Maple Weekend was a huge success this year and we would like to take a moment to say thank you to everyone that helped out. Putting on a open house is no small undertaking, and there were many this year who contributed to the effort. Thanks for being a part of Maple Weekend 2010.
Archive for March, 2010
Thanks for a great Maple Weekend!
Posted in Maple Weekend on March 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Warm Weather and Mixed Emotions
Posted in Syrup Production on March 25, 2010| 2 Comments »
Like many other forms of agriculture, maple sugaring is heavily dependant on the weather. Maple syrup is produced during the transition from winter to spring, when the temperature at night is still below freezing and the days warm up to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Only this unique pattern of freezing and thawing causes maple trees to produce the sweet sap that is boiled down into maple syrup. So while most people can’t wait for warm weather and the end of cold temperatures, sugarmakers usually aren’t quite as excited. We need those freezing nights to continue a little longer and keep our season going. We look forward to putting the heavy jackets away just as much as anyone else, we just would like to make a little more syrup first.
Join us for Maple Weekend March 27th & 28th
Posted in Maple Weekend on March 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Visit Windswept Maples this coming weekend, March 27th & 28th for the annual NH Maple Weekend. Our farm will be open for visitors both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Join us to watch live demonstrations of the maple sugaring process and sample pure maple syrup and maple cream. Our barn will also be open so visitors can see our beef cows, Suffolk and Dorset sheep, and baby lambs.
For directions, click on the “Maple Weekend 2010” tab at the top of this page.
Wood Fired Sugaring
Posted in In the Sugarhouse on March 13, 2010| 2 Comments »
Sugarmakers today burn either wood or oil to produce the energy required to boil sap down into syrup. There are advantages to each method but at Windswept Maples we have always used wood as our fuel source for sugaring. Burning wood has made the most sense for us because it is a resource we have on our own property, and every year we have to cut up limbs and trees that have blown down on our tubing lines anyways. In addition to being a cost conscious decision, we burn wood because everyone enjoys loading the firebox while we are boiling. “Firing the evaporator” is always a sought after job on a breezy day in March, and one that usually draws lots of “oohs and ahhs” from any visitors that are admiring the fire. To see photos of the fire that heats our evaporator click the link below.
Photos of the Fire
Windswept Maples Farm 