MapleAcres

Every season there is a big run where we get a majority of the sap for the season.    Since last Thursday March 8 has been our big run.    We collected 620 gallons Thursday, 420 gallons Saturday and 300 gallons today.   The 300 today is the tail end of yesterday’s run.  Now without freezing nights we will not have sap runs.   The real question is: is this it?   

Out to the woods by 8:30 AM.   Last night was the switch to day light saving time already so we lost an hour.    It was already in the 40s.   Up to the mid 60s.   Too warm for March 11th.    We will cook late tonight again as we have 500 gallons in storage tanks.  With the warm weather, the sap does not keep and we must get it boiled through.

We got the sap run we were hoping for after the cold of yesterday.   This morning started sunny but very windy.   Got up to the high 30s quickly.   We checked the buckets in the morning.  Not much happening.  The spouts were wet but not running.   It looked like the cold wind would inhibit the sap run.    By Noon the wind quieted down and it warmed rapidly.   Got into the low 60s.    The trees responded.   By 2:30 PM visitors were reporting buckets ½ full to full.   So we got the tractor and set out to collect.   Picked up 420 gallons of sap.   This puts as at 2020 gallons of sap for the season so far.

We also bottled this afternoon.  We had a lot of help so the crew went out collecting while we stayed to bottle.  29 quarts.  

The wind did bring down a “widow maker” from a tree.  Broken tree branches that are caught in the tree and have not yet fallen are called widow makers because if they fall on you then can kill you.     Husbands were the ones working in the woods so the wife would become a widow if one of these branches fell on him.    One tree by the sugar house had a large widow maker.   We have been cautious of it all season and were hoping it would come down safely.   Sometime overnight the wind did bring down most of it.   There is still one branch caught in the tree.  

Tomorrow more cooking.  And maybe collect again.  It will not freeze tonight so the trees will drip all night.

It seems absurd to think about the end of the season already.   Yet the long term 10 day weather forecast is not favorable.    Highs in the 60s.  Lows in the 40s.   It may be cooler here by the lake.  But these temperatures will cut short the season.  We need highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s.   Two seasons ago in 2010 we had a 10 day warm spell too.   We waited it out and finished with an average season.   But with the warm winter this year conditions may be different.   There is no frost in the ground and no snow cover.  Two seasons ago the frost was still in the ground and snow on the ground when the warm weather arrived.    We will watch the trees for signs of budding and watch for other changes to the living plants in the woods. 

Down to the lows 20s last night.  Today only made it up to 30.  No new sap.  We are still working on our 620 pickup from the other day.  Tonight is also cold.  Down to the lows 20s again.   But tomorrow and Sunday its forecast for near 60.   That is unsettling.

We were worried about frozen pipes this morning.   A tank valve isn’t sealing properly so its leaking into the pipe to the evaporator.   We usually drain that pipe because it will freeze if liquid remains in the pipe.   Last night we had to leave liquid in the pipe.  But it must have been warmer in the building as the pipe did not freeze. 

Last night around mid-night the wind picked up real strong and blew away the frosting of snow we received.   It was mostly bare this morning.   The snow looked so pretty last night.

Into the woods by 8:00 AM.  Back to the house by 8:00 PM so 12 hours.   Cooked all day.  Struggled to get good rolling boils in the evaporator.    Couldn’t push through the amount of sap we wanted.   We still have about 160 gallons to cook down.

Into the woods at 8:30 AM.  Back to the house at 10:30 PM.  14 hours.    Cooked all day.   Pushed through about 250 gallons.  Took off three batches that are in the milk can awaiting finishing and bottling.  

The day started cloudy, but by 11:00 AM the sun appeared.  Up to about 38.  Rain overnight.  Did not freeze.   We got some lake effect snow starting at 9:30 PM just before came in from the woods.   Everything is frosted white again.

The Pastor came today for a blessing of the maples.   Maple syrup is the first crop of the year and its fitting we give thanks for it. 

We got word the R/O arrived in WI at our equipment dealer.  It should arrive here next week.  But we almost certainly will not attempt to set it up any more for this season.  So disappointing.   But we can’t learn to drive a new piece of equipment while involved in the thick of the season.  

The weather forecast still looks good for sap by the weekend.

Picked up 620 gallons of sap.  It was late yesterday afternoon before the trees woke up from the below zero temperatures.   They ran all night because it did not freeze.  Today was up to the mid 50s but cloudy.   And the snow is now gone.   Its been replaced by mud. 

Into the woods by 1:30 PM to collect.  We had two additional people helping.    With three good workers we finished in three hours.  Very glad we did not have to pick up this much sap solo.

