With the greenhouse moved to a temporary place outside the barn and still without tables, I brought a few tomatoes and flowers out of the house yesterday to get some of the bright sun.

April 4, 2013 – Thursday

Cloudy/windy/freezing rain/34 degrees

Pentoga Road

Since the temperature was so cold on Wednesday morning, the sap that had run late Tuesday evening had frozen solid in the bags. After taking my morning walk, the first chore of the day was to free the chunks of ice and dispose of them.

A flowage I walk past every morning

Sugar water freezes at a lower temperature than clear water, so anytime one can eliminate the ice, all that’s left is liquid heavily concentrated with sugar. It saves boiling and carrying a lot of weight, but it’s hard on the hands. Just as there’s nothing worse than boiling sugar on one’s skin, so it is with sugar ice water. For whatever reason, it amplifies the temperature.

Down from Marquette, Neighbor Mike stopped by and said he’d like to help. He’s trying to learn how to make syrup and is interested in the process. I was more than happy to teach him the art of taking ice from the bags. He said he still wants to assist today and if all goes well, I might be able to award him his Step One Certification as a Sapologist.

Neighbor Mike being carefully scrutinized by Jimmy and his team of Watch Chickadees. In the end, they decided to let Neighbor Mike stay.

With the first round of morning sap taken care of and Neighbor Mike departed to do some late season ice fishing, I moved the greenhouse from the barn to the drive. After, I made four braces that go across the corners and placed a fifty-pound cement block on each. Two hundred pounds of concrete ought to keep the structure in place until I can move it to the garden area and bolt it onto permanent footings.

With the sun shining, I moved the flowers and tomato plants into the greenhouse for the day. As soon as our bitterly cold temperatures leave, I’ll be moving them out there permanently. I’m ready to get everything out of the living room.

I took an early afternoon break and came inside to read assignments and projects. The end of the year is rapidly approaching and it appears the majority of students are either ahead or right on track.

The rest of the day was spent gathering sap, most of which didn’t begin to run until 2 PM or later. With a high of almost fifty forecast for today, I should gather enough water to be able to start boiling on Friday. Since the person who I was to buy the large holding tank from disappeared, Sargie purchased two more garbage cans to be used for storage. I have about a hundred-forty gallon capacity.

I’m going to check the bags at first light this morning. Assuming the sap didn’t flow all night (and it very well may have) I’ll take my morning five-mile walk. After, I want to transplant the tomatoes into three-inch peat pots. They are becoming “leggy”  and long-stemmed from being inside. I’ll plant each deep and begin the process of acclimating all to cooler temperatures and a bit harsher conditions to ready them for the garden. The geraniums can wait for another week or so.

And of course, today’s main activity should be gathering sap. Hopefully, I’ll haul close to a hundred gallons before dusk. Between that and the fifty gallons stored, I’ll be ready to boil another batch.

It’s shaping up to be another busy day. After all, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

A full bag, the result of a good afternoon run