Willow Creek Sugarhouse 2013

[Russell Lampron]

What a difference a few miles makes, the buds are still tight on my reds. You had a good season just the same.

An RO for next season? You'll be able to cut that boiling time down more than a 1/3. A single pass to 8% takes out 3/4 of the water which means it will take a 1/4 of the time that it takes now with a similar savings in wood.

[backyard sugaring]

Brad, It was nice to meet you during Maple Weekend. Hopefully, next year you will have more syrup to sell. We had a good year in Hudson, most we ever made. Good luck. Lee

[red maples]

Funny thing. Did the annual white vinegar boilout today 7-8 gallons of vinegar overfill the evap bring it to a roilling boil and shut it down the leave it over night and repeat every few days while scrubbing and stuff 'til its nice and shiny and I was working on the chicken coupe too but had to run in the house for a pair of pliers come back out and there is a couple in there and they come out of the sugarhouse rubbing their nose and said they never smelled sap like that!!! is that normal at the end of the season??? I said yeeh when I add a few gallons of vinegar to clean the pans!!!! ooopppps!!! But they reserved a bunch of syrup anyway. bottling tomorrow!!! Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!!!

[red maples]

I wish I could have more weather like we had this past week before the sap turned!!! 20's at night and 50's durring the day!!! we had 28 night before last and 25 last night!!! gonna be in the 50's today. sap still dripping out!!! buds are just beginning to drop. I hate clean up time. Selling alot of syrup on weekends though!!! 1/2 gallons seem to be FLYING out the door!!!!

[red maples]

didn't think I would have anything else to post for this season but I was able to pull some taps yesterday the ones that weren't flooded and I pull taps with the vac on to pull out any sap in the lines and thing was I forgot to turn off the vac went out later to turn it off and I was getting sap not alot but it was still trickling in!!!! go figure 8 weeks and some warmer weather in there too and holes were still giving up sap I guess that the high vac and check valves are worth the money!!!