Whatever word we choose, the result remains the same. The 2020 maple syrup season at Somerskogen has come to an end. Our last collection of sap was on April 6th, exactly one month after our first collection of the season.
We made our last syrup on April 7th, finishing with 643 gallons of syrup on 1200 taps. As the season progressed, we noted a drop in the sugar content of the sap from 2% to 1.4%, which then required 61 gallons of sap to make one gallon of finished syrup. If not for our reverse osmosis , which removes 75% of the water before we start boiling, the last day would have been beyond tedious! All of this year's maple syrup was very full-flavored and the majority is designated Amber Rich - "amber" for the color and "rich" for the taste.
As I mentioned, we set a new record of 643 gallons and it was a test of our system, as Mary and I handled the season amid the social distancing required during the pandemic. Family and friends were unable to join us in what is usually a joyful, communal season of syrup!
All of our taps have been removed and preliminary cleanup is underway. We find we save the outdoor tasks for the glorious warm, sunny days of April (when they appear!)
We have received a record number of orders, perhaps because people across the nation have been enjoying forced eating at home. We also received orders from Colorado after a television station aired the Somerskogen feature made by Ron Shara Productions - known around Minnesota as Minnesota Bound. In Colorado it was aired on the outdoor show "Due North". This was quite a surprise and we were happy to hear Colorado heard about Somerskogen Sugarbush!
We hope you are able to remain healthy, as we remain in the Twilight Zone, caused by the pandemic. We are ready and able to ship maple syrup at this time, so place your orders soon. We have the 2020 season bottled up in plastic pints, quarts, half-gallons and gallons, so you can enjoy the 2020 vintage - probably the best tasting maple syrup we've produced. We'll be bottling more of the 2020 season in the next few weeks.
We look forward to keeping in touch with you! Thanks for reading the Somerskogen blog this spring!