Syrup Season Is Upon Us
I hate cold weather because cold weather means runny noses, bundling up with layers of clothes, shorter days…. but even so, I’ve anxiously been waiting for the weather to change. For freezing night temps and days to break above 32 degrees because then it’s time to break out the taps and tubing and start collecting sap!
I’ve got my equipment cleaned and sterilized, firewood stacked and ready to burn, and I’ll be heading out soon to start collecting. This is our second year of making maple syrup and we’re also going to try experimenting with some walnut syrup, too. Even though I’m not thrilled with enduring frozen toes and numb fingers, it’s still one of my favorite projects on the farm that I look forward to all year!
Here are a few shots of us tapping our first walnut trees this year…. videos are a little shaky when trying to do one handed :)
Food grade tubing
When we’re not on a hillside to gravity feed sap to the bottom of the hill into a large tank, we collect in repurposed milk jugs. Makes collection easy, just switch out the jug.
…now we attach and wait.
