Filed under: March 2013
Awesome day of boiling!
March 28, 2013
Yesterday, after taking care of a few pressing jobs, I went to the sugarhouse and began boiling the maple sap. The sap we had collected the night before. That was a long afternoon of gathering, let me tell you. The trees finally ran like mad. We gathered over 1100 gallons of sap. I had to leave part of the last load in the horse drawn tank until I could boil some down to make room!
I began boiling at twelve-thirty yeaterday afternoon. The last of the sap hit the evaporator at eight-thirty last night. I finally made it to the house at ten-thirty. It was one of our best days this season. Here it is, much later than a usual season and going as if it was late February rather than March. We even got a coating of “sugar snow” overnight.
“Sugar snow” is what my grandpa called a dusting of snow that came during the maple syrup season. It aids in making the sled slide easier. It also supplies moisture to the dripping trees, adding a bonus in the mind of my grandpa. Hey, it was good enough for him, so count me on board too 😮
The trees continued to drip into last evening. It looks like a good weekend coming up. So far, our wood is holding out. We have used about half of our stockpile. I am sure we are in the final weeks of the season. A season that is as whacky as our weather these days. In my memory, March 27th was the lastest day I have ever gathered sap. That was the last day of the season back then, ten years or so. Things look great here right now. The weather is perfect and the trees don’t think its late spring yet.
Soon the days and the nights will be warm. The trees will send the sap to the buds on the ends of their branches. That will be the end of the season. So far, the weather has kept the sap near the ground, thanks to the freezing temperatures. Our small “tree saver” spiles are running good. The bags are holding up pretty well, dispite all of our problems with them icing over this year.
Today, the trees have stopped dripping for now, but later today, the weatherman says we will get the warm up. The next few days are shaping up for another giant run. I will get ready as much as I can. There are a few errands to run, equipment to clean and maple syrup to can. I need to fix a muddy road, but for now that solution eludes me… That’s what’s cooking around here 😮
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