[survive]

This past week has been perfect weather for the sugar shacks, but most were caught unprepared, as this is so early.

I don't expect that spring is here to stay, so they will mostly likely get another shot at it, but it is regrettable when you loose a week of prime weather.

Several friends of mine have evaporators and then depend on the production as either their own supplies or to sell as income.

Typically if you have 2 weeks, where the temperature fluctuates from -5 to +5 Degrees C during the day, then it is a perfect season, so loosing the week is a hard blow.

 

[Offrink]

I’ve been set up with my tiny two tree syrup shack. A two burner coleman stove does the work. Have made 3 pints in the last week and a half. Not many were ready but I kept an eye on the forecast.

 

[catfeet]

EVERYONE here is running sap right now, even the folks who collect in pails. I'm sitting typing this, and can see the can on the tree outside my window, lol. We've 1 large maple in the yard, and let a guy who runs all of the in town trees tap it - he came by on Monday and did the town.

 

[Potawatomi II]

I’ve been set up with my tiny two tree syrup shack. A two burner coleman stove does the work. Have made 3 pints in the last week and a half. Not many were ready but I kept an eye on the forecast.

Yup you guys are always a couple weeks ahead of us on the sap and a month on the gardens. Nobody is tapping here right now. We did have a couple days you'd have thought were perfect but then we went right back to mid teens at night and not getting near freezing till afternoon. Unless your trees are on the north side of a field you aren't getting anything.

 

[catfeet]

We're usually running sap on the other side of March into April, it's just that here, in the Maple syrup capital, lines stay set up year round, and all that is needed is to re-tap the trees. Pails, well, that requires a little more work, lol. All of it, though, will stay up and in operation until sometime in April, when the temps really turn.

Here, it was in the 40's on Tuesday, and has been snowing the rest of the week, with temps in the low 20's day, and mid to low teens at night.

 

[Matthart]

Gotta keep an eye on the temperature forecast! It's been crazy. I made two pints in January during a warming spell. Another quart and a half during the past three weeks.

But I don't see many "commercial" maker buckets on the trees around town. The shacks put buckets on lots of people's trees then go around and get the sap. I did see one big maker had their tubing run, so they're getting it.

Probably going to be a lean spring. I know I plan on tapping even more trees on my property next year due to the lack of a good season. I expect these weather patterns will continue.

 

[high peaks man]

We tapped mid February last year in Maine and had a gallon of syrup
by March 1 with 15 taps . Here it is March 6 and we only have 2 qts syrup.
Every year is different but the typical season up here is March 1st
through April 15 .
Sap is running good today after being mostly off for about a week but looks like it will
shut off again with the impending snowstorm.

 

[Sailorsam]

relevant thread

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=848946

 

[Offrink]

Upto 6 pints of syrup now. It’s a good week for sap!

 

[Matthart]

Made 2 and a half pints yesterday - from almost 10 gallons. Seems like the sugar content was lower.

 

[barnetmill]

When discussing temperatures it would be helpful to people like me if you gave general location or at lease an USDA Hardiness zone. I am guessing you are in Canada