Sunday, March 18th, was our last day of sap collection for 2012.  The rate of flow and quality of the sap has changed. Maple trees respond to various conditions of environmental stress with physiologic changes.  The extremely warm temperatures affect tree cell metabolism, which then changes the  biochemistry of the sap. Studies show that the warm conditions change the amino acids of the sap, creating a natural "off" flavor called "metabolism".  The only option for sugarmakers is to stop processing.  If an extreme cold period in the 20's arrives, this can change sap conditions again.  There does not appear to be any chance of cold temperatures on the horizion, so I believe we are done. Mother Nature always wins!

Check out this link to the WCCO TV segment about Somerskogen Sugarbush - http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/03/18/finding-minnesota-somerskogen-sugarbush/

The record setting temperatures in the high 70's has challenged the syrup industry throughout the midwest and eastern sections of the nation.

While news reports focus on the lackluster season, we have continued to collect sap at a very slow, but consistent rate.  Our highly efficient vacuum system produces the meteorological equivalent of a low pressure system.  The pressure of the rising sap inside the tree is greater than the pressure at the tubing level, thereby, the sap exits the tree into our collection system.

The high temperatures make it a challenge, as we need to process the sap quickly to prevent degradation in quality of the sap.  Fortunately, our refrigerated bulk tanks immediately cool the sap to 34 degrees, preserving the quality.

We have started producing a very robust dark amber maple syrup and we were able to bottle the first run yesterday, March 17th. We have bottled only in our most popular sizes, the plastic pints and quarts. If/when the season continues, we will expand the selection to glass and various other sizes.  We don't know how much will be produced, but we would like colder weather soon!

Our production is extremely limited.   So, check your syrup supply and place your order!  We will fill the orders on a first-come/first-served basis.  When it's gone, it's gone!

If you live in the metro Minneapolis-St.Paul area, give us a call or send an email for local pickup and save shipping costs.

Mary and I had a sudden burst of optimism yesterday when puddles in our driveway had a thin layer of ice and the windshield of my car required use of my defroster.

After draining the 200 gallons of milky white sap on the ground from our lower collecting tank (it would have made poor quality syrup), the stainless steel tank was powerwashed clean and we waited in anticipation of a possible "run".

Our vacuum pump reached a peak of 28" vacuum, so we sat back and waited.  We collected 800 gallons of sap in the next 24 hours and although slowly, the sap is still flowing at a rate of 1/2 gallon/minute.

  We will start the evaporator on Friday, March 16th and we should draw off our first syrup by early evening.  We don't yet have enough sap to start up our reverse osmosis. Hopefully the sap will continue to drip and we continue to be amazed (and confused) at the unpredictability of nature!