When to tap maple trees

[David Wayne]

How do you know when to start tapping? I know it isnt as simple as a date on the calendar, I am sure January is certainly too early.
But here in Ohio we have had quite warm weather for the last 8 to 10 days, with 35-50 daytime highs with a couple days pushing 60.
The next four days are forcast the same then turns colder but not much below freezing. It makes me want to get started but I know it's too
soon. But when, what do you look for, or what do you go by to know when to start? This is just hobby for me and last year was my first.

Thanks,
David

 

[Paddy]

David,

The season really starts when nights are below freezing and days are above. If the temps start dropping back to always below freezing they just stop flowing. Likewise, if the days have above freezing day and night, they stop.

It's been 10+ years since I've made any. This is way to early in IN and OH to start. It's been above freezing here for the last week but I doubt it's flowing.

I'd think start looking closely the temps in first week in Feb. Drill one tap then and keep an eye on it.

The end of the season is also odd. Quality will drop, there will be periods of warm where many days are above freezing and production stops. Keep your buckets emptied, in warmer flow times the sap can get cloudy and sour.

Always cook outside, unless you you want to re-drywall your kitchen. Remember, for one gal of product, you will steam off 54 gals of water! We used a propane turkey fryer, to keep the smoky flavor out. An outdoor electric cook top would be nice but most just don't get hot enough.

Lessons learned from a small batch maker; The hardest part is the last 5 min of boiling, turn your head for a moment and you have burned the batch! Cook every day or keep it chilled, sap goes bad unless it's kept chilled. Don't feel the need to "finish" each cook down, just get it close. I recall it's 231 deg F when done, 233 deg F is candy about to burn! So take it to 228 deg F for example and stop. Then refrigerate it until you have 5 to 10 gals of "almost done". Then with a very careful eye, finish larger batches based on temp.

It's fun, but you will quickly see the cost of the propane is nearly the cost of the final product!

 

[Thomas]

We try to be tap out end of Feb. here,always seems town meeting and dirt roads are muddy boiling under way.

 

[David Wayne]

Thanks for the replies, I figured it was too early just the nice weather is gettin me itchy to start. Last year I finished 11 or 12 pints. Got it close on the wood burner in the shop, finished it in the house. 7 degrees above the boiling point of water at your elevation seems to stick in my mind. I got nervous being it was my first time and quit a little too soon. So it wasn't as thick but had good flavor and the grandkids didn't complain. I like the turkey fryer idea, the wife works for the local elec. company that also owns an LP company so she gets a pretty steep discount.

Thanks again,
David

 

[Quebecguy]

7 degrees above the boiling point of water at your elevation seems to stick in my mind.

Seven degrees Fahrenheit above the boiling point of water is correct for maple syrup. If you want to be precise check the temperature of boiling water every day you are going to boil sap - the boiling point will vary in relation to atmospheric conditions.
I don't know about Ohio but from my experience of the last forty years here in Quebec the season can start anytime between February 21st (2002) and March 26th (2015). So towards the end of February I keep an eye on the long range forecast and if I see a few days of sugaring weather coming up, I'll get tapping. I only do around 800 buckets so I can finish the tapping and the rest of the set-up in about three days.
In your situation I would have been making syrup for the past eight or ten days.