NEVER made syrup in sandals and cut-offs before!

[Brandy Brook Maple Farm]

Well, nothing should surprise me in maple production anymore...however each year continues to bring new situations about. I've never checked on our remote sap stations on a motorcycle before. I've never seen so many bugs in the sugarhouse and I've sure as heck never made the sweet sticky stuff in cut-off jean shorts and sandals before! God bless America! We're holdin' on and gonna make syrup until the trees stop givin'!!

[Brandy Brook Maple Farm]

We've gone back to long johns and coats up here in the North Country. Woke up to an inch of snow on the ground and blustery winter wind. One can never guess what is going on with the weather patterns these days. We have continued to turn our pumps on daily at four of our sap locations throughout the past 10 days or so of no night-time freezing. Two of them had completely shut down yesterday. One particularly magical hard maple bush was still giving us enough to fire up the 5X14 again last night. Still passing through the R. O. and the cooler temps help in that regards. Sugar content is low, but we still managed half a barrel of C-mersch. Typically, this is our prime syrup making time and we are usually making some very tasty maple syrup this time of March. Not so this year. I don't think it will warm up quite enough to even bother turning on the vacuums today; however, I am very curious to see what is going to happen when it does "warm" up again after this first freeze in over a week. Red maple buds are very swollen; hard maples not so much. I've talked to as many people as I could about this year's weather & sugaring situation. Anybody got any data regarding what happens next? Anybody else out there still holding on?

[Daren]

Called it quits with my last boil being on St. Patricks day. I have almost all reds and to say that the buds are swollen is an understatement. Full stars out there on mine. A week of 80 degree weather will do that. a week ago today, I pulled and flushed vacuum lines and washed buckets. My pans are all acid washed and the RO has a soap wash and extra long rinse and either today or tomorrow will do an acid and then a run of preservative. Never seen a year like this...but I only go back as far as 2003. Still, woke to snow like you today and I am not wanting to be out in that breeze today....bites a bit. I should be boiling my butt off but nothin! I am interested in how your trees wake back up from this flashback weather. It is predicted to hit 18 tonight here in Northwestern Vermont. Too bad all my trees were running chunks and that this pattern was not here a week and a half ago! Mother nature can be a real b*t^h! sometimes.

[Brandy Brook Maple Farm]

I am sorry to hear that you are done. I've heard and read about many sugar makers are in the same predicament. It is very disheartening when so much time, effort, and anticipation goes into each coming season only to have it come up short. It will be interesting to see what happens in our bushes over the next few days. I will be posting updates on my visitor message board for anyone who may be interested in learning what occurs in our woods after this recent freeze up. I agree with you about Mother Nature! She sure can be moody! Perhaps this is why “she” is referenced as female!  Thank you for your response.

[Rugburn]

I had to put on a leather welders apron and the welders helmet to stoke the fire, for fear of radiant burn. 80 degrees F outside! Hot!

[Brandy Brook Maple Farm]

Yeah, the heat can get ya when you are burnin' wood. We used to, but switched to oil last year. I miss the smell of the wood, the cost, and the radiant heat, but definitely not the work!