Sugaring Season

I can't believe two weeks have flown by since our last post.  We have been in the sugarhouse almost everyday producing the worlds finest pure Vermont maple syrup.  So far we have produced over 1,300 gallons on our 4,000 taps.  Right now we are a little less then half of our normal production.

Currently a cold snap has slowed down the sap flow.  The days are cold at about 30-34 degrees F while the nights are colder reaching temperatures in the lower teens. 

The forecast calls for warmer weather after the weekend, and it looks like sugaring will be in full force once again!  We are enjoying the breather and catching up on orders and emails.  Have a great rest of your week!

Snow Snow Snow and More Snow! (Again!)

Vermont has been slammed once again with a massive dump of snow.  This time it was the 5th biggest storm on record dumping over 30 inches in 24 hours across many parts of the state.  Our sugarbush was no exception, we received over 30 inches presenting us with a real chore to dig it out.

Our sugarhouse is located almost a quarter mile off of a state road.  We plow with a John Deere 310c Backhoe.  Without it.... we would never get to our sugarhouse after a storm like this.  It still took over three hours to plow the road.  We ended up with 8-10 foot high snowbanks and the snow accumulation is as high as our woodshed and storage tanks. 

Also, many of our mainlines were buried.  We spent most of the day yesterday digging them out. and had to hike 10 miles of lines through over 4 feet of snow.  If lines are buried they do not thaw.  If they stay frozen then sap cannot flow through.

It has been an exhausting 48 hours, but once again, after yet another massive snowfall, we are ready for warmer weather and sugaring to kick into high gear.

A leak-free vacuum system equals huge sap yields

We have spent the last week in the woods searching for leaks in out tubing system.  Even though the days have been cold and the sap is not really running much we are able to detect leaks in out tubing system and make the necessary repairs to eliminate these leaks.  This is the most important task in maple sugaring and makes the biggest difference in sap yield.  Even tiny leaks will cause tubing systems to freeze and once the lines freeze sap will not flow.


If a sugarmaker neglects his/her woods then it will be detrimental to sap yield collection and ultimately syrup production.  We spend everyday in the woods just before the season really starts and almost every day during sugaring in the woods eliminating even the tiniest leaks.

A small leak will draw great amounts of air into the tubing system.  This air mixes with the sap and causes ice buildup to block the flow of sap.  Even on warm days tubing systems can freeze around these air leaks.  We have seen lines freeze at 45 degrees when air is injected at the wrong point!

A leak free vacuum system is why we produce 3 times the amount of syrup per tap over the industry average.