Hill Report, by woods crew member Ross Scatchard: The sugaring season thus far has worked like a series of games. Tapping could be seen as a game of sorts; search for the live white wood to set the tap amongst the dotted pattern of previous tap holes. Good luck on some of the double tapped trees.… Read More
Monday Evening Weather Report
Chops writes: 3/23/15 It’s well into another frozen round of enthusiasm-deflating sugar season doldrums. I had thought last March was the coldest I would ever see, but here it comes again on repeat. I have been told by people who should know that this freakish Arctic weather is a result of global weirding, a direct… Read More
Monday Morning Weather Report
This winter bites. The overnight low Not quite zero Well below norms The snow formed by A darn north wind Cold, fiendish. Fiendishly Toppling trees on Keystone lines. Lest I neglect the Best bit: skies Bluer by day Than I’ve ever Seen later March Bluer than blue Snow white (too white) And two days… Read More
Maple Sweet Potato Cakes
Maple Trout Lilli writes: A second chance for the oh-so-sweet, sweet potato…no marshmallows with these; just our good old friend, maple syrup. A nice balance of sweet and spicy (there’s that combination again) but not overly sweet, plus the Greek yogurt makes a rich counterpart. These cakes will scorch when you’re not watching…so look alive… Read More
Fickle Mode
From earlier this week: Sugar Season in the Fickle Mode 3/17/15 The thermometer which hangs in the shadow of our north facing woodshed is always quite accurate, even when the sun is shining. It shows the temperature has been oscillating between 31.5 and 32.5 for the last 16 hours. During this time the precipitation has… Read More
Camel’s Hump on Repeat
One recent Sunday there was no sap, so Chops took a holiday. He writes: The Addict (Camel’s Hump on Repeat) The Camel’s Hump Challenge is a backcountry ski tour around the base of Camel’s Hump, Vermont’s third highest mountain and its highest undeveloped peak. It begins and ends at the Camel’s Hump Nordic Center in… Read More
Climbing Rhyme Sunday Summit
“Is there any movement?” my neighbor asked this afternoon. “No,” I replied. “Tomorrow there might be some,” she said. “It’s a possibility. Then nothing the rest of the week.” Weather: Back to winter, but to a user-friendly version, with temps just above or below freezing. Snow: Magic Carpet (firm base plus two inches powder)… Read More
First Boil Expectations
“Expect the unexpected.” “Expect nothing.” ******** The first boil taught me there are layers of expectations. What we thought we expected, and chatted about as we built up the fire in the arch: The filter press pump to work. (It did.) A novel crisis to bedevil the crew. (It did.) What we expected but didn’t… Read More
Up and Running
Weather: Tuesday, high in upper 40’s, overnight in 30’s; Wednesday around 40; currently 37 degrees at 11:30 pm. West wind (“Wind from the west, sap flows best”), mostly sunny. Picture perfect. How’s It Running? Steadily since Tuesday afternoon. Sap Sweetness: 1.2 % on Tuesday, 1.1% Wednesday. Weak indeed. Boiling Status: Fired up at 7 pm… Read More
Cheese and Crackers Exalted
The blog’s local food correspondent Maple Trout Lilli just dropped off a plate of fresh crackers and cheese. I’m struggling to save one tiny little shard for Chief of Operations who is too busy to eat. (Change of weather: We’re collecting sap now.) Maple Trout Lilli writes: I recommend placing a thin slice of your… Read More
The Nebraska Knoll Blog 