Our maple syrup season has ended. We tapped our tree on Feb 22, which was a month later than normal. This winter in Massachusetts was consistently below 38° which is not ideal for sap flow.
We harvested 28 liters of sap which after boiling down, gave us a little over a pint of syrup. This really drives home why it’s so expensive!
Sap Totals:
2025 February 22 - March 23 = 28 liters
2024 February 1 - March 17 = 30 liters
2023 January 22 - March 12 = 36 liters
Sugaring season got off to a late start with this winter’s temps being so consistently cold. Checking the bucket on Saturday (5 days after we tapped) we had about 1 gallon of sap. We’re in the process of boiling that down now and hope there’s a lot more to come, because this won’t make much syrup. (3.2oz) 🤭
With temps forecast to be in the 40s this week, yesterday was “tapping day,” kicking off our (belated) maple syrup season.
Or as my wife excitedly calls it, the day she “gets to use her power tools,” and Dan gets to stand back and take photos. 😂
Entry 3
Just 3.5 liters of sap compared to the 8 I got last week. Goes to show how important the temps are for good sap flow.
With the woodstove running we began boiling last weeks sap. We filter it, so bits of wood and any drunken bugs are removed. Then onto the woodstove. You see water evaporating and the sap getting darker. We boil each batch about 75% and store until the season nears the end, then finish it off.
See you next Monday!
#MapleSugar #MapleSugaringMonday #nature #MapleSyrup
Entry 2
(I swear this isn’t an ad for Polar seltzer)
It’s been 1 full week since we tapped our Sugar Maple. It started slow but as the temps warmed up, the sap began to flow. Nights in the 20s combined with days in the 40s is ideal.
The tree produced 8 liters. We keep the sap in the refrigerator until the weather is cold enough to run the woodstove, then start boiling it down on top of the stove! (Pictures next week.)
Tapped our Sugar Maple this weekend. I remember when, due to much colder temps, I wouldn’t until late February. But now the sap is usually running by late January, if not earlier. Last year we collected 35 liters of sap which, after boiling down, produced a quart of syrup.
Looking at the upcoming forecast it should be a good week for sap flow.
#MapleSugar #SugarMaple #Sugaring #ClimateChange #MapleSugaringMonday
Dan McCullough
Dan McCullough