The much predicted snowfall left 20" of heavy snow the weekend of April 14th. We anticipated the snow cover would extend our season, by keeping our sugarbush insulated from the warming sun. However, just one week later, we were watching the snow turn to rivulets in the woods, and the sap flow reduce significantly. 

We had a minor setback the weekend of the blizzard when I walked into the sugarhouse and found a small pond of sap that had leaked out the 4x7 drop flue pan!  The entire evaporator required disassembly and "a" leak was identified.  This was patched with a liquid epoxy that can withstand 2500º F after curing.  We were able to limp through the last week of the season, but have not totally solved the problem.

We finished the season with over 400 gallons of syrup, which is only the third time in our 25 years of syruping.  We are quite pleased with the amount of syrup we can provide to anyone desires a fine product. Now in the process of cleanup, this will take several days at the "retiree pace"!

Soon we will be able to sample and bottle the first vintage of our bourbon barrel aged maple syrup.  Check back to see when this is available.

Thanks for reading our posts this year, and if you have any questions, send an email to somerskogen@gmail.com.

We started the maple season with a rather long waiting period, and we now enter another time of waiting. Our last sap flow was 4 days ago and all predictions from meteorologists  suggest it could be another full week before we have a warming period sufficient to have another "run" of maple sap.

We have been making amber rich syrup with has a very rich maple flavor, with a long finish. So far, with our 1000 taps, we have made 184 gallons of syrup. We anticipate making a LOT more!

A crew visited us from Ron Schara Productions, Minnesota Bound, and did a feature story on Somerskogen Sugarbush. It was an enjoyable day with a sunny 40 degrees,  making a picturesque backdrop to demonstrate all the technical features of our sugarbush. The date of the airing has not been finalized, so check back and we will let you know.

Also, check us out on Facebook for additional updates.

 After four days of de minimus flow, the cold weather descended on our region and dropped 7" of heavy snow.  This will add further moisture and insulate the ground, which often prolongs the maple syrup season.

The frost depth is 26" at the Chanhassen Weather Center (7 miles away), so the largest flows will arrive as the frost dissipates.

Next week a warmup arrives, and hopefully, will deliver our first significant sap flows.