From a well-lit kitchen in the yellow house at the top of fifteen broad stone steps comes the first food missive of Sugar Season 2019. Our Food Correspondent, Maple Trout Lilli, writes: MAPLE-MISO SALMON Weeknight salmon?? Salty miso paste and ever-so-sweet maple syrup are the backbone of this simple marinade…. It’s about as uncomplicated as… Read More
No Sap Run This February
WEATHER: More of winter. Squeaky cold. Wind-scoured snowfields. There’s no thaw in sight. TAPPING STATUS: Ross finished up Thursday the 21st. Chief of Operations moved on to main line work. THE COUNTUP: Day Nine, where we left off: 9352 Day Ten: 9738 Grand Total HOW’S IT RUNNING? It’s not. You have to look back to… Read More
A Short Walk in the Old Bush
Dear Reader, Since I don’t climb the hill to tap or check for squirrel chew I am free to follow impulses. On a recent cold day I snowshoed in the Old Bush, visiting my favorite places. The Old Bush is the terrain directly uphill from the sugarhouse; it’s the original 40 acres. At once I… Read More
The bears’ message board
WEATHER: Continued below freezing temps and powder snow. For Friday the forecasters predicted rain and high 30’s but here it snowed cottage cheese snow and never cleared 32. TAPPING STATUS: The crew worked Wednesday – Saturday in the higher terrain. Half the time the guys were pulling lines up out of the deep snow. All… Read More
Hans Goes Skiing
WEATHER: As predicted, it snowed all night, a cold fine snow. It’s still snowing today, a warmer flaky snow. It’s a Powder Day. The crew would like to be skiing, but after four days off from tapping due to the cold, they snowshoed up the hill this morning to tap. Their thighs ought to feel… Read More
Fifty Shades of Silver
Each day of tapping is unique but occasionally a day truly distinguishes itself. Chief of Operations reports on Day Four: TAPPING STATUS: Some of the crew have been tapping Morningside while the others have been working their way up Keystone. Tapping will resume on Tuesday the 12th. THE COUNTUP: Day Three, where we left… Read More
Tap Tap Tap
Here we go, folks: Sugar Season 2019 WEATHER: At the moment it’s a “wintry mix” but it sounds an awful lot like rain. This week’s on-again-off-again thaw follows many days of true winter glory, the snow deep and soft, the fields and woods bright and beckoning. TAPPING STATUS: The crew headed for the sugarbush on… Read More
fini
WEATHER: Finally it turned. We’ve had a stretch of sunny warm (60’s) days that drew everyone outdoors to see if the rhubarb was coming up yet, to notice a crocus blooming not in the garden where it should but under the apple tree, to pick up the pail of clothespins in one hand and a… Read More
Get going and then end
WEATHER: Yesterday, Friday April 20th, presented with 4″ of new snow.The temp ranged from 30- 33F. Early Saturday Morning Tanka after a bleak week: Not sullen but Sun. Shadows of apple trees claim the snowy bank. No squirrels, no wind, a raven who strikes the clapboards, retreats. HOW’S IT RUNNING? Once again yesterday the bucket… Read More
Root Drought and the Power of Suggestion
—Chief of Operations
The Nebraska Knoll Blog 