Tree tapping for the 2011 season at Windswept Maples Farm was completed today. This year's total number of taps is 6070, which is an increase of approximately 600 taps from the previous season. At our farm, the majority of maple trees have only a single tap per tree, which means around 5900 trees are actually in production. Studies have shown that for trees on a vacuum system, increasing the number of taps on a tree does not result in a significant increase in sap yield. Therefore, to maintain yields while minimizing tree damage, we generally will only drill one 5/16 inch hole in a tree under 24 inches in diameter. With all the trees tapped, and good sugaring weather in...
Sugaring season has come to a close at Windswept Maples Farm. This year's total production was 1,702 gallons of pure maple syrup. While this represents the most syrup we have made in a season, an increase in taps this year means that actual production per tap was down compared to 2009. In 2010 we tapped approximately 5000 trees, boiling for the first time on February 21st. Our last day of boiling this year was March 31st. Overall 2010 was a productive season and we would like to thank all who were a part of it. We will have all grades of syrup available throughout the year at the farm, and can also ship it across the U.S. For more information,...
Maple Weekend was a huge success this year and we would like to take a moment to say thank you to everyone that helped out. Putting on a open house is no small undertaking, and there were many this year who contributed to the effort. Thanks for being a part of Maple Weekend 2010.
Like many other forms of agriculture, maple sugaring is heavily dependant on the weather. Maple syrup is produced during the transition from winter to spring, when the temperature at night is still below freezing and the days warm up to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Only this unique pattern of freezing and thawing causes maple trees to produce the sweet sap that is boiled down into maple syrup. So while most people can't wait for warm weather and the end of cold temperatures, sugarmakers usually aren't quite as excited. We need those freezing nights to continue a little longer and keep our season going. We look forward to putting the heavy jackets away just as much as anyone else, we just...
Sugarmakers today burn either wood or oil to produce the energy required to boil sap down into syrup. There are advantages to each method but at Windswept Maples we have always used wood as our fuel source for sugaring. Burning wood has made the most sense for us because it is a resource we have on our own property, and every year we have to cut up limbs and trees that have blown down on our tubing lines anyways. In addition to being a cost conscious decision, we burn wood because everyone enjoys loading the firebox while we are boiling. "Firing the evaporator" is always a sought after job on a breezy day in March, and one that usually draws...
