Thursday, March 24, 2011

Sugaring, pt. 3

View from "Siberia"


Truck with 325 gallon tank


Students collecting sap.


As you can see from the above photos, sap collecting conditions have been less than ideal. On Monday we had snow for a good part of the day and then rain in the late afternoon. It was also the last day for the students, who go back to class tomorrow, so the crew will be much smaller going forward. Will be interesting to see how things go without them. Today was the last day for Mary, an alum, who was a joy and a hoot to have around. Thanks! The next few days look good in regards to weather conditions and sap collecting. It's been about 4 weeks since we first put up buckets, with a few more weeks to go.

Today, Anna (alum and fellow collector), asked which area or run was my favorite for collecting. I said Maloney, though I had to add that it was also my least favorite, as I managed to blow the transmission in one truck (it was only a matter of time) and get another stuck in that particular bush. It's actually two bushes and really the only ones that are in the woods. The other collecting areas are on the main campus of NMH, the old campus in Northfield, and in several peoples yards. Being in the woods is what I imagined a large part of sugaring would be about, and Maloney doesn't disappoint. I'll try to get a few photos.

You can find more info here and some photos here.

3 comments:

dcain said...

Hello Alford,

You recently commented on our Yurtville blog about our humble sugaring efforts and I followed your post back to your blog. Lo and behold it is a small world in that I was a student at NMH back in the early 1980's. I'm amazed at the production you all are achieving. Way to go! If I could go back in time I would have loved to have been a part of the sugaring operation.

The cold has pretty much kept the sap from flowing for the last week or so.

Cheers,

Dave

alford said...

dave,

small world indeed. yes, this year looks to be a very good one. last year was pretty slim. in the last few days the sap has really begun to flow, just as we lost a number of the students who help out over spring break. your humble efforts as you put it, look a bit less tiring. and as far as going back in time, alumni are welcome to help out, so keep it in mind for next year.

good luck with your production.

john

Jennie Walz said...

Thanks for sharing. We have enjoyed our gift of NMH Maple Syrup. Can't wait to get some that was made by someone I know. The pics are great. It is beautiful there!