Tappin' Time!

The past month has brought with it some abnormally warm days. Each one of those times David was adamant we should tap our trees! I kept saying it was way too early, however this past Sunday I’d say we met in the middle and pulled the tappin’ trigger for our 2015 maple syrup season! The following are the events of the day:

• David continued welding the seams
• gathered buckets and materials from the bottom shed
• washed all the materials with soap and water in utility sink
• gathered buckets, lids, spiles, drill, 3/8” drill bit, rubber mallet and wheel barrel
• David drilled the whole 2” deep (marked on the drill bit) on the trees previously marked from last year (marked in the fall when I could distinguish them by their leaves); if the trunk of the tree looked large enough he double tapped the tree
• I pounded the spile in the hole, attached the bucket and lid
• used 19 taps (missing one spile)
• probably half the taps were dripping sap by the time I got the spile in the tree

Checking on the buckets today not much happened considering the temperature fell back under the freezing point and has stayed there. Tomorrow is supposed to rise back up to around 40 so most likely we will have our first collection for the 2015 season.

                         Lots of spiles                                    All clean (white buckets are for collecting the sap)

Here we go! 

It be drippin'!