Maple Sugaring??

[PhilNH5]

Folks,
I am relatively new to this board but have already received a wealth of info. I have another question.
I know there are a bunch of TBNers in southern NH. Do any off you make maple syrup? We are going to try a few trees this year. At the Farm expo in Manchester, NH a few weeks back I picked up some taps. Last fall I finally remebered to mark the sugar maples. So we are finally ready to make maple syrup.

My question is WHEN do I tap. I have lots of book and net info so I know that 40F days with below freezing nights causes the sap to run. But we have had 2 or 3 mini-thaws. I don't know of anyone else loacally who does this so I can't follow some one else's lead.

Any advise would be much appreciated.
Phil

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

On our local news the other night they said this would be a lousy year for sugaring here in Michigan. The days have been above 40 (almost 50) as early as January and the nights haven't necessarily always dropped below freezing. A couple of years ago we had a similar problem and it resulted in a low yield.

I don't know much about sugaring, when I was a kid we'd play with a coffee can hung on a tree to collect sap, but that don't help you much. I'd guess that you should pick one tree, tap it, hang a bucket and see if anything is coming out. When the sap starts flowing good, you'll know. When it flows it really flows.

SHF

 

[Blackberry1]

Phil,
My in-laws are into maple here in SW Michigan. They just tapped this week. Generally, they look for a moderating trend in the weather pattern approximately this time of the year. If only one or two warm days followed by sustained cold is predicted they don't bother. If an extended cold spell occurs the tap holes become dry and drip poorly or not at all when favorable weather occurs, then you must decide if it is worth the effort to retap. They make 300-400 gallons of syrup per year. This year we have had so much warm weather that sap season might be short lived. When the trees bud out the syrup made from that sap becomes dark and unpalatable.
Blackberry

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Blackberry

I expect our trees to bud early this year. I was talking to the grounds keeper for one of the ski resorts and he told me their extended forecast for Feburary was for 60 degree days. Haven't seen those yet, but it's gotten close a couple of times. Too much more and the trees will start. How's it looking down your way?

SHF

 

[alan40]

Well Phil, it's a gamble. Here in Vt. last year alot of people missed the first run due to the weather and alot of snow. I'm boiling for the first time this year and plan to have my buckets up around March 5th unless we have a big warm spell earlier. Alot of old timers around here cordinate hanging buckets/lines with town meeting day.(5 March) Most of the time they're right.
My son who is 5 wanted to make maple syrup this year so we're going to hang about ten buckets this year, boil over a stone fire pit and finish over the stove. Sounds like alot of fun/work but if it gets my kids outside and learning about nature it's worth it. Besides the price of maple syrup never go's down!!!!!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I have enough maples for about a 125 taps if I wanted to go that big and if I did it would become a business.

 

[Blackberry1]

The weather here has turned more favorable for sap. The forecast is for for the upper 30's for the days and freezing nights with one day that might not thaw. Those 60 degree days will put you out of the maple business quicker than you can say sugar.

 

[Boondox]

Folks around here use test taps pretty extensively what with the various elevations resulting in micro-climates. My poor wife tried boiling down some sap one year and managed to steam off all the wallpaper in the kitchen!

Pete

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

My brother used to make his own syrup. His method was to filter the sap and place it in clean buckets and then throw it in the freezer. After awhile he'd peel off the ice that formed on top and then boil down the rest. Said it shortened the boiling time but didn't hurt the taste.

Anybody else tried that?

SHF

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

David,

<font color=blue>My in-laws are into maple ....They make 300-400 gallons of syrup per year</font color=blue>

Whoa, into it may be an understatement. That's somewhere in the order of 16,000 gallons of sap. I wouldn't want to pay their fuel bill. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Al

 

[Blackberry1]

That's right. They have about 1000 taps. Some is collected in 5 gallon buckets and where it is possible, tubing is used leading to various containers holding between 60 and 200 gallons of sap. They have a commercially made evaporator that is fired with 48inch pieces of firewood. In a busy season they use 1 1/2 decent woodsheds of wood. Because we built on my fathers in law property, we often find ourselves in the bucket brigade.