2021 Season

[Brian]

Well I am going to start tapping monday the 18th. I am going to start with the cold bush first then move to the warmer woods. Every thing is ready this year unlike most years. I added on more taps, changed out tubing on 1000 taps and add about 4-500 new taps. changed out 1400 last year. The thinning takes a week or two.I hope to change out the old section over at the neighbors next year. Hard to believe I have been doing this for twenty years. I wish I had paid more attention in science class, but have learn alot of what not to do, and how to spend alot of money. The kids have all left and moved on and I don't see any of them taking over. They do stop by and help a little but they have their lives. Good Luck To All And Have A Great Season!!!

[Pdiamond]

I know how you feel my kids use to help all the time, now they are all over the place, they still help some, but not as much. I miss the fun we had.

[BAP]

Hold out hope on your kids Brian, as they get older and settle down, they might find their way back home to sugaring.

[maple flats]

Yes, I have similar issues. I however do have one son (and his girlfriend, and sometimes his adult son helps too) who started helping do tubing repairs and some in the sugarhouse help, until last year when I boiled solo by choice. I also have a 12 yr old grandson who likes to help.
From the time another grandson was about 8 until he graduated college, he worked with me 10-25 hrs a week. Now Uncle Same runs his hours. He has lots of leave time built up but they won't let him take much at any single time. He did come home for Christmas, he had 3 weeks off, but he had to quarantine 7 days to start, then had to use his 3rd week in quarantine back in California, quarantining on his time not theirs. As such I did get to see him, from 8-10' away as we talked out in the driveway 2x in that time span.
I don't really see any of my children nor grand children taking over, this will likely just be a single generation thing, the same with my blueberries, 4.5 acres that will likely just go wild unless some other family wants to buy it.

[Brian]

My son is interested but he has a heating and plumbing buss. and 4 kids, he said that is his busy time of the year. He lives hour away also. He said he would like to do it on a smaller scale. My oldest daughter lives in florida and is a nurse, She has 3 boys so i was hoping to have a crew of grand sons but she moved to warmer weather. I don't see her coming back any time soon to live. she comes and visits in the summer. My youngest daughter does stuff with electronic and would like to do it but she has hyper mobility thing with her joints and they can get dislocated easy. so the hiking is out for her.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

I'm a 3rd generation tree farmer taking over the farm for my grandfather and uncle. They always new I'd take over the farm. Especially after they kept finding my tractors and trucks on little roads all throughout my mother's big baking flower container. Lol

[Brian]

My family on both sides has been sugaring for generations but not in cabot, the all were from E.Randolph and Chelsea area. My father moved up to Cabot in the late 60 and bough a dairy farm. So he left the sugaring behind. He would tap a few around the farm to make afew gallons as we grew up. My father said I was related to Hale Mattoon that wrote the book on spouts.

[Brian]

Well the snow is getting deep now, it is over our knees.I have never seen the snow hang on the trees and tubing like it is this year. there is no base yet so we have been wading through it but has slowed down the speed alittle. Next week I will probley be on snow shoes. I had a couple of boys that had vacation this week from there real job help a couple of days. That was a big help, They use to help back when they were in high school.Well back to tapping tomorrow. I believe we have about 2300 holes drilled so far and about 2200 to go.

[m2salmon]

Looking to tap 50 trees for buckets this year. What month is this typically done in Northwest VT? Just wait for below freezing nights and warmer days, or tap a few weeks in advance of when that may come?

[VT_K9]

Welcome to world of tapping....Early to Mid-February for central eastern area.

I would wait as late as you can. Unless there are special circumstances or you don't live at the tapping property you should be able to tap all 50 in an afternoon or evening. I am in the central eastern area and we have never boiled beyond April 15. Most around are winding down at that time as well. A few colder bushes run later. A bucket tap has a recognized effective time in a tree and I believe that is about 6 weeks (maybe 8 with good cold nights). That would put you in early to mid-February.

When we had buckets we were at about 275 taps. There would be about 4 of us tapping and it would be done in a day easily. That also includes setting up some gathering stations and working in the sugarhouse to get ready. Many times when we are tapping the sap is running, it could be a sign we are late.

Mike