Sugaring 2009

Tapping began early this year. Let's see, about February 6-9 the first half of the taps were set. The second half were set between February 22-25. Mirah is out for the main part of this season for her new CD release so she and Dylan worked in January to set up the old lines and plot out some new, clean and set up evaporator and generally get everything ready and underway. They got to make the first batch of syrup before she headed back West and the weather cooperated to let Dylan travel back to VT in time for Sol's birthday. Dylan, Meghan and kids got back to the farm in time for the second round of sugaring weather with BK from Burlington along to be major help person. More trees tapped, cold nights, sap runs, boiling boiling, syrup. Visit from Bull and Karin. Wood moved and split. Meghan and kids leave again. Cold snap, more syrup. Cassy and Jenny show up in time for some bucket collecting (we still have about 250 buckets out there) and sap tank pumping and ...boiling. A day of canning, after much coffee drinking procrastination, tied the sap run days together. Today is March 11th, just over a month into the season and we have made 290 gallons of really good tasting syrup. Susie's chickens re also starting to lay more eggs and Margie is picking up a Jacob's ram to join the flock, on Thursday.