 or 5 trees. 10 for us is to much.