Diary - 2001 Sugaring Season 

Pictures are thumb nailed.  Click on any picture to enlarge.

Back to the Diary Page

4-20 - 4-22    Took my nephews up North to visit some of our friends in the big sugarbushes near the Canadian border.  We got about 15 miles from the border and found a chain across a bridge on the Paper Company Road.  Unfortunately for us, that weekend was the "Meeting of the Americas" in Quebec City, with heads of state from all over congregating to discuss free trade.   Private roads leading to border crossings were blocked.  Good for security in Quebec City but bad for those of us on a junket into the Woods.  Guess we should have called ahead, but then again doing that would take all the fun out of a road trip. 

4-16 - 4-19    Now that we're done it's time to clean up.  Washed all our lines, cleaned the evaporator, gathered all the buckets and washed them, washed all the collection tanks.  Some places that we tap with tubing have to be taken down.  First I wash the tubing, let it dry thoroughly, then roll it up.  We usually take down the tubing that is on roadside trees.  

Roadside tubing.                                    Removed for another year.

Tubing drying after being washed.            A tap stored on its' tee until next season.

                This tap hole will be completely healed in 2 to 3 years with no permanent damage to the tree.  Each year you tap a new spot on the tree, working your way around the trunk. There are some areas in Maine that have been tapped continuously for over 100 years with no damage to the sugarbush.  

One of the drawbacks of tubing is that chipmunks, squirrels, etc. like to chew on it!

This usually happens in the summer and fall.  The picture above is damage that occurred during sugaring season.  Could be that the critters were more hungry than usual after a long winter.  In any event, not much sap flowed to the tank from above this spot in the line.

4-9 - 4-15    That's it for this year.  The weather has turned warm and stayed warm.  The death knell for sap production.  We had a number of school groups come by for tours.  It is a lot of fun to see all the little ones.  Here are some pics of the groups .

                One of the groups arrives.                   A very hungry young lady.               The boys ham it up!

4-1 - 4-8    Many good runs this week.  We have boiled almost every day.  Checked with my friend up North.  They still have not started.  He has had to hire a crew to come in and pull his tubing up out of the snow.  There is still 5 to 6 feet in the woods.  Looks like next week will be our last week this year.

3-26 - 3-30    Finally good sugaring weather.  Moderate to good sap runs and a lot of boiling.  Good warm days and cool nights.  My "sap route" usually takes two hours to complete.  It has been taking three hours lately.  We have had to split the route because we pick up more sap than our truck can carry.  Into the storage tank it goes then back on the road again.  It makes one envious of the sugarmakers that have everything piped into there sugarhouse.  No lugging pails of sap for them.  Not to mention trying to dodge the cars going just under a hundred miles an hour when we pickup sap from roadside trees.

This is the busiest time for us as we fit picking up sap and boiling around regular work.  So far we have boiled 4 times in this period.  Today we have had a wet snow that was supposed to turn to rain.  So far we have 6 inches of "rain" on the ground.  It was funny to see sap running in the pipelines in the middle of blizzard conditions today.  It was in the mid 30s and snowing like mad.

3-24 - 3-25    Maine Maple Sunday on the 25th.  Fortunate to get a decent sap run on the 24th for Sunday.  This event is an open house and is one of the most enjoyable times that we have all year. Many of the people that come say that it feels good to get out of the house after a long winter.  We had a lot of food, hot syrup right off of the evaporator, syrup on snow, syrup in tea, samples of candy, bricks, and cream.  It was a beautiful sunny day spent with a lot of friendly folks.  Too bad it comes only once a year!! 

Maine Maple Sunday often marks the end of our season.  Not his year.  Too cold and too much snow.  The season is about two weeks late this year.  It will be interesting if it extends two weeks later or not.

3-19 - 3-23    Cold and snowy again.  We have got enough sap to boil once.  Expect to pick up enough for Maine Maple Sunday on 3/25.  Hope this season gets going in earnest soon.  

3-12 - 3-18    Finally got enough sap to boil.  No great sap runs yet but there is still 3 1/2 feet of snow in the woods.  

  We have about 1/3 of our taps on buckets.  

  This is how you pick up the sap.  You get a good workout lugging 5 gallon pails of sap every day.

Another way to gather sap is to run tubing.     This is a shot of the mainline and some smaller drops coming into it.

  This is what a tubing tap looks like.

Unfortunately, the slope of the land does not always run towards the road where you can pick up the sap easily.  This location runs away from the road.  We collect it in a tank and pump it uphill to the truck.    This is a picture of the tank, its' deluxe shelter to keep the rain out and my wife and sister running the pump.

What a pretty day!!                      Got a good boil going!! 

A shot of the steam coming off the front most pan. 

  This is what you see when the wind blows the steam back down the vent.  It's especially nice for those of us that wear glasses.  You might as well just shut your eyes; you'll see just as well when this happens.

  And finally sweet syrup coming off the evaporator.  Tastes sooo good!!

3-01-01 - 3-11-01    Everything is ready to go.  We've been tapping and have it all done.  However over the last week we have picked up about 28" of snow.  It just won't warm up.  Will have to pick up most of the buckets that we have hung on snowshoes.  That's a first!  Most are concerned that this may be a short season due to it starting late.  However, we still have a good snowpack that should help.

2-26-01    Started to firebrick arch.  Having difficulty finding what I need.  Need to get this done.  Tapping is right around the corner.  Have been calling landowners to get their permission to tap on their land.  Very nice people, every single one.

2-23 - 2-25-01    Started to cut tubing into mainline.  Wild turkey roosting in an old pine nearly scared me to death when it took to flight.  Need to get evaporator setup.  Weather is not cooperating.  Worked two days in snowstorm; crust underneath powder snow makes it slippery.  Snowshoes just like skis on steep slopes.  Watch out.  Expect to tap next week.

Have been getting supplies in for this season.  Everything from defoamer to insulation for the evaporator to jugs.  Should have ordered earlier.

2-19-01    Installed more mainline. Snowed all day long.  Not much fun working off snowshoes, especially falling down!  Had one good face plant a snowboarder would have been proud of !!

2-8 2-19-01    Removed old evaporator, put new one in place.  Pick up firebrick for arch and new oil burner.  Ordered ceramic insulation but the wrong type came.  Back it goes!

2-8-01    Picked up larger evaporator. Long ride but saw some really nice deer.    

2-7-01    Have been installing new mainline in two different locations.  Should get more sap as the old line was too restrictive.

Home  ||  Store  ||  Favors  ||  Diary  ||  Maple Info.  ||  Off Line Ordering  || Store Map

144  Heal Road, Lincolnville, ME  04849 * Tel. 207-763-3150 *  Fax: 207-763-3037

 Email:  thecook@healssugarhouse.com

Copyright  Heal's Sugarhouse and Orchard.  All rights reserved.