After what seemed like forever we finally had a sap run yesterday! Even though the air was 55°F the ground and trees were still mostly frozen. We did end up with around two thirds of a gallon of sap at all four of our properties though. We were able to get the vacuum levels up to 80% of our ultimate target while verifying our new equipment works. It’s much easier to leak check while sap is flowing. Today we’ll work in the sugar shack while it’s frozen, but this weekend looks promising.

We’re still waiting for the sap to run here, it’s been cold and snowy all month. The last few winters were so warm and we were so busy that we never got to cross country ski! We took the rare opportunity yesterday to take the dogs for a spin. The woods and tubing look amazing covered in snow, but we’ll be happy to see it melt. Snow can act like a blanket keeping the ground frozen after a warmup, it could be 50°F but if the roots are frozen the sap won’t flow.

Last October we posted about our new releasers for two of our woods. They were successfully installed later that month and we finally had a chance to test them a week ago during a brief thaw. After tightening a few loose hose clamps, moving a thermostat, and exchanging incorrectly delivered motors, both of them pumping sap as expected! Still waiting on a warmup to collect anything substantial, but it’s great to see the new equipment working!