Sunday, February 25, 2018

Lighting Of The Fire



Last week, we ceremoniously lit the first wood for our maple evaporator.  



We're excited to start boiling maple sap and it looks like it's going to be a good season (knock on wood!)  The temperatures are going to be perfect for the sap to run over several days. 


LadyBird loves exploring while we tap trees.  Her breed, Viszla, needs a lot of exercise to not get crazy and a day in the woods is perfect for her.  


The sap is running out of the bottom of our lines.  We let the lines run free for a day so the gunk can get washed out - even though the sap will be boiled for many, many hours.  


An almost full tank of sap - a beautiful sight!



Sometimes, you see an arrangement of nature so beautiful it just takes your breath away. 




My bees have sugar patties inside the inner cover of their hives, but the warm weather prompted me to make up a sugar syrup to feed them.  Liquid sugar syrup is more easily usable to the bees.  The bees are flying on warm days and when I checked, I found that their stores of honey are getting low.  To make my sugar solution, I boil four quarts of water, turn it off, pour in four quarts of sugar, then stir to dissolve.  This creates a 1:1 sugar solution for spring feeding.




This year, with the wildly fluctuating temperatures I decided that I didn't want to put a top feeder on the hive because it would create a large space for the bees to heat and they may freeze in the hive.  

I punched tiny holes in the lids of canning jars and I'll put the jars over the hole in the inner cover.  The bees will lick at the tiny holes to get a drop of sugar water.  Always turn the jar over and let the syrup stop running out before you put it on the bees.  You don't want to soak the little girls!  It takes a second for the pressure in the jar to equalize.  

I put an empty hive body over the jars so that we don't start robbing behavior by other bees and any critters waking up from their long winter nap!  Then I put on the top cover.



The bees are enjoying the opportunity to get out and take a "cleansing" (i.e. pooping) flight!




Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Happy Valentines Day!


I found this photo on the web.  Isn't that the most adorable calf!?!

Happy Valentines Day!





Sunday, February 11, 2018

Spring Is Coming!




Yesterday, we started tapping maple trees because the weather forecast for the next ten days shows perfect maple weather.   


DAY
DESCRIPTIONHIGH / LOWPRECIPWINDHUMIDITY
TODAY
FEB 11
PM Light Rain
47°22°
80%
S 9 mph 88%
MON
FEB 12
Mostly Sunny
32°10°
10%
NW 9 mph 61%
TUE
FEB 13
Partly Cloudy
36°28°
10%
SE 7 mph 56%
WED
FEB 14
Cloudy
46°40°
20%
SW 11 mph 79%
THU
FEB 15
AM Showers
51°31°
30%
WSW 13 mph 88%
FRI
FEB 16
AM Snow Showers
34°15°
50%
WNW 15 mph 74%
SAT
FEB 17
Partly Cloudy
33°23°
10%
WSW 12 mph 41%
SUN
FEB 18
Mostly Sunny
45°35°
10%
SSW 12 mph 47%
MON
FEB 19
Showers
43°32°
60%
SW 9 mph 70%
TUE
FEB 20
Rain/Snow Showers
39°28°
40%
W 7 mph 69%
WED
FEB 21
Rain/Snow
38°29°
40%
W 8 mph 64%
THU
FEB 22
Rain/Snow Showers
41°30°
30%
WSW 7 mph 77%
FRI
FEB 23
Partly Cloudy
41°27°
20%
W 7 mph 74%
SAT
FEB 24
AM Rain/Snow Showers
40°27°
40%
WSW 7 mph 64%
SUN
FEB 25
AM Rain/Snow Showers
38°24°
40%
W 8 mph 64%

Temperatures will be mostly above freezing during the day and below freezing at night.  These are the perfect conditions for the sap to run!

Why does this make me so happy?  Because I know spring is coming!  Once the first few trees have been tapped it becomes an inexorable march towards weather that is too warm for collecting maple sap!

The very first tap of the 2018 maple season!


Some trees even produced a little bit of sap.



Lady Bird's first maple season - a great opportunity for her to wear off lots of energy!  (I told you she was  pampered!)


Behind the maple season comes crocuses and then there will be daffodils and green leaves and gardens and baby animals.

Spring is coming!