by Susan | Mar 8, 2014 | On the Farm
This is our third season experimenting with producing our own Maple syrup. The weather has been so cold that we haven’t thought too much about the sap season. When the weather man predicted temps in the 40s, we knew it was time to get things rolling. On Monday...
by Susan | Apr 21, 2013 | In the Kitchen
The bottles we ordered for our Maple syrup arrived this week. I spent hours browsing bottle suppliers looking for something different. We selected a few different bottles to play with. These are the ones I like most. I’m partial to the simple cylindrical shape...
by Susan | Apr 7, 2013 | On the Farm
This is our second year producing Maple syrup for our family at Downeast Thunder Farm. We tapped 12 Maple trees in early March. Forty-three gallons of sap later, we’re boiling. With only one reference year, this is a good year compared to last year’s 25...
by Susan | Mar 10, 2013 | On My Mind, On the Farm
After almost a month of snowy weekends (or the threat of snow), I welcomed the opportunity to spend some time outdoors. Even it came in the form of physical labor. We have been systematically clearing out dead trees from the woods surrounding the house – like...
by Susan | Mar 3, 2013 | On the Farm
The days are getting warmer and the snow has that mushy spring texture to it. It’s time to tap the Maple trees! Chances are we could have started in February, but things have been a bit busy lately. Last year was our first experience making Maple syrup. The...
by Susan | Mar 18, 2012 | On the Farm
Our morning began with the sunrise. Before that first cup of coffee we were outside setting a fire in our makeshift outdoor wood stove to boil down sap. It’s been two weeks since we tapped 12 Maple trees. We collected 25 gallons of sap, filling every jug, pot...
by Susan | Mar 11, 2012 | On My Mind
A week after tapping 12 trees we did our second round of sap collection. All together we’ve collected about 8+ gallons of sap – enough for about 12 ounces of syrup. The nights have been cold with daytime temps anywhere between 32 and 58. The coming week is...
by Susan | Mar 7, 2012 | On the Farm
The March full moon is the Sugar Moon because it rises at the height of sugaring season. It’s reported that the sap flow increases during a full moon. I hope this is true because the weather simply has not cooperated with our sugaring efforts so far. I was so excited...
by Susan | Mar 4, 2012 | On My Mind
We have been planning our entry into the world of Maple Sugaring since we purchased a book on sugaring last fall at the Common Ground Fair. Intending to start small, we purchased a dozen stainless steel Maple taps, plastic tubing, and saved gallon milk jugs. This...
