Saturday - Sugaring! Oh, and Also Rain Barrels

[helwen]

This morning we made another run to the transfer point to take more trash and lots of recycling. L is now down at the sugarhouse boiling with W. They'll be going to about 2pm.

L and crew got in 27 barrels of sap yesterday, plus there was about 3 barrels from off the hillside (a couple of pipelines cross the road and go directly into the receiving tank), and we got 10 barrels from another guy in town who gathers but doesn't boil. So, they'll be boiling around 40 barrels of sap! A barrel is around 30 gallons, IIRC.

I've been warned that if I come down I'll be put to work, but I haven't been in there for the boiling yet this season, and I do like to get my yearly 'facial' :)

Other folks are welcome to come visit and get a tour though!

To get directions online to Gray's Sugarhouse, use this address:

38 Barnes Road
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370


***
I should move a few more things around first, bring a few boxes down to the barn, etc., but then I'll go down and check it out :)

***
Was looking to get water tanks from tank-depot.com, prices weren't too hideous for a quality product. But the shipping was as much as the tank plus the adapter. So, did a search for "rain barrel massachusetts", and found New England Rain Barrel. If you click on the "Shop Online" button, you get a listing of the towns that are ordering in bulk, with help from the state. Even if you aren't a resident of one of those towns, you can click on the town nearest you, order barrels (and adapters if you're going to connect a couple of them), and get $20 off the price of each barrel. Then on the appointed day you go and pick them up.

So, we'll be getting two barrels for the price of one from Tank Depot, plus one connector. Also, the barrels are recycled and local, so I'm pretty happy with this find.

Comments

[lyanna-beth.livejournal.com]

And once you have your rain barrels, check this out! :) [Snaffled from an e-mail from Joyeuse60]
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/green-ideas/how-to-make-an-incognito-water-catchment-system-046503
P.S. Due to snow last night [this is Spring? :) ] the house doesn't look nearly like the icon!

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Cool! Thanks, that looks like fun. We were thinking of maybe putting some sort of trellis around it, since my MIL won't be crazy about smurf blue barrels (can't say I blame her!). But something like this would be even nicer.

Oh, and know what you mean about spring... we got a good 6 inches of snow yesterday, most of which is still with us on all the drive ways. At least the roads are clear...

[rtropeano.livejournal.com]

Snow? Sometimes it gets me how different the weather can be in a small area.
Yesterday I was outside dancing for joy because my Iris and daffodils are peeking out of the ground.
I must remind myself, this is New England, it is not spring untill it snows at least once in April.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Yup, snow! We're at about 1,000 feet above sea level here, so the weather can be quite different than in the valley.

Although, this year has been different in that we've been getting close to the same amount of snow as central MA, where my sister-in-law Doris lives. In past years they've gotten as much as twice the amount of precipitation as us -- might be they're at a intersection point of wind patterns, or that whatever goes through is augmented by the sea-affect.

My father-in-law William says we should be past threat of frost by May 12 (knock wood!).

[rtropeano.livejournal.com]

Is this just for today or are there other days we can come and visit?

I'd love to come and see.

Rennata

[helwen.livejournal.com]

You can come most anytime to visit, but unfortunately the boiling happens whenever we have enough sap to do it.

We should be boiling on Tuesday. I don't know what time yet, because it depends on what the weather's like, but as soon as I do know, I'll post (and hopefully sooner than this past time).

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

From the looks of things, we probably won't be boiling until Wednesday -- it doesn't look like it's warming up fast enough today for the sap to run enough.