First boil of the 2012 maple syrup season

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7gzDofee4s

First boil of the 2012 maple syrup season here at the Hardwick Sugar Shack in central Massachusetts. Our first run was January 31st–that’s a record! It’s the earliest we’ve ever started our season.

Oct snowstorm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS5Rc6YJwqo

The October snow storm did not herald a tough winter. Just the opposite. Very mild, and we’re making lots of maple syrup here in central Massachusetts.

Summer During Sugaring Season

Today the thermometer read 70 degrees. That’s not sugaring weather—that’s beach weather. Don’t get me wrong, I love to feel the warm sun on my face as much as the next New Englander after a cold winter, but this is just too much too soon. It’s been a pretty bad year for making maple syrup