Justamere Tree Farm Blog

Intermission from sugaring

   
   The 2008 December ice storm brought down this very old majestic maple tree along our lane at the edge of the hay field. The tree fell over our sap line. Here we are getting it all cleaned up. We are not sure how many years this tree had stood in this spot, but we know it was longer than our ages put together!
  
     Margo who is interning with us for the sugaring season, just learned how to drive a tractor for the first time. She looks like a natural at driving. She has never own a car, so maybe her first vehicle will be a tractor?!

     We are still sugaring. We are hoping for more nights that freeze and day time temps to be above freezing. We check the weather every day , several times a day.

    The peepers began their singing today, down at our pond. Spring is here.

    Enjoy the last days of March!

Maple Ambiance

    We want to thank Joe for this great shot of the inside of our post and beam sugar house. There is a lot happening in this picture with the steam coming out of evaporator and  floating throughout the sugar house. Also we are making syrup as this shot was taken. Check out that golden color on tap!
    We have been very busy making syrup, walking and checking  all the lines, making sure the pumps are all working and of course always watching the weather conditions! The sap flow, depends entirely on the weather.

    Here I am feeding the fire. We have a blower behind the firebox which helps to  keep the fire going rapidly. Also I am stoking the fire with very dry slab wood.

    Lots of steam to observe here!

   
    Margo, our apprentice, is thrilled to be drawing off syrup.

    J.P. telling another story about maple sugaring to guests.

We will be taking some syrup that we make, and turn it into our Gourmet Maple Cream. Life does not get any better than this!
 
Happy Spring everyone. Our ice is finally all melted off our pond. Lets hope spring is here to stay!!

What's on tap; Liquid Gold

     These past couple of weeks Maple Farmers throughout our area have been drilling and hammering in their woods. We climb up and down steep, sometimes slippery hills and through deep snow especially this year, to tap maple trees. It's not light work, but you do have the pleasure of being outdoors. 
    When the temperature rises above freezing during the days and the night temperature goes below freezing, pressure causes the sap to rise through the trunk from the roots, and sap is collected. Sap looks like water when coming out of the tap. It's always fun to taste it coming right out of the tree. It has a very slight taste of sweetness.

    I will always remember what our daughter said about maple sugaring, at a young age. She said," what I love best about maple sugaring is when I go into the sugar house, the steam it really smells like maple-ish and I can hear the sap boiling and I think it's cool that you can take sap from a tree and make into this syrup."

    We are keeping the sweet tradition alive. You have to like it, to do it as a old timer said to us.
    We are having our first boil of 2009.  Spring is surely on it's way!