Well, apparently we're making dark already. But in the meantime the weather's gotten cold, and collecting's slowed down. I'm still hoping that the next run is Medium (nice to have something of everything) -- not likely, I know, but also not impossible. Some years it's even been known to go back to being Light briefly, before going back to Medium and then Dark. The season always starts Light and ends Dark; that doesn't change. Just everything in the middle ;)

We could have used more Light than we got though, so my MIL will have to use what she has even more wisely than usual. Light -- and only the first Light, not any that shows up later in the season -- is what's used for making candy and cream. We also use it for powdered sugar, although I think you can use medium for that too. But for candy in particular, it has to be first Light. Although there's the same amount of sugar in toto in all the colors of maple syrup, the ratio of the types of sugars changes. And the type that will allow the syrup to set up as candy is highest in first Light.

Been out a few times in the past week or so, walking anywhere from two to four miles. On one walk we couldn't stand how much trash there at the bridge on Baptist Corner Road near the farm and picked up a few cans and such.

Then a few days later we did a trash pickup as a planned activity. 2.8 miles I believe, but probably more like 3 if you add in the meanderings off the edge of the road to pick things up. Chatted with a few folks here and there -- one even stopped his truck -- saying hello, and thanking us for picking stuff up. The weather was gorgeous, I got to know the area a little better, and we're pretty sure we picked up enough cans to pay for the trash bag the non-recyclables to go into. Very cool all around.

This morning was just a short walk to check the sap tanks, maybe two miles total. L collected sap from the tanks this afternoon, and hopefully that's the end of that. Boiling, cleaning, etc. still to come, of course.

Oh, and I got laundry done and got to hang most of it outside today! Whoot! I was hoping I'd get done early enough in the day to do it, and I actually managed to get two washes done in time. Laundry may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but it's as good a reason as any to be outside enjoying fresh air and sunshine :)

I'm not entirely pleased with the washing machine however -- it lacks thoroughness on occasion. I'll have to spot wash a couple of things later on... hand-washing is still a tedious thing, but sometimes it's the only way.

Some of the ladybugs in the apartment were collecting at the west end of the hallway, so L opened the window to try to persuade some of them to leave. They are very slow.... I finally took a broom and a brush and worked on sweeping them out. It would be nice if they didn't all starve to death in the apartment...

For those interested, we'll be boiling tomorrow (Saturday), from 10:30/11:00 a.m. - 1:30/2:00 p.m. We're not absolutely sure, but it _might_ be the last day we do it for this season. Things are never quite what they seem...

Dining by candlelight was lovely, of course. Not as lovely as what joyeuse60 and her beloved did, but we enjoy the more natural lighting. Even for tv-watching :)

We kept the lights off past the 8-9pm Earth Hour time, and if I needed to go to the kitchen to do something, I brought a lamp with me. L also used his mini-mag light on occasion, as he is wont to do. I have one as well, but I'm still not as good about remembering to use it. We know our space well, so really, unless one is doing some task-specific work that requires good lighting, candles or the occasional flash light use is mostly all that's needed after dark for us. Most night work we do tends to be things like sewing (clothing, books, embroidery), for which one only needs a nearby table lamp. Since our hallway lights are on the downstairs' electricity, the in-laws are happy that we don't have it on for hours and hours :)

Health Note: It's better to use lower-level lighting (not bright lighting, and especially not bright overhead lighting) late at night anyway, as it keeps your body from producing enough melatonin, which is stuff that among other things, helps you to get better quality sleep.

***
29 gallons of syrup made yesterday. Too cold today, but sap should run Monday. Possibly/probably more boiling on Tuesday. We're nearing the end of the season!

With help from some Ashfield neighbors, Deb and Dwight, we have pretty much finished the South Woods today -- just a couple more trees need to be added in, using some bits and bobs that nephew L has more familiarity with at this point. fitzw figures there are around 400 taps in those woods -- lots of lovely big trees there. Unfortunately one is no more, having fallen over sometime this winter -- on top of one of the main lines. I dug up most of the pipeline around it, with Deb finishing the bits I didn't have the arm/body strength for. Fortunate for us, this couple has 18 years of experience at sugaring, so that was a big help in finishing this section, with each person not really needing to wait on anyone else for instruction. Although to be fair, the untrained help has also been very helpful as well -- but it did mean we only spent 3 hours in the woods today, covering 2/3 of the taps in that time.

Rumor has it that it may snow again this week.... I'm hoping that's wrong, and that we'll get rain instead.

Oh, and after today, for any of my U.S. friends who feels like complaining about the snow -- if you haven't dug 50 feet of trenches, 1-2 deep through crust and ice (there was _no_ soft snow today), I don't want to hear about it... At least the scenery is a heckuvalot nicer up here than having to do that in the city, though :D

There's still a little more tapping to do tomorrow, but I don't think I'm involved in that one. That line uses some of the last of the old pipeline with bigger spouts than the rest of the trees have, so a different, larger, heavier drill has to be used to tap. Maybe after this year it can be phased out...

