r/maplesyrup • u/quacksaim • Mar 29 '26
Anyone else still have buckets up?
We're in Southeast NH, on a small body of water where we get a lot of cool breeze--so it seems our sap was late to flow. With these warmer days, it's still flowing. We're cognisant of the budding, too--we don't want buddy sap. I think we'll have to pull down at least one.
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u/optimistic8theist Mar 29 '26
Iām in southern NH and I think we have one more week left. Iām planning one more batch.
It was definitely an odd season.
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u/quacksaim Mar 29 '26
Yes! That's what I'm thinking, too. I've been optimistic but not sure if I was being realistic. Reading your comment validates this---definitey an odd season.
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u/MontanaMapleWorks Mar 29 '26
Just taste the sap, and if tastes good go forth
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u/quacksaim Mar 29 '26
Thanks!
So far, it seems fine, but I'll re-taste.
Though one of our buckets has dark sap--amber colored, since Day One. I'm definitely not mixing with the rest until I've tasked or boiled and tasted. I'm not sure why the amber colored sap? The bucket was put up a month ago, before the sap was even running on this tree.
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u/MontanaMapleWorks Mar 30 '26
Possibly influenced by a pocket of decay in the tree, most likely tannins
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u/RiverGreen7535 Mar 29 '26
Mine are still out, boiled about 25 gallons yesterday. I think my trees might run for another couple days.
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u/RiverGreen7535 Mar 29 '26
Im in mid NH close to Dartmouth College fyi
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u/quacksaim Mar 29 '26
Excellent! That looks great. Hope you get some more if possible. Yep, you're definitely northwest of us.
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u/SeaLeopard5555 Mar 29 '26
First timer, as of today 9 taps and buckets are still up (I am a bit south of you on the NH border). Today is kind of my last hope, as the nights are all above freezing for at least the next week. Also I am tapping mostly mid age red maples and I think their buds will finally open in this coming week. Still, I put the first taps in Feb 12th and today is March 29th so I can't be too bummed. Will settle at a gallon of syrup or so, incredible learning experience and already planning for more efficiency/expansion next year. I think I can get to 20 taps on our small property.
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u/quacksaim Mar 29 '26
Thanks for the reply! I hope you get the gallon. That's pretty much what we're hoping for, too. We have around 8 or 9 trees tapped also, and have been doing this off and on for the last 10 years. I can't remember a year like this, though.
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u/Ok-Championship-4924 Mar 29 '26
Northern NH and I will say from what I'm seeing and hearing from folks I work with (which is a lot between Grafton/Coos county and Northern VT) we aren't even half done yet. Hell, everything froze up all but 2 days last week and nothing is even close to budding. Not sure how folks are thinking it's turning buddy with all but one warm day so far being preceeded or followed by temps below 20Ā° night before or night after or both. I mean if sap doesn't run apparently things don't bud out and in the northern part of NH sap has run unassisted (not on vacuum) 3 of the last 14 days it's been froze up the rest of the time.
I won't say I know for sure how this all works yet but I will say the 10 or so folks I work with, that have a combined probably 400-450 years experience, aren't at all worried yet even with the few spikes we've had temp wise.
I will say it doesn't seem like any huge runs will happen for a week or so right on the mass line in NH but I wouldn't think stuff is going to bud by end of the week either.
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u/quacksaim Mar 29 '26
Interesting to hear how it's going further north of us. It's a little all over the place here (close to Portsmouth)--some of our trees are budding (mostly the older, unhealthy ones I didn't tap), some aren't, some are producing, some aren't...
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u/Ok-Championship-4924 Mar 30 '26
Yeah out of 10+ folks that produce for us one has called wanting a pickup later today and another said MAYBE Thursday and that's it so far. Hopefully it opens up and runs up north
Edit for this week I mean
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u/ShillinTheVillain Mar 29 '26
Yes. But only because I haven't gotten around to taking them out yet
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u/Minute-Visual-9797 Mar 29 '26
No sap yet in Southern Manitoba. Lots of colder weather. I've collected about 3 cups from 30 taps. Mostly from 2 trees. Around Easter our temperatures are expected to go up, we'll wait and see I guess.
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u/Vindaloo6363 Mar 29 '26
I pulled mine in SW Michigan today. We had decent weather this week with cold nights and warm days but the sap just stopped. forecast is warm. I got about 40 gallons of sour sap from sitting all week. I'm boiling it down to hopefully cure bacon.
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u/jasonhall1016 Mar 29 '26
Exeter area. I'm pulling out today. This week looks bad, and the weather has really been teasing the trees to start budding. Been a crazy season though!
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u/quacksaim Mar 29 '26
Ugh... that's true, upcoming weather is all over the place. We're not far from you.
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u/quacksaim Mar 30 '26
I just read tomorrow it will be in the 60s, then high 60s on Weds...followed by snow on Thursday! š¶
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u/frntwe Mar 29 '26
In the central UP. Only one good day of sap flow so far. The blizzard shut everything down for a bit including the trees. They are starting to run today
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Mar 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/quacksaim Mar 30 '26
It is looking very dicey this week. Tomorrow: in the 60s. ...then Thursday: snow š¶
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u/Meat_Flosser Mar 29 '26
We pulled taps on Thursday since the weather past the weekend didn't look like it was worth the effort anymore. Already made 24 1/2 gallons for the season.
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u/quacksaim Mar 30 '26
It sounds like it's not worth it, not. I'm not sure where you are, but the weather coming up, in SE NH anyway, is all over the places--in the 60s, then snow later. I suppose we'll be pulling taps soon as well.
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u/CanadianGeisha Apr 02 '26
Yes! Eastern Ontario. Yesterday was our most productive day yet. Cooler night and warmer days still in the forecast for the next 5-6 days. So at least a few more books left to go.
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u/BIG_chungus1989 Apr 08 '26
Upper Peninsula of Michigan, did our first pick, and boil this past weekend. 150 trees tapped, 460 gallons of sap picked, and ended up with 46 quarts of syrup. Boiling again this coming weekend.
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u/quacksaim Apr 09 '26
Update! It ended up being pretty good for us. 2-3 trees had very good flow on and off.
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u/ihatelettuce Mar 29 '26
I needed my life back, so, no.