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Unpredictability Reigns!

by Don 3/23/2017 5:47:00 PM

Our unusual weather conditions during March have surprised and intrigued meteorologists and naturalists alike.  The ice on Whaletail Lake went out on March 5th, the earliest we have recorded.  Five days later, the lake froze over again when Arctic weather descended upon us. The sap flow ceased and didn't restart for 13 days! Today, the lake ice vanished for the second time. I make no predictions about the lake - or the weather!

With the recent warmup, the trees have responded with sap flows of over 2 gallons per tap on the last 2 "runs"! We consider this to be a great flow, - normally, we might get 1/2-1 gallon of sap/tap. We are on pace for setting a new, all time high in maple syrup yield!

Our sap remains at 2.5% sugar, which is average for our sugarbush. This translate to 34 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.  The quality of the finished syrup has been outstanding, with rich amber color and unmistakable smooth maple flavor that lingers on the palate (if you let it linger!)

We  are excited for our busy day tomorrow, anticipating record syrup production, as we have over 2000 gallons of sap to process.!