The End of Sugaring

The last day of sugaring, April  17th, will give us around 9 gallons for the year. Our biggest year was 10. This is a good shot of our springtime, no snow sugarhouse on April 13th. The syrup is darkening up, no B yet, but maybe the last boil will be. Our sugar content has been consistently around 2.5, which is good enough to boil. The process is quite routine for us now, and we both get a chance to catch up on our reading. The garlic is up as of April 16th, as well.

Red Poll Winter

 The common redpolls have been with us all winter, more than any other winter so far. $100.00 worth of thistle seed later, we are amazed at the way they covet the feeders and manage to negotiate them during the worst weather, and they just won't leave!  They are still with us today, April 16th.

After a long winter....

As of April, the violets and violas in the greenhouse are coming back to life. The temperature had reached well below zero, but these little beauties really define "hardiness". I plan to have more of them this summer and keep them in the temp-regulated coldframe in the greenhouse for next winter. They are truly a flower of happiness.

Back at it, syrup at last....

Pouring the sap into the tank

Carrying the sap to the tank

Filtering the syrup

Collecting the syrup

Taking the specific gravity

First maple syrup

March Sugaring, Here we go again

Here we go again. It's March, 2013 and we have hung 53 buckets on our sugar maples around the boundary. We are waiting for a good run, but have already collected the sap from a couple of slow runs. The temperatures are all over the place, 40s day, low 30s night. We need the colder nighttime temps to get the sap moving. But in any event, we are ready.I plan to make a video of the sap dripping into the buckets so that we can hear the great dripping sound.

Bob, the Belgian work horse has left us

Today I got the news that Bob, the wonderful Belgian horse that worked for Marc Farrow, our logger, passed on. He had been sick for awhile and Marc finally had to put him to sleep on Sat. Feb 9th. Bob touched many hearts, delighted so many who knew him and became a media star on Youtube while he either pulled logs or moose for Marc. He will be missed. Watch him here Bob pulling a log  and  Bob's last pull for us, Dec 27, 2012 Bob's last pull for us on Dec 27, 2012