Diary - 2003 Sugaring Season 

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April 7 - April 14

Got a couple of small runs this week.  Still looks as if we are done, then the trees give us another squirt.  There may be two days with runs this week.  Much warmer in the daytime now.  I've noticed that some of the tap holes have dried up or are producing poorer quality sap.

March 24 - April 6

More of the same.  Finally got two good runs last week.  Still waiting to see if the weather will warm up and stay warm as it usually does this time of year.  We'll keep going as long as the sap runs. 

Made some good Dark Amber and really good Medium Amber this week.  As good as this tastes, it will be gone in a jiffy.

March 15 - March 23

OK.  Spring has to start sometime.  Although there were at least three days during this period that conditions were right for good sap runs there wasn't much happening in the Woods.  Got two tiny runs and saved some sap for Maine Maple Sunday on the 23rd.  Sunday was a lot of fun.  Saw many people that come every year.  Kids that came last year were taller and had more questions.

I made a mistake on the front hood that I had built this year and put too small of a stack on it.  To solve the problem I put an electric power vent in.  Works pretty well but occasionally  shuts down due to thermal overload.  Looks like a hood redesign is in the works for next year.

Still looking for good sugaring weather.  The week ahead is predicted to be in the mid 40's in the day and around 35 at night.  Most folks around here are wondering if this is going to be the shortest sugaring season ever.  So far we have boiled four times.  Usually we have boiled 10 to 12 times by now.

March 10 - March 14

One more tiny run on Wednesday.  Boiled on Thursday.  Cold with a stiff breeze.  Worked all day trying to keep the lines from the storage tank to the evaporator from freezing.  Did well until the afternoon; finally said the heck with it.  Looks like next week the cold will break.  Can't wait!!

March 8 - March 9

Tapped this weekend.  Got a small run, but it's still cold.  Not enough to boil.

 We still hang some buckets.  They are pretty but a lot more work.     

   I suppose anyone who sugars has a favorite spot.  This is one of mine.  You can't see much but this is an old cellar hole.  Towards the back of the "house" there are hardwoods, with many maples.  Looking out off of the "front porch" one sees this        What a nice spot.  It is amazing that someone hasn't dropped a house here.

March 3 - March 7

Well here we are.  Still not tapped yet.  Another frigid week.  We have just about everything ready and wait for Mother Nature.  Again the birds are singing in the Woods.  It's enjoyable to get outside but much more so when the birds sing.  The days are noticeably longer now.   

The roads are very rough around here.  Lots of frost heaves just waiting to crack a spring on your truck.

Today I had a lot of help from my daughters.  Here they are sitting on a gathering tank beneath a Deluxe Tank Hut.  This year the wild turkeys tore off the plastic that we use to close in the ends.  

Getting some "help" installing  tubing.  This can make for some wet snowpants.

  Unrolling some plastic pipe to a holding tank.  At this spot we have to pump sap uphill to the truck.

February 17- March 2

More cold nasty weather.  We have put up all of our pipeline, got the evaporator ready, put on a new front steam hood, and now we wait.  Tapped 5 taps on Saturday, dry as a bone.  Forecast for this week is cold.  Big surprise.  We should have some pictures shortly.  It's been so cold that the digital camera won't work!!

This year we have more taps than before.  I've put pipeline even on some small places where we would normally hang buckets.  As much as I like the look of buckets, I've got to try something to reduce the amount of time spent gathering each day.  Last year it took 2 1/2 to 3 hours a day.  If the time can be kept the same this year with including the taps that we have added, we will have accomplished something.

Spring can't be far off even with the bad weather of late.  Almost every time that I go into the woods I can hear a bird or two singing.

  February 1 - 16

Usually we use the President's Day long weekend to get things ready in the woods.  Not this year!!  It's been 0 to 5 below in the daytime with a stiff breeze.  Miserable weather to put up pipeline.  Looks as if this year will be starting around March 1.

Picked up the new front steam hood but have not got it installed.  It will be nice to do away with the old plastic frame that we were using.

Needed some new plastic barrels to collect sap in this year.  Stopped by a place that has a lot of second hand stuff and looked at a pile of them.  Almost all had had industrial solvents in them.  The owner said several people had bought them to use for sugaring!!!!   I bet their syrup will taste great.  Yuck.   I'm still looking for some decent food grade drums.

January     

Wow.  It is COLD.  Plan to have a front steam hood made and maybe a pan to use some waste steam this year.

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

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