Started taking down buckets and pulling spouts today. 25% to 30% are down already. We’ll see what the weather is like tomorrow before continuing. Snow is forecast and we may not want to take down buckets with snow on the ground because the buckets won’t dry out.
Bottled a milk can of syrup: 27 quarts. Into the woods by 11:30 AM to get the syrup on the finishing pan. Then started taking down buckets. Syrup was ready by 2:30 PM for bottling. Back to the house by 3:30 PM.
The past two years we got caught in the rain during cleanup. We hope to avoid the rain this year. We should have a few more days for cleanup so we can plan around rainy days.
It rained today. Over the weekend we may get snow again as a colder weather pattern returns.
Made some calls to find out the best way to wash the membrane for storage. It should get two soap wash cycles. Still have to decide if we want to use SMBS. It would help keep the membrane clean and bacteria free but it would require a soap wash to start the season next year. The challenge with a soap wash is we would not have R/O water that is mineral free. We would have to use well water. Our well water is pretty good but not as pure as R/O water.
Cloudy all day. Light showers this afternoon, but didn’t amount to anything. Did not freeze overnight. Trees not producing any sap that we can harvest.
We have to get into clean up mode next.
Into the woods by 7:00 AM to cook. Cleaned syrup pan. Prepared the R/O. R/O running by 8:05 AM done at 1:00 PM. Setup an extra 100 gallon tank for R/O water. We’ll need that for cleaning the R/O. Five batches of syrup in the milk can. Finished cooking by 3:00 PM. Back to the house by 3:30 PM.
28 overnight. Sunny and 45 today. Trees not running. This is the end. We’ll start taking down the buckets after the rain on Wednesday and Thursday. We don’t have complete totals yet but we’ll end up below average.
Between Saturday and today we had a run. Collected 400 gallons. Some pails were empty with others were full. But its getting less sweet. About 1.8 degrees Brix. A sign we are reaching the end.
Into the woods by 1:15 PM to check buckets. It was clear we needed to collect. Washed tanks and set out by 2:30 PM. With the muddy trails we couldn’t drive out normal route. That meant more walking with full collecting pails. But better to carry then get the tractor stuck in the mud. One helper arrived by 3:15 PM. Finished up by 5:30 PM. Tomorrow we cook.
We’ve had freezing night and warm days, but no real sap runs. The taps have been out 4 weeks. We are coming to the close of the season. The warm weather hurt us. A few days of warm weather we can recover from but almost two weeks is pushing it. Likely one last pass through the woods to get whatever sap may be there, then pull the taps and get into clean up mode.
Raining now. Today is Easter. Early this year.
24 overnight. Sunny and 42 today. Taps wet but not dripping much. That warm weather hurt us. The taps are no longer fresh and not likely to produce much more sap. We’ll try for a few more days, but the season is likely ending. Producers on vacuum tubing are likely doing okay.
9 overnight. Sunny and up to 37 today. After the storm moved out last night the sky cleared and the full moon illuminated everything outside because it reflected off the new snow.
Into the woods by 7:15 AM to cook Wednesday’s 140 gallons. The pipe from the storage tank to the R/O was frozen. Had to take it off to thaw it over the evaporator. Had the R/O going by 9:30. It finished by 11:00. Done cooking by 12:30. Three batches into the milk can.
Put a milk can on the finishing pan at 11:30. Bottled 29 quarts.
The trees seem confused by the weather. Even with the freezing night and sunny day they did not drip.
Back to the house by 3:30 PM.
No real blizzard overnight. Snowed 6”-8” but no wind with it. This morning at 5:00 AM it wasn’t even snowing. Didn’t seem like much of a storm. By 8:00 AM snow started falling again. As the day went on conditions slowly got worse. Now at about 5:00 PM we are getting whiteouts from the blowing snow. It should taper off by tomorrow morning. But it does get cold tonight: teens for lows.
Plowed the yard with the tractor. With the blowing we may have to do it tomorrow too.
Checked the syrup building. All is well there. Hopefully tomorrow we can cook that 140 gallons.
Yup, we are forecast for a blizzard. 8-12 inches of snow with 30-40 mph winds. Snow started at 11:45 AM. After Midnight the blizzard moves in with the winds and heavy snow. Although the snow fall gets heavier every hour preceding Midnight. Ends after 1:00 PM Thursday.
Into the woods by 9:30 to check the buckets. Not a lot: pint to quart, some with more. But very nice sap. So we got organized to collect. Called help. Fueled the tractor. Washed tanks. Started solo by 10:45 AM. By 11:30 had two helpers. Finished by 12:30 PM. 140 gallons. Snow started falling while we were collecting. Didn’t accumulate yet because the ground was still too warm.
Battened down the sugar shack for the storm. Setup up the tank heaters. Checked that all doors are securely closed.
Snow coming in from the Northeast. The woods actually looks pretty now as the snow sticks to the trees making them all white. Snow has been accumulating for the past hour already.
Blizzards are energizing for us. Its enjoyable watching the storm rage from the kitchen window.
After the storm weather pattern looks favorable again for sap. 18 Thursday night. But high 30s and upper 20s Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
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