***
On the plus side of all this work, I suppose I could say it's like going to the gym for a workout, only instead of paying for a membership, I occasionally get paid for it :)

Sunday was an excellent day. Breakfast at South Face Farm, which is another sugarhouse in Ashfield, but they have a restaurant as well as the sugarhouse. My MIL Marian's treat, for my b-day. Blueberry pancakes, among other things. Marian wanted french toast and came prepared, bringing a type of bread with her that she's allowed to have -- regular wheat being a no-no. They were great and took the bread and did it up nicely.

Home again for a short bit, then off again with gwynt_y_storm and Jeni and Tali, who took me up to Shelburne Falls. We met up with the Cat clan there, and hit Wandering Moon first. By far one of the best book stores in the area, in large part because they're focused on particular types of books, many of them being the kind we're all looking for... herbal, brewing, nature (general), nature (New England), various home crafts and homesteading interests, books on different types of building construction, carpentry and woodcraft, stone craft, etc. Also some esoteric books, children/youth books of a useful/entertaining sort, and so on. Wandering Moon also has all sorts of lovely handcrafted items and some gorgeous jewelry -- alas, my tastes run on the expensive side... but I did put two books aside, and may have a third one if it comes in before Alfdis comes over to return the demo items. The card reader was down and I'd neglected to bring the check book... The others came away with many books, so there was much happiness. Definitely a win-win shopping trip, since with the harsh winter weather and the fire that happened down the block from them (street was closed during the building removal), it's been a poor winter for these good folks.

Then we went wandering down the street, stopped in at a yarn shop where we ran into an old SCAdian friend, Gudrun, and her sister Bing. Haven't seen them in maybe 20 years.... she'd gone out of state, but is back now, in the Boston area. Some lovely yarns there, and they have a gathering on Wednesday nights (spinning? knitting? both?) that may be worth considering down the line. Also went to the glassblowers gallery (same street), but no glassblowing -- one of the guys injured himself snowblowing, and they work as a team. Still, some lovely things there as well. Then outside and to the end of the street to look at the dam, falls, and all the water roiling and pouring over the boulders and potholes -- the water level is high this time of year of course, so only one pothole was really visible.

Then over the bridge, where Jeni spotted Mo's Factor, and so of course we had to go in there and be treated to the young man's sardonic humor. He was actually quite friendly and helpful, and we all came away with various treats. I bought some black forest truffles, some 70% dark chocolate truffles, and a handful of dark chocolate peppermint patties. Believe it or not, aside from the sample piece I had in the store, I didn't eat any of it! Since I'd had the pancakes and also some hazelnut coffee at breakfast (and coffee means sugar!), and no real food since, abstinence was the better part of valor.

We then went to check out a pottery gallery, but it wasn't to anyone's liking -- still, it got us close enough to see the Tregellys Farm Fair Trade store, and that was definitely worth seeing. I only acquired a couple pair of clipback earring findings for converting some earrings I have that are for pierced ears, but they have a lot of lovely Tibetan, Nepalese and African items there, including pashmina shawls for $60. I was rather enamoured actually of the hooded, lined, pullovers, with pouch pockets -- 100% cotton and a classic multi-colored narrow-striped weave. Possibly might get one in the different shades of green at some point...

Then back across the bridge, where we tried to see the Vav Stuga, but it was closed. Then gwynt_y_storm spotted a store a little further down the street, the Goose and Boot, which had all sorts of interesting odds and ends. I got some 6" Mole Hollow candles there for less than at the store, etainmbw picked up some cast iron cooking dishes among other things, and Jeni also found some candles and a couple of lovely ceramic flower pots.

Then home again, home again, jiggity-jig! The Cat clan had other business, but gwynt_y_storm et al stayed for a little chat, before going home themselves. We then went off to East Heaven in Northampton, a lovely hot tub establishment, having a couple of granola bars on the way.

fitzw had arranged for one of the wood tubs, of course. These are quite deep, with benches around the sides, and you can have the jets on or off. If you go on your birthday (and provide proof of course), you get a very nice discount on your hot tub.

We stayed for an hour, listening to a CD by Enigma (who I didn't know I'd already heard some of, before -- they're very good). It was an absolutely marvelous time, and many sore/tight muscles were soothed. Plus, my skin seems to be much healthier now - yay!

So... by now the observant may have noticed I hadn't really eaten much this day.... we stopped at a Friendly's on the way home; it being rather late on a Sunday night, not much else is open. The steak tips are pretty tasty though, so one can have some decent food there if one is careful. We did give in and have a bit of the ice cream -- which, while tasty, is perhaps something I should give up...

I did finish up doing most of my PT exercises when I got home. Usually when I've been on the road all day I give most of it a pass, but I consider getting in better shape a gift, so that's one I'm giving to myself!

All told, a most excellent birthday day indeed. Probably one of the best I've had in a while! (Sugaring season doesn't lend itself to being a good time for birthdays)

***
Today is going to be fairly warm, so L will be going back up on the hill to clear more pipeline. I've decided to go up as well, although likely not for as long as he'll be up there. Still don't have the stamina, but most of the work on healing the shoulder is done, so I'm into the strength- and endurance-building phase.

Also bookkeeping and typing to do today, and then the business meeting tonight.

