Picking a date to tap maple trees for syrup is tricky. The sap runs on days when the temperature is above freezing but the nighttime temperatures are below freezing. The extended forecast showed perfect conditions in early March, so on February 26, I installed 16 taps on trees across our property. This date was in line with the previous 2 years.
The temperature promptly disobeyed the forecast, and largely stayed below freezing the entire week. I gathered a meager 7 gallons the following weekend, four gallons of which were from one tree. Many of the trees did not produce enough to dampen the bottom of the pail. The temperature was below freezing, but at least I had a little sap. It took only 2 hours to boil down, and we ended up with a pint of syrup. One of the positives was that the short boil time produced a beautifully light syrup, much more delicate-flavored that the dark syrup we usually get. I bought actual syrup bottles this year, so it looks like the syrup came right from the store.
The forecast for this past week again looked promising - right up to the day we got 4 inches of snow. A check this weekend found less than a gallon of sap - it stayed in the buckets for another week.
The forecast for this week again looks... iffy. It is supposed to warm, but then stay warm, with several days above freezing at night. We will see what next weekend brings, but it feels like it will be a short sugar season.
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