The thermometer said 15 degrees this morning, and I believe it. After an unseasonably warm-ish few days, it feels like winter again. But there’s work to do, so after coffee, I headed outside to stack wood. We have limited wood-processing equipment, and no cut and dried tree to speak of. That will change by next winter, so for now, purchasing wood is our only option.
Why, you ask, do we need the wood? The picture should explain it.
That’s the sugar house we inherited with the property. It’s mostly functional, though in need of a thorough cleaning and some TLC, but it will do us for this year. I purchased a homemade barrel arch sans pans that we’ll move up there today. Also today, Nancy and I will be walking the property to tag the maples we’ll be tapping. Weather predictions indicate we’ll tap in some 2 weeks time. How many? Not sure yet, maybe 20-25 trees; we need to do some calculations first, which I’ll share later. We hope to boil 4-5 weekends, so we’ll likely need a bit more split wood than I have now. Hopefully I can glean from the woods, and won’t have to purchase.
We hope to produce a 1-2 gallons a weekend, which should sweeten our two families’ pancakes and oatmeal for the whole year. Extra to sell? Maybe, but I’ll be happy if there’s just enough for us, and we get the hang of this sugaring process. Already thinking about upgrades for next year!