Freezing rain and sleet to come, Tuesday/Wednesday. L says tapping will be waiting until Thursday now.

Hrim Schola on Saturday!

Yup, hard as it might be to believe with snow coming down on us while walking the pipelines up on the hill, spring is indeed coming.

fitzw and nephew Luke are doing most of that work, making sure the lines are usable, replacing damaged line, etc. They're working on the slopes that will get warmer sooner, gradually making it over to the ones in the shadier areas. The pipelines will eventually be connected to the trees and go from smaller pipes into a few larger ones, which go into sap tanks. We still use buckets along the road. Technically, we could use pipeline there too, I guess, but the buckets are so much nicer looking. On the hillside the guys are grateful for the pipelines as it saves a lot of time and effort in gathering (and cuts down on risk of injury as well).

The next phase is tapping. Each year new holes have to be drilled for the taps, because the trees naturally heal over a 6-7 week period of time. Just like people, trees have bacteria in their systems, and the purpose of some of those bacteria is to heal wounds and injuries to the tree, like for instance when a branch gets broken off during a storm. Or some pesky farmer comes along and asks for a share of the sap ;)

In the old days, formaldehyde used to be used to keep the holes open for longer, but fortunately that practice was abandoned, as it isn't good for the trees. There are also rules on how many taps you should put on a tree, and of course a minimum diameter of tree trunk, so that you aren't asking for more than a tree can safely give, or taking from a tree that's too young. We'd like our trees to be around for as long as possible!

***
Sugaring is a spring-time activity because that is when the sap is at its sweetest and also when the weather is just right for being able to collect the sap. What we're preparing for right now is when the temps will be below freezing at night, and in the 40s (F) during the day, for at least 3 days running.

The relatively extreme swings in temperature between day and night creates a pumping action that helps move the sap up into the branches. The maples need this in order to get nourishment to the buds, which will then open and you get the flowers and leaves for summertime.

Once the trees bud out, we pull the taps, even if the 6-7 week period isn't up. All the sugar's going to nourishing the leaves and to creating seeds. So as you can see, every year farmers have to figure out when to start tapping in order to get the maximum season. Too early, and you miss out on the end of the season, too late, and you miss out on the beginning.

When we had the restaurant people used to ask how the season was -- our answer? We'll let you know when the season's done. Because even if you get the timing right for the beginning, you could have a really cold spring, or a really warm early spring. If there was a drought the year before, that can affect things. Farming is risky business. If you've ever thought about taking up gambling, this is probably one of the biggest games in town.

***
Well, assuming all goes well, the trees provide lots of sap, which goes into the sap tanks and buckets. These get collected from and brought to the sugarhouse, where the boiling will happen. We have a lot more technology than folks had 100 years ago, but mostly it's to take some water out (reverse osmosis) before the sap goes into the evaporator, and various filtering systems. We do our best to use as little fuel/energy as possible, and provide pure maple syrup.

The ratio for making syrup is roughly 40 gallons of sap to 1 gallon of syrup. I do remember a few years where the sugar content was pretty low, more like 50-to-1. Hopefully this won't be one of those years.

So, it's quite a bit of work to make maple syrup, but the end product is worth it, I think. We make candy, maple cream, powdered sugar, and of course syrup. Diabetics like the powdered sugar, actually -- mind you, it's still sugar! But it's sweeter than cane sugar, so you don't need to use as much of it.

It does have different properties from cane sugar in another way -- it doesn't floss -- this means you can't make cotton candy with it, unless you do it the way fitzw does -- 10 parts cane to 1 part maple, so the cane flosses and the maple flavors it.

***
Once we're up and running, I'll be sure to post updates. That way anyone who wants to see the boiling can come up, get a tour, and a lovely whiff of maple in the air.

Good weather yesterday and today, so I've been moving more stuff out of the sugarhouse. I realize to anyone reading my journal that it seems like we've been doing that forever, but most of the time it's only me moving things, and I can only carry so much at a time. The other reason is that most of the time we can't use the minivan because of the slope getting up from the sugarhouse back onto the road -- too icy, no can do. So, I'm hand-carrying boxes and stuff. It's usually colder in the morning so I only put in 30-45 minutes then. In the afternoon I put in a couple hours or so. I'm definitely not speedy, but I'm building up my stamina again.

fitzw started going up on the hill yesterday, clearing the pipelines of snow, ice, and fallen branches. There are two layers of crust here now, with snow in-between. It's quite the job, trying to break through the lower layer especially. Tomorrow's supposed to still be decent weather, so he's calling in one of the nephews to help. Also today he was on the roof of the sugarhouse, clearing the snow off of the section William's most concerned might not hold -- more snow, freezing rain, etc. expected tomorrow evening/night, so the load needed to be lightened.

On the plus side, while it's certainly taking longer to empty the sugarhouse, I'm getting plenty of exercise. If you want practice walking on uneven surfaces, going up and downhill over snow, slush, and ice, and in and out of a barn with varying thicknesses of hay on the floor will give you plenty of it. Nothing like what fitzw's doing, of course! Me, I'll stick to the snowbunny courses for now :D