Walking back from the garage that houses our sap tanks and reverse osmosis machine, I can feel a weight lift. There’s a shimmer on the grass, and the slightest crunchiness beneath my soggy boots: it’s starting to freeze. Finally. It’s March 7. We have not had a freeze in over a week. We are pulling 27.5” of vacuum on the trees and have been getting sap throughout the warm spell, but without a proper freeze the sap isn’t running hard. As the thaw stetched on, the sap started to get cloudy, but at least it’s kept coming.
I give a nod of recognition to the vacuum pump, chugging away, steadfast. Early in the week we made 132 gallons of amber rich syrup during one boil- the most in a single boil that the old walls of this Sugarhouse have ever seen.
The logbook on the wall has single line under 1967 and the words “New Sugarhouse”. The building is older now, battle worn from frost heaves and countless long days and long nights of making syrup. The newspaper clippings and handwritten notes on the walls are fading, but still readable with a little persistence. The New Sugarhouse is older now, but it’s got experience and it’s damn good at what it does.
Tonight, I’ve been working the 4 foot by 12 foot evaporator on my own. I think I’ve been spoiled this season. I have had competent and consistent help in the Sugarhouse and in the woods- getting tapped, finding damage, and running the evaporator.
As I load the wood cart again, I can’t help but think of a friend and one Vermont’s most talented chefs. I passed him one evening out breaking down cardboard boxes at the dumpster: “Back to basics” he said in his characteristic accent as I passed and we both had a good laugh, welcome at the end of a long day. His accent and his words are on repeat in my head as a drop each armload of wood onto the cart, soon to watch it all disappear into the roaring fire.
I started concentrating sap with the RO last night at 10pm. It is now getting a well deserved cleaning, and a rest after over 24 hours of run time. As I load the fire for the final time on this 8 hour boil, I can’t help but marvel at the history of this place. The Johnston family sugared here from at least 1956 up until 2017, when we took over. We have made more syrup this past week, than was made during many entire seasons in the early years. Gone are the buckets and the horse team pulling the sap tank sled. Here now, is tubing, and vacuum and reverse osmosis. I can’t help but wonder what they would think and how they would feel about the operation now and the family -my family- that is at the helm.
80 more gallons of syrup boiled in tonight. March 7 and it looks like we will be at half a crop this week. The freeze is setting now at midnight and the stretch of weather coming up looks great for sugaring. The vacuum system is as tight as it’s ever been and the pump has finally shut off with the freezing temperatures. Tomorrow will be a cleaning day, and then back at it. Sap should run hard this week and we will be ready.
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