The Percy Arch

Chief of Operations writes: Thank You, Paul With the tragic loss of the historic Percy barn and all the cows within, it’s my time to chime in with appreciation for all the Percys have done to keep agriculture alive in the Stowe area. It was the fall of 1976 and I was hellbent to do… Read More

Tropical Pineapple Coconut Muffins

Food correspondent Maple Trout Lilli writes: TROPICAL PINEAPPLE COCONUT MUFFINS As we begin to think about warmer weather (sugaring season always makes me feel this way) these pineapple coconut muffins caught my eye. Three years ago, I posted a recipe for Super Hero Muffins. I was gifted with a book containing a slew of new… Read More

Farewell, February. Welcome, March.

WEATHER: A three-day thaw 2/21-2/23 melted away the snow from the fields and much of the snow from the woods. It has been an anemic snow winter. In December and early January we counted new snowfall in tenths of an inch. By late January we could count snow in full inches but not in feet.… Read More

Tapping 2022: A Photo Essay

Once again each tapper strapped boots into snowshoes,

tramped up Herbie’s Highway (a ski route on ski days and a snowshoe route on tapping days),

noting that the mice travel on a separate highway,

to stop at each maple tree where, selecting with care a fresh patch of bark

to bzzz into as far as the wooden block then bzzz straight back out again,

and feeling pleased to see the blonde shavings that indicate the tap is a “good” one,

the tapper hammered in the spout and the loop of tubing,

and wished each tree well before looking ahead to the crown

then the trunk of the next tree (this one appearing strong in spite of, or because of, a life of adversity).

Dispatch from a Fen

As a tribute to summer as it yields to autumn, and to celebrate the opening of the Canadian border, let’s travel to western Newfoundland to explore a fen with fellow Vermonter Jill, a botanist friend who is wild about fens. It is a drizzly afternoon in August, 2019. Jill bends over her tall rubber boots… Read More

Spring Beauties

Sugarhouse talk of spring beauties started with Larry. On Monday evening when he emerged from the woods after a day of pulling taps he said, “The spring beauties are primping for The Ball. They’re trying on their finery and practicing their twirls.” On Wednesday he announced, “The Spring Ball was today!” On Thursday, when my… Read More

All of a sudden, Summer

WEATHER: If you live in the East you know that it feels as though we skipped April and even May. It could be June. April is called “the cruel month” since just as you reach for the garden trowel a storm will dump a foot of snow which melts to muddy slush. The ragged, jerky… Read More

That Damn Bloody Taste

WEATHER: In a general sense, the pattern continues of Freeze, Thaw, Freeze, Thaw – in chunks of a few days each rather than in chunks of hours (freeze-by-night, thaw-by-day). Last night’s freeze was the last in the forecast. HOW’S IT RUNNING? The run of 3/30-3/31 was by far the best of the season. The current… Read More

Yikes, it’s a real run this time

Quick Update: A blustery winter’s day followed by a good freeze last night set up the maples for a hard sap run today. At 11pm the run is scarcely letting up. As March’s Worm Moon rose we embarked on morning chores which can’t wait until morning. We lined up crew for early morning, all-day, and… Read More

Sugarhouse Chicken

If the crew is boiling at suppertime they fill their bowls in the front room when they can snatch a moment. The stoker retreats to the back side of the evaporator where there is a counter to sit on if the fire has just been stoked or to rest one’s bowl on if she must… Read More

	BSH on The Light Show
	CLAIRMONDE/LARRY HAR… on On the Cusp of a Sap Run
	nebraskaknoll on The More it Snows
	Anonymous on On the Cusp of a Sap Run
	nebraskaknoll on Earliest First Boil: February…