An Odd Season for Traditional Sugarers
By The Record Staff
It was a tough sugaring season for those who do it the traditional way, but as the late Dave Palmer used to say, “there’s no such thing as a bad season,” considering the connections that are shared and the sweet product at the end. This year started with a rush, had a good second run and then kind of petered out in fits and starts as the weather was either too warm or too cold and not enough just right.
These photos (including some from a previous year) show the community atmosphere at the Russell family sugarhouse (now named Little Woods) up behind Lantman’s where seven generations of family and friends and community members — have done sugaring with metal buckets, a wood-fired arch under the evaporator and a two-horse team hauling the collection tank. This year they finished tapping on March 6 and put out about 1,100 buckets. They ended a month later with about 134 gallons.
Here’s a glimpse of the season through excerpts of emails Anne Donegan sent out to family and volunteers.
“March 6: Sap’s running. We plan to hitch up the horses around 9 a.m. and should be gathering by 10. There is plenty of sap, but the predicted temperatures are borderline: High in the low 30s tomorrow, With tonight’s low in the low 20s, there could be ice, so you might want to bring a hammer. Just the nature of sugaring and weather.
“March 14: We had a busy day at the sugarhouse today. We’d already gathered three loads Thursday afternoon, so Joe (Donegan) started boiling early. Then we gathered at least seven loads today, with many buckets flowing over. More sap in the woods, so we’ll head up around 9 a.m. tomorrow to begin gathering. It may be a while before we’re sugaring again as it doesn’t look like many freezing nights for a week. Keep your fingers crossed.
“March 18: The sugaring crew has gotten a good start with over 80 gallons of Amber Rich syrup produced. We had a solid freeze last night and the sap ran today. We’ll be hitching up the horses about 10 a.m. and heading up to gather soon after. Not sure just how much sap we’ll have, but it’s supposed to be sunny and in the high 60s.
“March 27: Tomorrow’s a sugaring day. We’ll be going up with the horses to gather around 10 a.m. There is some sap in the woods, but it’s inconsistent. We’ll probably start boiling around noon. Unless we have a big surprise, it won’t be a big day. Feels like the season is winding down too soon.
“April 5: It’s been a week since we’ve done any sugaring and the season seems to be winding down. We’ve made 124 gallons thus far, which is below our six-year average of 172. We’ve made some tasty, very-dark syrup and hope to make a little more. There isn’t a lot of sap. Most buckets are practically empty, but a few have a good amount of sap in them.
“April 8: A strange last boiling day. We gathered two loads and dumped whatever sap was in the Big Woods. Made some very, very dark syrup, so we are done. We had left the buckets on the trees, hoping for one more run, but that’s not happening. Thanks for all your help, support and visits to the sugarhouse.”