New Hampshire had been in a sub-zero deep freeze for the past few weeks. Knowing that the start was near for the maple sap flow, we watched the weather carefully. A string of warmer days coming was our clue to get things ready.
Usually, we’re busy with other tasks and not as on-the-ball as we should be. When we notice other landowners nearby put out their buckets, that’s when we know to get our taps in. Usually, a few days later. This year, however, we had our eyes on the weather forecasts, not the neighbors.
We saw a string of just-right days ahead in the forecast — days above freezing and nights below freezing. We collected our spiles and jugs. I sharpened my drill bit, which I had the foresight to spray paint red last year so I’d know which one was the just-right bit. I often guess wrong when they’re all black and so close to the same size and I forget — was it the second one from the left? The third one?. Even 1/64th of an inch makes a big difference. Too small, and the taps don’t go in far enough. A 64th too large, and the holes leak — precious sap oozing down the bark. A tragic waste.
We got six of our taps in the sugar maples that line the road (they get the most sun, so yeild well). We smiled a little when we noticed that our neighbors had their buckets out the next day. 🙂
A few of the drilled holes produced wet sawdust. The holes started to drip immediately. Half of them looked like dry wells. But, even the “dry” holes were producing a little sap today. We haven’t collected enough to boil yet, but we will soon. The next chore will be getting the grill ready on the deck. It needs a wind-screen to keep the wind from blowing out the propane flames. It needs a roof of sorts to keep out any snow or rain (which is inevitable.)
We’re eager to see how much we get this year. It’s all a gift, of course. A sweet gift.
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Chuckling and the age-old human effort for sweets lives on 🙂
Nice to see your New England Sap Collection is doing well.
Ever tap birch? Can be done but I suspect Maples generally being much larger generate more sap.
Do you keep records on how much propane you use for your annual harvest?
Hi Michael,
Nope, never tapped birch. Don’t got any birch on the property. Yes, we do keep records of gallons of sap gathered, pints of syrup rendered and tanks of fuel expended. Buying propane, it’s easier to see the energy costs. We expend less now because the burners on my grill are more efficient than the one I was using. It left lots of black fluffy soot on the bottom of the pot, so you knew it wasn’t burning efficiently. Now, the pot bottoms are clean. Still, syrup isn’t ‘free’.