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2017 Season is finished!

by Mary 4/4/2017 10:22:00 AM

With the earliest start of maple syruping in February, we ended March 31 with a grand total of 544 gallons of delicious maple syrup. A new record for Somerskogen Sugarbush has been set! Every year has been highly anticipated and a bit mysterious - never knowing how the various weather factors would affect the sap flow. We were not disappointed this year! 

The maple buds began to swell a few days ago, and this means the season is over.  Though the sap will continue to flow, there is a chemical change in the sap and it would impart an "off-flavor" to maple syrup.  So, the season is over, cleaning begins, as well as bottling for orders.

Feel free to call (612-860-4403)or email us (dsomers@citlink.net) to reserve your supply of the 2017 allotment. If you prefer to pickup your order and avoid shipping charges, that can be easily arranged. You can still pay online and we'll refund the calculated shipping costs.

Frigid Temps Receding -

by Mary 3/15/2017 7:44:00 AM

We've been stuck in a cold rut, for what seems like a very long time. After an amazing run of sap on March 6-7, the temperatures plummeted and all lines froze rock solid. There wasn't anything to do but bottle maple syrup, so we're now well-supplied for filling orders.

The forecast looks very promising for sap flow and making more maple syrup for the next6-7 days. With Spring arriving on Monday, March 20th, we hope we've experienced the last of winter's cold, but being the month of March, temperature swings are common. Here is the latest temperature graph, from Paul Douglas' blog in the StarTribune:

 

 

Amazing flows of sap = delicious syrup!

by Mary 3/2/2017 8:20:00 AM

Once again, surprised by Mother Nature, we had 2200 gallons of sap from our 1000 taps in about 36 hours!!! Watching the sap flow through the tubing and travel through the woods to the lower collection tank was sheer fun - one of the many delights of being out in the woods and observing a transition to Spring.Take a look at some of the videos on our website of sap flowing into the manifold, releasing into the collection tank for further understanding.

The sugar content of the sap was 2.6%, which calculated to 33 gallons of sap making 1 gallon of maple syrup. All of the processed syrup was Grade A Dark Robust and DELICIOUS! We have hit a new record of 100 gallons of maple syrup by March 1st! In years past we didn't start syruping until the second or third week of March.  The Minnesota DNR puts our warm streak into perspective: "Minnesota is in the grips of a historic warm streak, now standing at 18 months in many locations, including the Twin Cities.

Weather forecast for the next week looks promising for more sap flow! Stay tuned!