I know southern guys probably still iced in. Just wondering who getting ready tap their maples. Being honest I haven't tapped any trees since I think 2019?? Most everything stashed up in garage.
My son's GF however is very interested in all kinds of things. So guess the plan is to tap at least fee trees so she can see the process. My trees I tap is usually more middle of March. Never know though based on weather. My one goofy yard tree was running back around Christmas.

Mac

Our friend Mike says he’s tapping on Monday.He doesn’t like tapping to early because he feels the hole will heal up some and reduce output.I feel he’s overthinking.

Lol. About to have 3 nights around -15, days hi of 5-10. Patience Danielson.

Thinking Tuesday here. It might be early but weather looks decent. Hopefully the ground isn't to froze to deep. Under a foot or more snow so it would have warmed a little. Will see how much the forecast changes. mikec

My friend who runs over 10,000 taps in northern Lewis County NY, started tapping Wednesday. Said he was going to try for 1000 that day.

Tapping tomorrow.

Those tapping now have vacuum. Bucket dopes me me have to wait.

I have never tapped this early but just came in from doing a dozen this afternoon. They were all running except one.
Weather forecast looks warm for the next 10 days or so here in south-central Wisconsin.

Zim

Still can decide to sell out to the bucket trappers and stand down??.
Think getting this stuff out of storage might mean?? Im at least going to make a mess of some kinda LMAO..
Try keep it small mess.



Tapped my one yard tree just bit ago. Started running right away which does not surprise me. My other property is 60 miles north. Those trees are smaller and different type maple. In the past they usually ran a week or more later than this one home tree.





Mac

Temps look good from now through next weekend

Although I live in the South, there are a few sugar maples in my neighborhood. Their sap drips on my car during the Spring. A little downy woodpecker is often pecking around the trunk.

Last week, during a severe cold snap, I saw a clear ice cycle hanging from a limb. It was 6+ inches long and about the size of a pencil. Am I going crazy? I've often seen sap dripping from several limbs in this tree, but not when the temps are in the low teens.

Those of you up North, is this a common? Do you see ice cycles in your maple trees?

Ive seen the little ice cycled in the tree in the picture in my above post. It sometimes drips in fall and this last December on warm days it dripped on driveway. I have the downy wood peckers on my tree regularly. I have also seen squirrels laying on beaches licking the drips.

Mac

We have not taped in a few years. I have not fixed the broken down gator needed to collect sap. We used to do about 3 gallons a year for personal use and some gifts for friends, family and good coustmers.

Weather is looking very good for Ohio tapping!
Wish everyone a great season.

My lone yard tree is running like usual. Not running hard which is also usual early. Dumped the two tree bucket this morning strained ice out. Have maybe two gallons of sap? Definitely not getting excited about boiling that little.




Mac

We are putting out barrels , tubs and setting buckets next to trees, starting tomorrow afternoon. We will do this for the next week and will start tapping the last couple days of February or weather dependent. We don't like tapping too early as holes start to heal up even before the main runs come and we are looking at a lot colder weather starting next weekend. We don't like sap freezing in our buckets if we can help it. We do about 700--900 taps. We are hoping for an additional younger person to help collect this year.

Bryce

Bryce
I have always enjoyed following you with your sap line posts. Do you still have the same bulk buyer you have had in past?

Im just playing compared to what you guys do. My trees up by Black River Falls. I probably wait until 1st of March before I run up and tap them. For me its not about volume more about just doing it. Its getting hard for me to even carry full 5 gallon bucket very far.

Mac

We don 't cook any of our sap. We take our sap to one place where he boils, filters and bottles or sap. He gets a percentage of our sap for that and we pay for the bottles, caps and bottling. When we have enough sap to meet our syrup needs we take the remaining sap to another firm that pays us by the sugar content per gallon. Our labor we hire can take either sap ( so much per hour) or wages. The older guys all take syrup and the two younger guys take the cash. I have been a part of this since 2013. Over those years we have ranged from about 5,500 gallons of sap our poorest year and 13,500 gallons on our best with about 7800 to 8200 gallons being our average with sugar contents averaging over those years of about 2.5. We have lost about 100 trees the last 3 years. I guess with me being 78 and the lead guy 69 that is not all bad. The first 2-3 days of tapping, bending over for several hours it takes a while at night to straighten out!
I grew up about 20-25 miles north and west of BRF. We lived in some sandy type hills, with scrub oaks and jack pines. We did not have good enough dirt to have maple trees, but lot of maple cousins those box elders grew really well.

Bryce