2009 Maple Season Review

The 2009 maple syrup crop is in. We had a good year making just shy of 900 gallons. The weather was not the greatest this season, temperatures were a bit high (50 and 60's rather than high 30's and 40's) but we carried on none the less. Our new vacuum station worked like a charm. In the past we used a 6 hp gas engine to run one of our vacuum pumps. After learning the hard way that small gas engines are not made to run for 36 hours straight we decided to go electric. This fall we had a power poll set and moved the station 600 ft so it would be right next to the road. We had a few equipment problems, we blew up a sap transfer pump on the first day, and someone stole a $500 generator out of the woods, but nothing catastrophic. We had quite a few new quests stop by the sugarhouse, it is always fun to have people who no little or nothing about pure maple syrup stop by. Some of them think maple syrup comes straight out of the tree others are surprised to learn Mrs. Butterworth and Log Cabin are just corn syrup with caramel coloring. We have moved into or new store so if you are traveling interstate 80 through Pennsylvania stop in for a taste.