Waiting on the Weather

    We are ready to make maple syrup; the firewood is gathered, cut, split, and piled in the shed, the maple trees are tapped & the gathering tank is ready. The sap house needs a few finishing touches to have it ready for boiling, but the big hold-up is the weather! In order for the sap to run, daytime temperatures must be above freezing, and nighttime temperatures need to drop to just below freezing. So far, we have had an abundance of just-at-freezing weather. nothing really cold, and nothing very warm. We have had days where the daytime temperature was above freezing, but on those days we had a windchill that kept the sap in the tree roots! 
    Farmers are optimistic creatures though-we're confident that warm weather is right around the next bend, and that syrup season will still hold to at least a six week window. It's just getting a late start. Bring on the long days of boiling in the steamy sap house,