Filed under: February 2013
Almost ready
February 4, 2013
I spent part of the day sorting and straightening out stuff in the sugarhouse. I will do my big cleaning tomorrow. The snow is piled outside and it’s cold, but the weekend looks like a sap run will be here 😮
I had everything set up and planned to tap on the 13th & 14th , but the weatherman is saying a warm-up is on the way. I will get a little bit of an early start. The Farmer’s Almanac says that March will be a bit above average for temperature. I hope I am doing the right thing…only time will tell.
I just remember a year when we tapped in late February. We got one nice run and the temperature went down. The next day or so the thermometer went crazy. It stayed warm until the trees budded, thus ending the syrup season. It had only lasted three days. That is a lot of work and expense for only three days of sap!
I must work around an off-farm job. I need to make the most of every one of my days off. I am gambling just a bit by tapping a week early, but I may just get a run that some will miss. If March does come off warm and end our season early, I will be ahead of the game…. But if the Almanac is wrong and the cold March month lingers for us syrup guys, I run the risk of my taps drying out and the sap will stop flowing.
Maple syrup like any other farm crop is dependant upon the weather. There is nothing a farmer can do about the weather. You just use your best judgement, based upon experience and try to do the right thing. The right thing for me is to tap this week. We shall see how that all works out 😮
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RicelandMeadows 