Hapa and Grandma came back from Florida at their normal time (first few days of March) but this is not a normal year. At least in terms of weather. It's been warmer than normal all winter, with little snow, which is leaving sugar-makers all over the northeast a bit baffled. Some tapped their trees in January, and have been making syrup off and on for two months, and others waited, hoping early spring temperatures would work themselves into a normal rhythm eventually. In order for the sap to flow, nights have to be below freezing, and days above... a scenario you typically can count on in March and early April. This year, all bets are off. Despite a dubious-looking 10-day forecast (way too warm) we decided to tap about 200 maples last weekend and hope for the best.
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| Grandpa Dada doing the double drag |
As always, we had great fun getting the taps in. Grandpa Dada joined us too (he's getting addicted, I think...this is his 3rd year tapping!) and with only two inches of snow in the woods (fresh from the night before) it was easy going all around. The sap was flowing both Saturday and Sunday, which meant we could (at the very least) enjoy sap soda and get the traditional photo of Aiden waiting with his tongue under a tap. I think I drank about two gallons of sap myself over the weekend. It's refreshing stuff, just slightly sweet and ice cold. Carbonated, it makes the best seltzer you've ever had.
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| Andy on the tractor |
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| Haley in the trailer with sugaring equipment |
Haley got to ride in the trailer and watch the buckets, lids and taps getting prepped and going off into the surrounding sugarwoods. She helped "Mema" Sally make hot chocolate for the rest of us too. Aiden was a great helper for about an hour and a half - he hammered in taps, cleaned out tap holes, lined buckets, and delivered lids - after that point he definitely started to drag (
How many more do we have to do, Hapa? Aww,
man...) and it was a bit like pulling teeth until we finished up for a lunch break. We got the rest in after lunch though, 200 taps dripping away, at least for the time being. You just never know.
Mema and Hapa are raising eight new baby chicks for the chicken coop. They're New Hampshire Reds and some other kind of cross hen... anyway, at this age they're just adorably soft and cute. Aiden, Haley, Timber and Kimball were all mesmerized by the little cheepers, and spent a good deal of the weekend staring over the edge of the cardboard box which is the chicks' current abode. Aiden held the chicks so many times I think he used a half bottle of hand sanitizer in 2 days (we told him to sanitize after he was done but he usually couldn't stand waiting more than 2 minutes after hand-sanitizing to pick up another cute little ball of fuzz). And the best part? The plan is that these chickies are coming to 21 Gould Road next fall in a mobile chick-house, to spend the winter in our yard while my parents are in Florida. Granted, they won't be as fluffy and cute by then, but I still think the kids will be mighty excited!
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| Sugar on Snow, with mud season rut background |
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| Goats at Palmers Sugarhouse |
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| Sticky stuff |
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| Family Cow- where my mom gets her raw milk |
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| Cows at Family Cow |
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| Haley in a little dress my mom made for me when I was little |
2 comments:
It's hard to believe the snow scenes are from this winter. What exactly is your father eating?
Sugar on snow, Chris...it's maple syrup boiled to taffy stage and poured on snow. Sticky and very sweet, so you have to eat it with a dill pickle!
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