First Boil of 2011

The boiling season started in a big way today. After a weekend of rain and warm weather, the trees started their first significant sap run of the season. Sap was collected from each of our four sugaring orchards and we started boiling late in the afternoon. We had enough sap to boil for several hours and finished the night with over seventy five gallons of pure maple syrup. As a general rule, syrup made at the start of a season is lighter in color than syrup made later in the season. This held true Sunday night, as all but the first few gallons were a beautiful medium amber. After a late start to the 2011 season we were excited to begin boiling. It appears that the approaching weather is favorable and we are looking forward to strong production in the next few weeks.