MapleAcres

Fog and rain today made the woods sloppy.  The snow is melting again.  It didn’t rain hard, but enough to make it sloppy.

Checked the buckets about 10:00 AM.  As expected the trees ran most of the night.  Only down to 30 overnight so not a hard freeze.  By dawn it was above freezing and the trees responded.  Most buckets over half full. Many were full.

Planned to head out collecting by 2:30 but we had to get the tanks ready.  Got water to the woods in the milk cans.  Washed stainless storage tanks.  Washed collecting tanks.    It was raining off and on too.  We were ready by 2:30.

We picked up 575 gallons of sap.  Good haul.  Tomorrow want to get the R/O ready and start cooking.

Tonight more snow is expected.  4”-6”.   And then turns colder and windy.  So crumby weather.

Down to 15 overnight.  Warmed to 40 today with sunshine.  Sap did start running yesterday, not a lot.   After it warmed today sap also started dripping a bit too.  But with 15 overnight it takes time to get going.  Only about 30 tonight with rain overnight.  We plan to pickup whatever sap is there tomorrow because then it turns colder until end of the week on Friday.

Got the collecting tank on the wagon and into the woods.  Had a little trouble getting the ball hitch off the tractor.   Starting cleaning the stainless steel storage tanks.  Prepared the brass valves with olive oil so they open/close better.

Also had a brief snow shower today.

The water softener was connected today.  Its ready when we need it for the initial wash of the membrane.

Went to the syrup building to work on setup.  Got into the kitchen, but the door to the evaporator room was locked.  Must have been bumped the manual lock when the door closed.  Its an old style lock that uses a skeleton key. Tried the other external doors.  All locked too.  We couldn’t get into our syrup building.  Finally figured out a way to get the sliding door open.   We don’t ever recall this happening before.  Syrup season always brings something new.

The task for the day was to repair firebrick in the evaporator and add a fitting to the new R/O water tank.  We fitted 12 new firebrick to replace the crumbling old brick that we not real firebrick.  The need to replace all the firebrick but that’s a task for the summer.  And we need to replace the metal side panels first.

After a trip the local hardware store we found the fittings we needed for the 325 gallon R/O water tank.    We had a 200 gallon tank for R/O water but that was too small.  We always ended up  using pails or the milk cans to store extra water.  We need to save the water for washing the membrane.

Successfully completed both tasks.  And placed the pans on the evaporator for cooking.  We’re ready to start cooking if needed.

They named the storm Donna.  Looks like we got about 6”.  Cleared snow from the yard with the H tractor.   The woods is white with snow.  Poor trees must be confused.  We tapped on Wednesday and Thursday when it was in the 50s.  The sap was moving.  Now its 18 degrees and everything is frozen.

Tomorrow we’ll start getting the syrup building ready.

3”- 4” of snow overnight and today.  Looks like Winter again.  Yesterday we gracefully moved through the woods without snow or mud.  Today everything is white again.  No sap as the trees hit pause on stormy weather.  Forecast is for another 1” – 3” overnight.  And its colder.  Mid 20s tonight.  So more normal.

At the beginning of the season we have a chicken and egg problem with water for the R/O.  We need to wash the R/O membrane after it sat for a year.  We need the filtered water the R/O produces.  But we don’t have any because we haven’t processed sap yet.  Because of minerals in well water its advised not to use that:  the minerals will plug the membrane to shorten its life.  The solution is to use water that’s been processed through a water softener.  Many years ago we had a Culligan water softener in the farmhouse.  But that’s been gone 30 years or more now.   So we purchased a new water softener (not Culligan) for the farmhouse.  Its already arrived and planned to install on Friday.  It will benefit the house overall, but the main reason for getting it is to use with washing the R/O membrane at the beginning of the season.

Finished tapping.  202 today that gives 502 taps overall.   Brought the R/O into the syrup building.  Membrane still at the house.  We don’t need that until we have sap to process.

Snow on the way.  We are on the line between all snow and snow/rain mix.  We’ll get a couple inches of snow the rest depends on the temperature at the time.  It will make the woods pretty again.   The weather turns back to a colder pattern which we need.   February was too warm.

Completed all the clean up.    Washed the floor and brought the tanks inside.  Then cleaned and stored equipment at the house.  Washed the buckets and milk cans.  Done by 1:45 PM.  The radio and clock are the last things to bring in from the building and the symbolic end.  

Snow flurries most of the day.  We expected more snow but didn’t look like it would snow much.   Then from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM it did snow harder.  No real accumulation, but everything is white again.   We did not get the 1”-3” forecast.  The wind is blowing around what did fall.

Grilled hamburgers and brats for dinner.  In the snow.

Tomorrow at 5:45 AM we leave for the airport.  We’ll miss Wisconsin.  The trip back was restful and helped restore our sleep pattern which was disrupted by a bad cold in January.  Plan to return in Autumn to paint the building.

Song of the season:  Sound of Silence, Disturbed

As dawn broke a snow squall moved in.  Covered the ground in white.  Needed the insulated coveralls again because it was cold.  Into the woods by 8:00 AM to rinse the R/O then drain and disconnect hoses before bringing it to the house for storage.  Decided to use SMBS in the storage water for the membrane.  That means we must do a soap wash before using it next season.

Cleaned the bottling and finishing pans.  Cleaned the storage tanks.  Disconnected the propane tank.  Brought most the equipment back to the house.  Tomorrow we sweep and wash the floor then bring in the water storage tank.

The mechanic brought back the H tractor starter.  He rebuilt it.  Said it was bad.  It was still the original starter so over 70 years old.

1”-3” of snow forecast for tomorrow.  The weather forecast for the next 5 days looks favorable for sap.    Sites on vacuum could  harvest sap yet.

Back to the house by 5:30 PM.