April (snow?) Showers?

Posted on by Jessica Boone

Sugaring season 2019 is over and done. Our goal was 25 barrels and we made 35 so we’re very happy with the year! It was a learning year for both my nephew Blaine and myself – and actually for my other nephew Andy and my son Ian. Blaine and I did most of the boiling but the other boys stepped up when one of us couldn’t be there. The days when we had 4 generations at the sugarhouse were the best!

Our Maple Syrup is stored in 40 gallon stainless steel barrels. When we finish filling a barrel, we take a sample and keep written records of the day it was made and the grade of the syrup. We keep a full range of container sizes available for packing orders (half pint through gallon). When our shelves run low we open a barrel of whichever grade we need – Amber Delicate, Amber Rich or Amber Robust to refill our shelves.

Our days aren’t quite as hectic as they were a couple of weeks ago, but there’s still plenty to do. The spouts have all been pulled but we still have clean up of the pans and the Sugarhouse plus all the firewood needs to be split and the woodshed refilled. We would like to add on a few more hundred taps for next year.
Also this spring we will be doing some erosion control in conjunction with the NRCS office.

Myself – now that sugaring is done – I just want a little warmer weather! The snow is finally all gone, but it’s been wet and cool. I’m itching to turn over some dirt and plant a few seeds – but I just have to wait.

Check out the Mother’s Day sales on our website!

Happy Spring! Think warm thoughts!

Sugarhouse

Never too Old to Learn

Posted on by Jessica Boone

Fast forward a couple decades and I have been involved in all aspects of sugaring but have not actually boiled from start to finish. This year was the year for both myself and my nephew Blaine!

Forest Tent Catepillars, Defoliation and Brown Foliage

Posted on by Jessica Boone

Forest tent catepillars have arrived – they will stay for a 3 year cycle – the hope is they move through the forest and don’t stay in one area. They cause damage to a Maple and other trees by eating the foliage during growing season.

The forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hubner) may be found throughout the United States and Canada wherever hardwoods grow. Their favored host are sugar maple and poplar ( also known as aspen) Regionwide outbreaks have occurred at intervals varying from 6 to 16 years in northern areas. I posted a video on our Facebook page that shows the significant leaf reduction that occurred in our sugarbush this spring.  The forest tent catepillar is a native insect that has attracted attention since colonial times.  What I am learning and trying to focus on is the fact that these are native insects and while in the short term (sometimes long term due to death of a tree) is that we should just leave nature alone.  Yes the catepillars do damage but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.

Forest Tent Catepillar

Forest Tent Catepillar

Catepillars came and ate the leaves.  The leaves grew back but with a smaller leaf which created a thinner tree canopy.  We have had 2 very wet years followed by a dry year.  This year the foliage looks very dull and brown – even the conifers.   That brown is caused by the excessive amount of seeds that the trees are bearing this year.  Those seeds have and will be dropping to the forest floor to regenerate.  Back to the catepillars that ate the leaves – less leaves equals more sunlight reaching through the canopy.  More light helps theses seedlings establish which long term starts a whole new generation of new trees.

 

 

We do not expect to see a reduction in maple syrup production due to forest tent catepillars. I mentioned before that they can cause the death of a tree but usually that tree already has damage of some sort and does not deal well with any added stress.  Tapping maple trees does add stress to the tree but we do not overtap (using too many taps per tree) or tap trees that are too small in diameter (a minimum of 12 inches).  We also use what is called a health spout which has a smaller entry point for the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

Cold Hollow to Canada

Posted on by Jessica Boone

Mushrooms and fungi

I try to learn something new everyday, some days I find a topic that I can learn lots about and its in my backyard! A few weeks ago one of the local foresters called me and asked if I would like to take a hike as part of a survey for the Cold Hollow to Canada Conservation Group.  I needed motivation to start hiking/walking/running again, the weather was beautiful and it started about a mile from my house, I needed to do this!

As it turned out it wasn’t an “official” hike since they’re weren’t enough qualified trackers involved, it was just me and  a fellow landowner Greg.  Greg knows way more about the wildlife and how to track them then I do and I live here full time!  There goal is to monitor 10 species of mammals in the area and find signs of them.  Just a few of them are black bear, fishers, minks, and moose.

 

 

It was a pleasant hike that was about 3 1/2 miles long.  Greg taught me how to look for bear sign on trees – claw and tooth marks and what types of trees they prefer.  We also saw white tail deer sign (which we were not looking for because they are so abundant in the area)

White tail antler rubbing on trees

To learn more about what Cold Hollow to Canada is check out coldhollowtocanada.org