We spent the weekend getting ready for sap to flow!
First we went over to our new friends, Bob and Barb Hamlin, to help them get equipment cleaned out and ready and begin the process of tapping their trees.
They have an R-O, or reverse osmosis machine, along with a new, modern evaporator, so we'll be transporting our sap in large food-grade storage totes to their sugar shack for boiling down this year.
For my curious readers who want to know, a reverse osmosis machine separates a large percentage, like 75%, of the water from the sugar content of the sap, therefore boiling the sap to 66.5 degrees Brix takes a third of the time and fuel that it would normally take.
(I'll share pics of it when we get to that point!)
Then, Sunday and Monday were spent in our own sugarbush, tapping trees, cleaning snow out of the sap collection tank and getting everything ready.
A tiny bit of sap was dripping from the trees in the warmest, sunniest spots of our property. That means we'll be filling our totes very, very soon!
Stay tuned for regular updates on the 2015 maple season!!
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