I am happy to report that things are well on their way on all fronts; sugaring, seed-starting, and warm hoop/green houses getting their first plantings.
Not so happy to report the roads leading to our house are a complete disaster – the worst mud we have seen in years. We are thrilled to have visitors stop by on the weekend to check out our roiling boil of sap and other such wonders but you must have a vehicle with good traction and clearance in order to do so.

The new sugaring rig is living up to Ian’s expectations with an average rate of boiling off 45 gallons of sap in one hour – we’ve come a long way baby! We were blessed to have both of our daughters home yesterday (after shuttling everyone in turns from the end of Stony Brook!) to turn it into an ol time family affair. It’s nice to have them old enough that I can swear in front of them when I fall to my knees on snow shoes with a full 5 gallon bucket of sap in each hand. The efforts are worth it! 10% off for CSA members too!

While Ian is managing the sugarworks I have been busy putting my horticultural degree to work. The wonders of having a hoop house and our small greenhouse are starting to unfold. While we are still completely buried in snow outside I have been able to work the beds and get seeds in the ground such as spinach, carrots, and mesclun, as well as started transplants in the ground like beets, fennel, kale (yes please) lettuce and scallions. We have trays and trays of onions started plus herbs, peppers, eggplant, and early cabbages. Today we started some of the glorious varieties of tomato’s and pretty much daily from now until September we will be starting seeds and planting.

My daughter Fae thinks her three week Spring break is all about road trips to visit her friends but I have other plans for her – ha ha he he ho ho

The chick with the bent neck that we reported on some time ago is still with us – how did that happen! She can barely walk or get around and was getting completely trampled by the other chicks but she just would not die. I could not stand to see her suffer so I put her in a box to let her pass away gently – with food and water of course just in case…So she goes into the box weak and lifeless and can barely make a peep and then after a few days she is strong and peeping loudly and I find myself with a pet! Ian is pretending he doesn’t know anything about what is in the Otter Creek Vermont Sampler box near the wood stove…

Meanwhile, I am volunteering at the Brown Public Library on Thursday’s from 10AM til 1PM. Eggs will be available from my Mobile Unit parked outside. The eggs will be in a cooler and the money can go in the marked envelope. The eggs are wonderful!

There is more to buying a new/used sugaring rig than getting it in the driveway. Sure, back in August it was exciting! Shiny and somewhat clean, hoods and other contraptions that are new to us, BIGGER volume…and heck, we don’t actually have to turn it on until next March! But Ian being Ian, he knew better than to procrastinate. He has been diligently working on getting things set up since December. Setting up a new space, woodwork to clear paths for more taps, MORE sugaring wood than we had put up last spring, even making extra batches of homebrewed beer in anticipation of all those visitors! We decided long ago sugaring and all that goes with it is a labor of love and not profit for us. It is part of what we do and have been doing since we moved here in 1991. Ian’s father missed sugaring last year for the first time in 60 years in order to take a trip to Italy – not a decision taken lightly!

So, the rig is ready.

Trees are tapped.

Holding tanks are waiting to be filled.

And now we wait. Even Manfred is anxious to see something in those buckets!

If you see steam rising stop by!