Blog

I want to apologize since it’s been a while since I last updated the website. I’m currently doing the website myself and was experiencing some technical difficulties that I hope I’ve worked out. I’ve been in touch with an expert to get assistance with some of the aspects of the website since I’ve realized I’m not wonder woman and can’t do it all. Enough of that now onto what’s been happening in and around the Sugar Shack.

We’ve been quite busy in the woods for the last couple months checking the size of trees, running new lines, moving lines, and adding new trees to tap this year. It’s really hard to believe it’s been a year already! We had picked up limbs that had fallen on the lines over the past few months and thought we were in pretty good shape for the beginning of sugaring season. Then we got the mixed bag of weather (rain, snow, sleet and wind) mid-January. We had rain first that changed to freezing rain then we got a heavy wet snow mixed with sleet and it stuck to the trees for about three days. During that mixed bag of precipitation, we went to clean our vehicles off and the first tree snapped; needless to say I left Jeff to finish his project and went inside. This reminded me to much of the Ice Storm of 1998 and twenty-one days without power – thankfully we were only without power for about seven hours. It was an interesting few days, Jeff and I looked like two kids with no place to go and nothing to do. We’d both find ourselves just standing and staring out the picture window into the woods – wondering what was happening. We didn’t dare venture into the woods right away with the weight of the ice and snow on the trees, not to mention the howling wind.

About a week later, we did venture out and much to our surprise it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was going to be. There were a lot of small limbs down and only a couple large ones, but thankfully no major damage. We hope to start tapping our maple trees this coming month and soon after that start making after that making terrific New York State Maple Syrup, I can almost smell it boiling! I’m beginning to wonder if we have maple syrup flowing in our veins.

We are in the planning stages for Maple Weekend again. We try to make this event a special one for our visitors of all ages! It’s so fun to share our family tradition, four generations now, with others and let them experience what it’s all about from the maple tree to their dining room table. If you have visited in the past and would like to see or do something that we haven’t offered, please let us know as we are always looking for ways to improve and make it the best experience. We have confirmed the Alpaca’s will be here; we will also have a backyard evaporator set up and running! We have a couple more new ideas that we are hoping to pull off this year so be sure to watch for details.

To follow the happenings in and around the Sugar Shack, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook. There is a link right from our website so you can like us and get the updates. We keep it updated with what we are finding in the woods, when we are tapping, when we are making syrup, new recipes, interesting pictures, etc.

Until next time,
Lori