WEATHER: “So, TK, looking ahead, are there any freezing nights in the forecast?” He stands in the driveway with his back to the old maples where the three sap buckets hang. “Yes,” he says with the authority of a man who lives and breathes weather. “Sunday night, then Monday and Tuesday nights, too.”“But will these… Read More
Simple Spring Soba Salad with Maple Sesame Dressing
The name of this recipe, repeated seven times in a sing-songy voice, may very well soften your final days of March, as the forecasted rain may soften the remaining snow. The name matches the moistness of this salad; the salad’s tang alerts the senses. You can’t taste the maple, but you can taste the difference.… Read More
“Hellyeah, we’re due for a gallop”
WEATHER: Since the overnight thaw of March 16/17 the temps have stayed below or just at the freezing point. Several inches of snow fell over the weekend. According to TK the Weatherman who writes the weather blog for Jay Peak, Arctic front #18 will arrive this coming weekend. He has been counting since December 1st,… Read More
A Veggie Burger with Maple? You bet.
The blog’s longtime food correspondent, Maple Trout Lilli, is back in the kitchen experimenting with maple. We’re glad she is, not least of all because she’ll stop by the sugarhouse with a tray of her latest creation for the crew to feast on. She writes: BEST VEGGIE BURGERS A veggie burger with Maple? You bet.… Read More
The Sap Running Marathon of March 2026
This prolonged thaw was not good sugaring weather. Without a freeze the sap runs lose their vigor. The freeze/thaw cycle builds pressure in the tree which propels the sap out the taphole. https://massmaple.org/about-maple-syrup/how-sugar-maple-trees-work/ As soon as the thaw commenced we scoured the weather forecasts for hints of a freezing night. Now that temps are below… Read More
Let’s Talk About the Weather 2025-2026
March 1st was the first day of Meteorological Spring, March 3rd was Town Meeting Day in Vermont, and therefore it’s entirely appropriate that this week would deliver the first major thaw and the first sap run of sugar season. We are curious to witness how many days of warm temps it takes to unlock the… Read More
Welcome, Sugar Season 2026
It is Year 47 for the Nebraska Knoll clan. The crew felt excited to get back into the woods two weeks ago for the annual visit to each sugar maple tree in our sugarbush, away from the raucous affairs of men toward the silent province of forests. Scientists have learned so much in recent years… Read More
The Story of the Season
Crew member Ana writes: Getting this long awaited dispatch was no easy feat; the only way to get my brain into work mode was with a hard deadline. Our sugar season could use a hard deadline as well. But as Lew says, “We will be waiting with bated breath.” I found an old interview that… Read More
That pie is so good it needs a tariff
Maple-glazed ham, scalloped potatoes, spring greens from Long Winter Farm, and, hmmm, what about dessert for Easter dinner? Maple Trout Lilli writes with a suggestion: SISTER’S SALTED MAPLE PIE This recipe has been adapted from Sister Pie, a cookbook from a bakery of the same name in Detroit. It’s a bit fussy, but totally worth… Read More
Count the Pails
For a while, the pail resting here on the plank stores sap for brewing coffee with.This pail, or bucket, hangs from a maple tree named Maggie. Sap drips into it; it holds sap.This other pail is for collecting sap from the bucket and lugging it to the sap tank. A green hose for rinsing sap… Read More
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