Abbott's Family Farm 2014

[abbott]

So, I might be the only Trader who tilled my garden on Thursday as the storm was winding down.
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I built this "high tunnel" last fall with the help of an NRCS grant to grow vegetables in for market. The ground was frozen by the time I got the cover on, but its thawed now, so I spread a load of compost and tilled it in. The goal is to plant half of it with cold-hardy crops around April 1st. The other half will be tomatoes/peppers/cukes/etc. As you can see, it was warm and steamy even on Thursday with no added heat!

[abbott]

Believe it or not, the sap ran a bit today. I'm sure it was just a few of the sunny taps and it didn't amount to much, but its a good sign for tomorrow. I don't expect any big runs this week, but I think we'll all have sap for the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, we'll be open 10-4 on Saturday - we always have our "Sumner Sap Saturday" the day before Maine Maple Sunday. All are welcome, just go to the end of Bradeen Rd in Sumner and look for a sign pointing the way. We don't really advertise - just not ready to have a crowd yet. Assuming the trees don't let loose between now and then, I'll visit some other operations on Sunday.

[West Sumner Sugar]

Went by your road tonight trying to find a way to bypass Rt 140. Had to run up to Sumner to pick up some barrels. We might swing by Saturday since you will be there.

[maineboiler]

The struggles continue -- frozen sap in the holding tank caused the PVC pipe to disjoint, water pump broken, collecting tanks frozen solid so I can't collect even if there was some sap running....tough season. I have yet to fire up the evaporator. My mother in law reminds me that her father (this goes way back) used to do a most of his sugaring in April. Maybe this will be a throw back to those days.

[abbott]

The struggles continue -- frozen sap in the holding tank caused the PVC pipe to disjoint, water pump broken, collecting tanks frozen solid so I can't collect even if there was some sap running....tough season. I have yet to fire up the evaporator. My mother in law reminds me that her father (this goes way back) used to do a most of his sugaring in April. Maybe this will be a throw back to those days.

I hear ya! Although I have made 25 gallons, I think it is the hardest 25 gallons I've ever made.

Right now my biggest fight is with the mainlines getting buried in snow. Some winters there are a few low points, but last storm I had to shovel/pack down a couple thousand feet in all to clear the lines. I'm afraid of what I'll find when I go out there to do that next. Probably over a mile in all this time. But if I want to have sap, they have to be clear or any sap that runs will freeze and block the lines.

Though it's been a rough one so far, its hard to believe that the season will be over any time soon. I don't understand the folks who think that time is running out and we'll be done in three weeks. Just look outside!

So, right now I've got about 60 gallons of ice in my tank. I'd like at least 300 gallons for Saturday - starting to look pretty iffy there.

[abbott]

Went by your road tonight trying to find a way to bypass Rt 140. Had to run up to Sumner to pick up some barrels. We might swing by Saturday since you will be there.

Hope you make it up. You guys going to be open for visitors Sunday?

[West Sumner Sugar]

Hope you make it up. You guys going to be open for visitors Sunday?

Yes we are. 10-4. We want to come look at your vacuum setup. We have been talking about it but are in the dark when it comes to it.

[abbott]

Well, I've got 240 gallons of sap in the tank. Enough for three hours full boil, but I'll start slow and milk it for four or so. Probably won't be too many visitors tomorrow as I've been pretty lax about inviting folks. But that's fine with me.

I spent most of Thursday and all morning today getting the lines up out of the snow. That last storm was the final straw there - I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I've had enough snow now, though I'm generally hoping for a good, snowy winter. Not many things are more frustrating than knowing the sap is running and you're missing out. Realistically, though, the amount of sap that I could have had if my lines were thawed wouldn't amount to much in the grand scheme.

[maineboiler]

Collected 30 gallons of crystal clear sap today. Better than nothing. Looking forward to the first boil tomorrow. Long time coming. I think next weekend will be the best

[abbott]

Added a few more taps yesterday. Stuff that was not quite big enough a few years ago or was a little far from the mainline, so it looks like the official count on vacuum is 764. I've run the numbers and I think that an average season with this year's tap count would be about 320 gallons of syrup. 10% of the way there so far.

My last boil the sap checked out at 2.6%, but there was some ice left behind. Still, I think the sugar content will be really good when the sap comes. We got a trickle today - but how many times have I said that?