We've had cold, cold, cold weather and not a drop of maple sap for quite a few days. A grainy, icy snow still covers the ground and the poor robins congregate at any open areas of grass in search of a meal. The snow covers the food of the little seed-eating birds; so I've refilled the bird feeder and I swear I can almost hear them saying, "thank you!" A white-tailed deer came and looked in my den window today. I think it wanted to sample the landscaping around the house. You've heard the saying that "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Let's hope so!
Later this week we're hoping for above freezing days and below freezing nights - perfect maple sap weather. Then the temperatures continue to climb and we start getting days that are above freezing and nights that are above freezing. That will cause the leaves on the maple trees to bud and sap season ends. When the trees bud, the sap gets a kind of "green" slimy taste to it and becomes inedible.
The chickens have turned into egg laying machines. I'm getting about 20 eggs per day more or less and have been able to start selling some dozens. I love that the chickens pay for their own feed!
I hope to begin planting in the high tunnel next weekend. There may be snow on the ground outside, but the temperature in the high tunnel, with the sun shining, has climbed into the 70s and even, on occasion, the 80s! It drops dramatically at night with some mornings having a low temperature of 11-degrees. For the first high tunnel planting, I'll be planting cold weather vegetables - lettuces, spinach, peas, sugar snap peas, and scallions. Then in a few weeks the less hardy vegetables will start moving into the high tunnel.
