The Bovine Bugle

The last drips of the season captured at Howmars Farm

Buckets hang from the maple trees
near the farmhouse.

The sugaring season is long gone, but I wanted to just tell everyone how we made out this year. Considering the wacky winter we had leading up to the start of the season, we did really well. Not a record breaker, but not the worst by far, either.

After gathering for the first time on March 14, things froze up until the flood broke loose on March 24. From Saturday the 25th until Friday, the 31st, we gathered and boiled every day except Thursday. We could not have ordered a more perfect week of weather for maple sugaring. We made 100 gallons of mostly Fancy grade syrup during those seven days. It reminded me of the years when I was attending the University of Maine in Orono, and would come home for the two weeks of March break. We usually would tap the trees after I got home, and then sugaring would be called quits when I went back to school. I just want to say hi to Andy Bryan, a former UMO classmate living in Maine who sent in a hello to the Bovine Bugle awhile back.

Steam escapes from the "sugaring off" shack
on the Howmars property.
The last of the sap was boiled down
during the last week of March.

We did get another run of sap a few days after the 31st, but we knew the grade would not be good and we had all our cans filled, so we pulled buckets and spouts. A good year for Howmars Farm in the sugarbush.

The end results!
What Vermont is famous for--pure maple syrup.

--Jonathan (left), Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at May 10, 2006 02:10 PM