Maple season has officially started

March 23, 2018 - Friday

4 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

Yes, indeed, we stepped off the plane from Las Vegas right into maple season on Pentoga Road. 

Let's see... before getting into all the maple activities, I'm happy to say that our youngest grandson, Wes, is doing well.

Ben, Wes, Emmie

Ain't nobody gonna mess with that baby brother.

In gardening news, the hard to start, double-ruffled petunias sprouted while we were away. It appears every seed was viable and we should have pom pom like blooms in all the flower boxes this summer.

I hit the ground running Thursday morning. Since the temperature was barely above zero, I brought the maple work inside.

First was to make a slit in the gallon freezer bags so they could be securely hung.

I began using common freezer bags many years ago, long before commercial sap bags became popular. Though they only hold a gallon of liquid, freezer bags are so handy and if emptied twice a day during the heavy flow, work well. Once the season's over, they are simply discarded.

The next order of business was to cut binder's twine into foot long pieces. I needed ninety of them.

Then came washing the taps, or spiles, as they are officially called.

Mine are antiques, literally, with most manufactured from the mid to late 1800's. Several were made in New England during the Civil War era.

I've collected a few hundred spouts over the years. Some were given to me, other's were purchased. The one above was made in 1893.

With everything prepared, there was nothing to do but wait until the temperature rose from the morning's low of 4 above zero, right where it is at this particular moment.

There are commercial gas powered machines available for drilling the holes, but I simply use my DeWalt drill. With a large battery, it augered holes for 90 taps with battery power to spare.

There's plenty of snow left in the woods and the Tundra was put into service to get around, otherwise, I was sinking in up to my knees in some places.

I put in sixty taps yesterday morning and early afternoon. The trees down in the valley on house level have yet to begin running. It's much colder and the sun doesn't hit that area until late afternoon.

However, the trees on the hills, both the north and south woods, began flowing as soon as a hole was drilled and spout inserted.

With Sargie's help, the heavy concrete blocks with which to make the boiler were moved into place. We found quite a few that were cracked from past use.

The right half of the wood shed is being converted into our boiling sugar shack.

Since we needed to go to town anyway, we stopped by the lumber yard and purchased enough new ones to assemble the boiler later today.

Back home, Sargie did most the work installing the final thirty taps. 

Seeing her efficiency drilling holes and installing the spouts, I swear that girl must have maple sap flowing in her veins.

I rode the snowmobile around late yesterday afternoon and emptied several bags that were nearly full. I'll save the sap until we have two to three hundred gallons before boiling. I only need to make four or five gallons of syrup this year which translates into roughly two hundred gallons of sap.

I'm going to finish cleaning the boiling pans today and with a high of 37 degrees forecast, there should be sap to collect later this afternoon. 

With Sargie's help, I'd like to finish assembling the boiler and get that out of the way. Otherwise, it's time to put on my hiking boots and start walking again. Vacation's over and life continues onward and upward.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...