MapleAcres

Into the woods by 10:00 AM. Setup the R/O valve panel and connected hoses from the permeate tank to the R/O. Also brought a tank of water from the farmhouse for the permeate tank. We need 200 gallons of water for the initial rinse of the membrane. We have to start with well water because we don’t have permeate water from the sap yet.

Now that we have water in the tank we had to setup the tank heater and heating tape for the exposed hoses. In past years we were always rushed to setup the R/O and tanks because we had sap to process. It’s nice to have time this year.

18 overnight. Snow this morning. 1 ½ inches. Sun came out by 10:00 AM and it started to warm. Up to 38. Not much melt yet because the ground is cold.

Sap is moving in the trees. Pressure gauge on our tree reached 18 PSI. Internally sap is moving, but we didn’t see sap at the spout. Likely the wood around the tap hole is frozen yet. Until it thaws we won’t get sap runs. The spouts are exposed to the air so cold can penetrate into the tree around the tap hole. The pressure gauge is on tubing and sealed so cold doesn’t penetrate into the tap.

4 overnight. Sunny and 15 today with a cold wind chill. This picture summarizes our season so far.

Tomorrow’s forecast is low 40s. We plan to get the building ready. Next week warms and we expect sap.

8 overnight. Sunny and 26 today. We did get snow showers at 12:30 PM. Came in fast. Within 15 minutes it went from sunny to show showers. Cleared by 2:00 PM.

Down to 5 tonight with wind chills below zero. Tomorrow possible snow again. Sunday’s forecast is 45.

14 overnight. Sunny and 25 today. Too cold for the trees.

We did wash top cap for the R/O today. Expected it to be routine but discovered water was restricted from flowing through the top connection. Its a 1/2” tube. After investigation, we discovered a blob of plastic obstructing the tube. It was 80% blocked. Wondering how long that’s been in there. Would be problematic for R/O operation.

15 overnight. Sunny and 35 today. Trees trying to wake up but the ground is still cold.

Into the woods by 6:15 AM. Fixed firebrick in the evaporator. Put the pans on the evaporator. Its still too cold to bring a tank of water for R/O initial wash. We could bring a tank of water, but would have to setup the tank heater to keep it from freezing. Back to the farmhouse by 7:30 AM.

Tree pressure -5 PSI overnight. Then up to 8 PSI late in the day.

16 overnight. Sunny and 36 today. But when it starts so cold it takes time to warm up. Trees dripping slowly. Tree pressure up to 8 PSI. Taps out for a week now without sap to collect.

Into the woods by 5:45 AM to move tanks and start evaporator setup. Got the 325 gallon permeate tank setup with hose connected. Then got pans off of the evaporator so we can add back the fire brick we removed to weld the patch. Back to the farmhouse by 7:30 AM.

Tomorrow’s forecast is 40. Then colder the rest of the week. Long range forecast looks promising, but any forecast beyond 2-3 days is not reliable.

Snow started around 3:00 AM. Got about 4” of snow by 11:00 AM. Everything is white again. Thunder over an open woods holds true again.

30 overnight. Cloudy and 34 today.

A thunderstorm moved though last night starting around 5:00 PM. It’s early in the year for a thunderstorm. Lots of lightning. At 6:00 PM there was a flash of lightning and the electricity went out. Power out until 10:30 PM. Over 1” of rain. Snow settled, but the ground is still frozen and the water collects in small ponds. Thunder over an open woods (no leaves) means more snow will come. And snow is forecast overnight: 1 inch.

Mid 40s today and cloudy. Forecast is high 20s tonight. Colder tomorrow with high about 35 but still cloudy. Tuesday and Wednesday look promising.

The evaporator is patched: a new metal plate welded to the back under the stack. Should get us through a few more years.

Checked the buckets today after the rain. Some had a quart or maybe two. But the sap tested at less then 1 Brix. It was mixed with rain. We dumped it. Get a few start this week.

35 overnight. Cloudy and up to 45 today. Rain started late afternoon. Rain forecast overnight with possible thunderstorms. Temperature rises to 50 overnight then drops to 35.

Into the woods by 8:00 AM. Cleaned and setup the storage tanks. Took the storage tank covers to the farmhouse to wash. Brought a milk can of water to wash the tanks. And prepared the valves: they get a coating of food grade grease to keep them nimble. Both the 225 gallon storage tank and the 175 gallon concentrate tank are ready.

Also cleaned the 225 gallon collecting tank. We need that for hauling water for the R/O.

Also brought the R/O to the syrup building from the farmhouse.

Tree pressure hit 7 PSI, but the ground is still too cold for a sap run.

Tomorrow a friend is doing a welding repair on the evaporator. The back by the stack is badly rusted and needs repairs.

11 overnight. Sunny and 35, but when it starts at 11 it takes a long time to warm up. And the ground is still very cold. Not much melt even with the direct sun.

Wintery mix for tonight with rain forecast for tomorrow with highs in the 40s.

Plan to setup tanks and get the building ready tomorrow.

Put out the tree pressure gauge. It helps track sap flows and is interesting to watch. Pressure fluctuations show the tree is alive.