End of Maple season

We pulled up the buckets on April 3rd.  The early warm season stopped maple sap running a few weeks early!  By the 4th we had all the equipment put away.  Now for a week's rest and then we begin final filtering and bottling of the syrup.  A few light spring rains are greening the grass and it looks like a quick transistion into summer in underway!

Picture of Janna and Dawn's maple syrup cooker made by brother Everett

End of maple syrup season

Today we pulled up the maple taps and buckets and are cooking down the last batch of syrup. The buds are out on the maple trees and the sap has stopped running--almost 3 weeks early. We will have about the average 1 quart of syrup per tap hole this year. Testing our maple trees sweetness ran from 3.5 to 6% (refractometer readings).

It is the earliest start, earliest end and shortest actual run I can remember. We had about 1 week that the trees ran moderately well. Last year was a double production year, this one about average.

A few spring flowers, hepaticas, were already blooming in the woods--normally happens about mid April. Everything is early this year and dry so far. A few sprinkles as of 12:30 today. Our area has had three consecutive years of below average moisture--very dry for parts of the season. Last year it was dry April - July. Earlier years July through September. Bad enough to effect the crops and the gardens.

The beavers finally showed up on the open lake two days ago. I thought they might have been trapped over winter. Several sandhill cranes are doing their spring mating rituals in the fields just south of the cabin. Lots of ducks, geese, on the lake with a pair of trumpeter swans often there. The tree swallows showed up yesterday along with the Phoebe. Lots of robins. A couple of black butterflies with yellow fringed wings were around yesterday. Most of the fish that died over winter are cleaned up by the eagles, crows and gulls. A few eagles are still on the lake in the morning.

We will clean the buckets and sap equipment and put it away for the season. My healing broken leg worked pretty good and I was able to carry buckets on side hills. The knee feels stiff, and a little insecure (probably from already losing the ACL back in 1988 skiing). But it works!!

Starting to thunder right now--maybe our first rain of the season to green up the grass!

Polk Men's Discussion Group tours hyrdroponic greenhouse

We took a tour of the nearby tomato greenhouse.  Pretty intersting. 

Fire near the Lake

h 30th a forest fire broke out on the Sterling Barrens about 3 miles west of the Lake.  It burned about 150 acres on a very windy dry spring day.  The first picture shows the pumper backed into Trade River, used to fill the fire truck tankers with water. 

Lake Ice off--earliest yet!

The lake opened the earliest ever in my memory on March 28th
(average is April 15th). There were a few hundred smaller panfish
that didn't make it through the winter, floating to the top as the ice
melted--a slightly larger than normal winter fish kill. On the 28th,
there were 14 bald eagles, countless gulls and crows all doing spring
cleaning to clear fish, floating just under the thin remaining ice.
The sap run has been early and so far an average year. The warm up we
are having this week is likely to end the season. Mom planted peas,
radishes and lettuce in the garden for the first time in March this
year. I am afraid trappers may have gotten the beaver family, as I
see no signs of them this spring around their house. The pair of
trumpeter swans claimed the lake three weeks ago. Over all it looks
like Spring is about three weeks ahead of time. My neighbor tells me
"these early springs and dry weather are Al Gore's fault--he and his
global warming hooey. If he'd shut up, things would get back to
normal." Margo and son Scott are making the sap collecting easy for me
as I get my leg back functioning again. I have what Margo call's a
"Walter Brennan limp."

Warmest March in my memory

We have about half of our maple syrup taps out as of yesterday. The sap is running just a little--has been too warm. The snow is all gone. The lake looks like it will be open within two days. The earliest it has opened before in my memory is the last day of March. Normal is about April 15-20th.

The St Croix River is open far below Nevers Dam area. The channel is choked with ice several miles above the power dam in St. Croix Falls--broken ice at the Lion's club part with solid ice the last 1/2 mile to the dam. With two 60 degree day's coming, I would guess the river will clear by Friday and the lake will open.

It has been beautiful weather having April in March--but not good maple weather yet. Forecast is to cool back down to 40s and 20s next week so that should get the sap running.

Mom saw her first 3 robins today.

I am getting around on my leg, broken 4 months ago, OK. Not smoothly, but OK.

Maple Syrup Season Begins

We are back to WI at the lake and ready to tap maples. There is hardly any snow left here--muddy and wet, but the ground clear. The bald eagle was feeding at the spring where a small opening in the lake ice shows lots of small fish dead from the winter. This is normal--they come up into the spring to get more oxygen and many die. We won't know if there was a bigger fish kill until the lake begins to open up.

Where the creek runs into the lake is also a small open pond area. A pair of trumpeter swans have moved in and are claiming the lake already. Probably the pair that stayed here last year.

I tapped one tree this morning and it is just barely dripping. We will tap a bunch more tomorrow.

Cooking the sap

Back in MN -- trip over

After a lot of fog through Iowa, causing us to stay at Clear Lake overnight, we made it home on March 10th. Lots of fog in MN and lots of snow left here too--mostly white yet with a foot or more. It is supposed to be rainy and wet through the weekend. We head to WI to open the cabin on Friday and tap maples on the weekend if the weather is OK. In NW WI there is supposed to be less snow.

Probably should have stayed south another few days and let the snow disappear! It was a nice trip and my goal of walking on my formerly broken leg is mostly accomplished.

Headed home Monday. Got to Branson and stayed overnight. About 550 miles to get to Pine Island today.

Margo spent part of the week earning some money collecting Spanish Moss from the alligator infested bayous and hanging it at Chicot Park to improve the scenery for tourists!

Staying with full hookups in Louisiana State Parks was $8 per night with our Senior Pass (Federal card). Very good deal!

Winding down

We are at Lake Clairborne State Park in Northern LA. Very nice last two days -- mids 60s and sunny. We probably will stay until Monday and then head back to MN. The temperatures at the maple sugarbush in WI are hitting 40s and 50s and getting me ready to get up there and tap in case the season is early this year. Margo would like to stay longer, but having made syrup for so many years, I know that the whole season can be done by the end of March some years.

Probably drive to Branson on Monday and then on home on Tuesday and to WI on Wednesday if all goes well.

We have been gone since Feb 19th so will be about 3 weeks when we get back.