For the love of sap

In anticipation of the weather, I took the week off.  In past years, the last week in March has been the ideal  sugaring time, mixing the below freezing nighttime temperatures with the above freezing daytime temperatures which bring out the best in Acer saccharum .

In related news, this just in : New Hampshire has now broken the 100 year snow fall record.  A few more inches and we can inch into second place and if we're lucky, we'll break the all time record high of 122 inches, set back in the winter of 1873-74.   This is snowfall measured in our fair Capitol of Concord, mind you.  We here in Washington long ago broke the 100 inch mark.  When we put the lines up three weeks ago, we strung them above last year's mark (done with a ladder), and that was after a week of intense melting. Now the lines are above my head.  But I went to dig a hole to set another barrel down, and dug down three feet before I hit ground.  I'm grateful for the normal winter, but we've really had enough snow.

The week hasn't been in vain, though.  Yesterday we boiled down and containered up a gallon and a quarter of sweet Grade A Fancy.  Through no fault of anyone's the season is late, or perhaps it is just on time like the days of old.  We've only been doing this for four years, it turns out, and like all years the weather gods defy reason, wisdom, and the best laid plans of mice and men.

NOAA, by the way, still can't get it right .  But we're used to that by now. 

tags: maple  weather