HHF 2022 maple updates - Early Season

Since my last post we’ve seen every possible weather change here in New Hampshire. We’ve had subzero nights. We’ve had 55 degree days. We’ve had a 40 degree temperature change in less than 24 hours. We’ve had wind, rain, freezing rain, and snow. It’s been a wild ride. Needless to say, our 2022 maple season arrived a bit earlier than we anticipated.

When I last posted on February 10th, we knew an upcoming weather change was inevitable. On Saturday, February 12th we had temperatures in the 40s. The sap was running and us farmers were scrambling to get things set up to make some syrup. With toddler in tow, I opened our sugarhouse that morning to greet those arriving for the Sunapee Sugarhouse Sender mountain bike race. The parking lot turned to ice overnight, and we busily sanded the area to keep everyone safe. The weather conditions warmed and soon everyone realized they’d be racing in some seriously slushy conditions. The thirty or so riders took off from the sugarhouse and into Webb Forest… and a while later, many returned a bit wet and tired from their grand adventure. It was a fun time had by all and hopefully will lead to an annual event. We can only hope for more winter-like conditions next year. Brooks and I ran the retail shop for our morning visitors as Tyler headed out to gather the first loads of sap. To add to the juggle, Van and Robin were enjoying a nice vacation up north - not expecting an early arrival of maple season. Fortunately we recruited a local neighbor to help out as we gathered sap and set up equipment - thanks Ron! We kicked off the first boil late into Saturday evening. All went well - we managed to sweeten the pans and make about 10 gallons of a delicious, buttery Amber Rich Maple Syrup. After a very long day and night, Tyler cleaned up the sugarhouse and prepared for the next below freezing stretch of weather. The next morning, I served up a pancake breakfast with fresh maple syrup and a side of oranges - the reward!

The good news is over the last couple weeks, we’ve had more time to prepare for the upcoming season. Since our first boil, we’ve gotten the rest of our trees tapped out. Our Newport woods is fully operational, but our Lempster woods is still not fully ready. We had some equipment issues and are in the process of installing a new vacuum pump and house - without the vacuum hooked up, we rely on gravity alone and get less sap collected. With any luck, Lempster woods will be operating at 100% before the next good sap run. We’re making great progress in the cold weather this week.

maple tap count
2,500 Taps

**First Boil - February 12, 2022**
3 boiling days
**Total Sap Collected so far…**
5,555 Gallons
1.72% Sugar Average
50 Gal needed for 1 Gal syrup
**Maple Syrup Total as of 3/1**
103.5 Gallons
**Maple Grades**
Amber Rich & Dark Robust

We are excited to welcome you to the sugarhouse this season! We’re open every weekend in March from 10am till 4:30pm. The weather will dictate boiling times, but we’ll be there to give you tours, samples and operate the shop. The shelves are stocked with fresh Maple Syrup in plastic jugs or glass. We have a replenished supply of Maple Cream, Candy, and Sugar. A large selection of our homegrown Grass Fed Beef is in our shop freezer. Get it while it lasts. See you soon!