This season has been one of contradictory events. We have had extended periods of warmth without freezing nights but we’ve had some of the deepest frost levels we’ve ever had in the woods. The moisture we’ve received has not been able to soak in due to this frost. Our sap flows have been no better than modest at best. A surprise has been the sugar content of the sap has been 3% which is much greater than our typical 1.8 to 2.2% sugar content.
The syrup grade has been all Amber Rich or Dark Robust. A bit of a surprise yesterday was getting our lightest syrup( still Amber Rich) of the season. Typically the syrup gets darker as the weather gets warmer and the season progresses. This lighter batch may signal the season is coming to a close. We have gotten to a period of cold nights for this week so it will declare itself soon. We often note end of season signs of dropping sugar content of sap, slight discoloration of sap( cloudy or milky). Other signs can be difficulties controlling foaming of the sap in the evaporator or even ropy consistency of the boiling syrup. These signs are in addition to the obvious budding of the maples which causes a chemical change in the sap and makes off flavor or “ buddy “ syrup. Stay tuned…..