This is one of those “written in advance” type of blog posts. My laptop once again sucked out all my data and I’m left with nothing but restaurant wi-fi, so to save time I have to write these off wi-fi.
ON a side note, we are apparently getting home internet. This means no more drained date. It also means Erik is dumping the smart phones, so no more looking up mushrooms while in the woods, playing Pandora radio, or GPS maps while driving. Bummer.
Soooooooo . . . . this brings me to my post. Maple Syrup!
“Wait . . . it’s just barely February! Maple Syrup season is March!”
Yes, you are correct. But you gotta go by the weather, and the weather is predicted both on TV and my phone to be on a continued warming trend. This is both bad and good. Bad, because if the warming trend breaks and it gets too cold, the spouts will freeze which can crack the spout holes, causing leaking. Leaking means less into your bucket. It also means the hole will close faster because now bacteria is getting in around the tap.
Good, because this may be a VERY long maple syrup season if it continues into April (like it does every year. Usually done by April 12, Earen’s Birthday).
There’s just one MAJOR problem . . . .
I’m in NO way ready!
I had been pretty proud of myself for getting things prepped so soon. I was already stacking up wood. I was making plans to begin running the 150 buckets down into the woods and set them out in stacks of 10. I was going to drive the 300 gallon tanks back with the tractor when it was nice and cold so the tractor didn’t sink into the muddy road.
I was going to do test boils on the cooker to make sure we are running at peak levels.
I still have to scrub the tube that runs into the cooker unit.
I still have to re-insulate the door on the fire arch.
We still need to make a trip to the Maple warehouse to buy our supplies.
In other words, my stress level has gone from 5 to 9, working-up to 10!
I will still be at Kelly’s Restaurant today, my favorite coffee place because it’s relaxing and people bring me coffee non-stop. But most likely just long enough to slam out some internet work, then get other stuff done.
I’m pretty much going to be glued to the back woods the next few weeks. It takes me 1-2 weeks to get all 150 buckets out and tapped. This year will hopefully be better because 1.) we have a 4 wheel drive side-by-side 2.) it can hold a larger, 100 gallon tank (instead of a 30 gallon one) and 3.) we are tapping nearly all black and sugar maples which are on solid ground, NOT marsh woods.
It has begun!