Is the maple sap running anywhere yet?
 

I haven't noticed any tapped trees yet. Thinking about tapping a couple today just to see.

Delayed a few weeks...
 

I read an article, I think in the Union Leader, that said due to the extreme cold, maple sugaring will be delayed by about two weeks.

It seems that the collecting of sap is done when temperatures go above freezing during the day, and below freezing at night, according to the article.

I would go ahead and tap them. The sap will run every day that is above freezing with below freezing at night.

I tapped last weekend in Moultonborough and have nothing yet. (Bit of a difference from last year:laugh:)

Syrup
 

It's running in Lyndeboro.

.....Vt vs NH
 

So, what's the difference between Vermont and New Hampshire maple sap? As you probably know, the sap has about two percent maple sugar and it takes about 40-gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

Did you know that red and grey squirrels are attracted to the sap and they sometimes will crawl into a hanging bucket that's attached to a maple tree and are unable to crawl out and they proceed to unhappily get drowned in the sap. While many syrupers have upgraded to a tube collection system, there's still some olde fashioned hanging galvanized pails out there that are attached to the sides of the maples ..... and it is easy to see how a nimble squirrel can climb its way through the small space between the little metal roof-cover and the hanging pail to get to the sweet yummy sap.....and squirrels probably just cannot resist it ....what with being a wild squirrel, always on the lookout for good food, and having a liking for the sweet maple sap.

Well.......over in Vermont .....what they do when this happens is to wring out the dead squirrel and let the sap drain back into the pail so none of it gets wasted ...... while here in New Hampshire the sap soaked squirrel is disposed in an environmentally correct method.....don't-a u just believe that now.....and there's no New Hampshuh sap that gets used for syrup that ever got contaminated with a sap-drowned squirrel.........huh-what!

Wont be long up there
 

It's running here in western Mass.

They are collecting now and the fires will heat up this weekend.


ToW