Mr. Woodpecker thinks it's time to tap the maples--sugaring season begins!
As I backed the loader tractor out of the Horsebarn this morning, I looked up the road and noticed something hanging from one of the maple trees lining the roadside. I drove the tractor under the overhanging branch and saw that it was a good-sized sapsicle. It had been warm enough for the sap in the maples to start running, and the sap had dripped off the branch. The conditions must have been just right to cause the sap drips to freeze and the sapsicle was formed. What was really interesting was what caused the opening in the branch allowing the sap to come out. A woodpecker had made a small hole in the branch, and the sap ran out of this break in the bark. So I guess Woody the Woodpecker tapped the first tree at Howmars Farm.
The weather looks promising for this weekend, and we will probably be tapping the hard maples and hanging our + 450 buckets. Getting around in the woods should be easy due to the lack of snow. No tapping on snowshoes this year. With a good crew, and good battery packs for the 19.2V drill, we should have most of the buckets up in one days time. Then in a couple of hours we'll have the gathering tub on the wagon, the dumping station hooked up that leads to the storage tank, and the sugar rig, or evaporator, put together and ready to make some delicious maple syrup.
It's always an exciting time of year on the farm. In a way, sugaring signals the end of winter and brings the promise of longer, warmer daylight hours and green pastures once again.
--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont
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Posted by Blogger Chris at March 15, 2006 03:33 PM
Jonathan Gates reports from Howmars Farm in Franklin, Vermont.