By 5:00 PM we started the evaporator.  With this much sap we have to cook as long as possible.  Stayed until 11:20 PM.    Tomorrow will also be a long day.

Our bottles arrived today.

Down to about 26 last night.  By 8:00 AM it was already 36 and warming.   It reached the highs 40s this afternoon.  It was sunny most of the day.   Much snow melted.  

The trees were slow to wake up.  We checked around 11:30 AM.  The sap was dripping slowly.  That -3 temperature the other night seems to have caused the trees to go semi-dormant.  By late in the day they were responding.  They will likely drip all night as its forecast to remain above freezing.     Our plan is to collect tomorrow.   It will be even warmer tomorrow with rain possible late in the day.

We were to the printer this afternoon to order labels.   The shipping company called to let us know our bottles will arrive tomorrow.  And the R/O manufacturer called to confirm the R/O is now on its way to Wisconsin.

Very cold overnight.  Down to -3.   Sunny today but only reached about 32.  Tomorrow and Wednesday warmer weather is forecast with highs maybe reaching 50.   Changing weather is normal in March, but these swings seem more extreme than normal.  Everything is still snow covered and pretty.  But with much warmer weather melting will commence and the brown mud will return.   Later in the week is settles down to 40s and 20s.   We are expecting sap.

Into the wood around Noon to bottle.  Ice in the evaporator.   The milk cans with water have ice.   Even the battery powered clock stopped for 7 ½ hours do to the cold.  Got the syrup in the finishing pan and started the burner.   In the bottling kitchen the stove did not light.  Must be ice somewhere in the lines.  But the burners on the bottling pan worked so we could continue.  Warmed water on the bottling pan.   We bottled 24 quarts and 1 pint. 

We have 19 ½ gallons total for season so far.   Our average is 60 gallons.   So we are about 1/3 the way there.    We are hoping to make more than 60 gallons, but our average over the years is 60 gallons which accounts for both the good seasons and the poor seasons.

Down to the teens last night.  Never got above freezing.  With the recent snow, this is what early March in Wisconsin is normally like.   Winter is starting to break.  The teens are a warm-up from the single digits or even below 0 from January and February.   March is a changeable month.  At the beginning of March 40 is warm.  By the end of March 40 is cold.    The warm winter this year upset all that and triggered the early maple season.   

Tonight is down to the single digits.  Tomorrow barley breaks freezing.    But the cold spell is short lived.  By Tuesday and Wednesday we warm to highs of 40s and should have freezing nights.   This should be good sap weather. 

No activity in the woods today.

Into the woods by 7:45 AM.  We got about 6” of snow overnight.  Everything looked pretty covered in snow.  Cooked all day.  Back to the house by  9:15 PM.    We bottled today as help came.   24 quarts and 1 pint.

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Our sugar house is corrugated metal. When the snow and ice from the snow storm falls off the tree branches and hit the metal roof it sounds like firecrackers going off.

We had snow flurries all day.  Maybe an inch of accumulation.  Tonight will be cold.  Down to 13.   Tomorrow it does not warm above freezing.  But next week is forecast to be good sap weather with freezing nights and sunny days.

We are getting a snow storm with 6”-10” of wet heavy snow.  Its 31 so its a fine line between snow and rain.   It is snow so it must be colder in the clouds.    At 1:30 PM the precipitation started.  It was light rain then.  By 2:30 PM it was snow.  By 3:00 PM the snow was sticking to the ground and accumulating.   Its forecast to snow hard until around Mid-Night then tapper off. 

Into the woods by 8:15 AM to cook.   Around Noon made a water run with the tractor.  Filled three milk cans with water.   Then tucked the tractor in for the snow storm.   Also pumped the collecting tank into the storage tank.    Worked all day on getting wood from the woodshed into the syrup building so we would not have to walk outside as much during the storm.   

By 4:00 PM it was snowing pretty good.    But we were snug and cozy in the syrup building.    We had everything battened down for the storm.  We had a supply of wood already in the building.   The steam from the evaporator keeps the building warm.  We just cooked away.  Took three batches off the evaporator and into the milk can.  One milk can is now full and we are starting a second.  We are hoping to bottle tomorrow if we can get help.  And we will need bottles soon.  We were waiting to ship the bottle order at the same time as the R/O.   But with the R/O delay we have to have the bottles shipped now.

Back at the house by 7:45 PM.   The big tank has about 6”.  The smaller tank is full.  Tomorrow night is forecast to go down to 15 so we want to cook until all tanks are empty tomorrow.