The 2023 season is almost here!
We look forward to every new sugaring season and 2023 is no exception. In fact we're thinking this season may be even "sweeter" than last year if we can get Mother Nature to cooperate. Last year we taped about 500 trees including about 400 maple and 100 walnut trees we collected 3,500 gallons of sap which resulted in 55 gallons of finished syrup. All with the help of good friends of the farm who jumped in to help.
As of mid-January 2023 we have all of the tanks cleaned and ready to go and we have worked thru most of the sap lines in the woods. We had more down lines this year than before...but nothing serious...nothing we can't fix. They tend to last 3 - 5 years and we're into that range on many of our lines. It's actually pretty amazing how durable these sap collection lines are.
This year we’re replacing the gear pump previously used at the filter press with a pneumatic diaphragm pump powered by an air compressor located in a different building nearby. We’ve tested the new pump and it works great. But we know there will a bit of a learning curve here. But that’s ok. It’s just a part of continuous improvement in our processes.
Walnut Syrup
We are looking forward to another good year with our Walnut Syrup. The new lines and solar powered pumping station we ran last year is standing tall and ready to go. As you know walnut syrup is a favorite of ours and has a well-deserved local following. Like last year we'll probably do a bit of a blend (walnut with a bit of maple) again this year to see if we can't get something as good as last years turned out.
We'll also be producing a fair amount of our Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup again and are looking forward to that. We have contracted for a 15 or 20 gallon white oak bourbon barrel after the season ends this year.
So - thanks again for your support...come visit us when you can (we'll be scheduling our Open House events soon).
Check out the Products section of the website to learn where you can purchase a bit of the "sweet life" and thanks again for following along and supporting Springboro Tree Farms.