Easter on the Farm

Easter has come and gone again,as we say goodbye to March and hello to April. We have two more goat kids, a doeling and buckling from momma Emily. The maple season may be done with 25 gallons in the bottles. Firewood is coming we'll as we clear another garden area for the upcoming season. Busy times.

Busy time on the Farm

Things are really busy on the farm these days. The sap has been running well, which means lots of time in the sugar house. Emily and Clover are due to kid soon in the goat barn, and there is more firewood to cut for next winter. We had a great group visiting on Sunday at the sugar house as well. I hope you all had a good time. Off the farm we are working on baseball and softball as well as making a living, of course. The sunny hours will be spent wisely so we can look back and know that we did the best we could. Everyone is busy doing what we love, so we'll keep on doing it. Take care.

Season winding down?

We had a good group for Maine Maple Sunday and we are near our yearly goal of 25 gallons on the shelf. The season has been a good one, but the Farmer needs to get back to being a Surveyor. The snow is losing its grip in the woods, so I will be out there a lot in the next few weeks.

Maine Maple Sunday - Visitors Welcome

693 West Road, Bowdoin, Maine      Reuben & Angela Wheeler

Does this look familiar?

I was going through some old photos today and came across these maple sugaring photos that I thought might look like all junior sugar makers.

After getting kicked out of the kitchen for putting too much steam into the house, I headed for the driveway.

On this "barrel stove and canner" rig, fired with dripping wet wood I could boil sap at the rate of about 1 gallon per hour.  The last year with this setup in the muddy, rainy and cold driveway we made just 4 gallons of "very dark, almost burnt" syrup and managed to avoid getting pneumonia.

In 2010 we moved indoors and up to the Mason 2'x4' Hobby evaporator.  Now with bone dry wood we can boil sap away at a rate of 10 gallons per hour, still a far cry from the big sugar houses. 

Almost every sugar maker has wrangled with the idea of moving up in size and production, but it takes lots of money to make the jump.  I've talked to some of Maine's bigger sugar makers and it seems like their sugaring operation is an arrangement between them and their bank.  Well, at Juniper Hill Sugar, our only partnership is with our trees! 

I hope to see you all at our Annual Open Sugar House on Sunday March 24th, Noon to 5 PM.
693 West Road, Bowdoin, Maine.  Reuben & Angela Wheeler & family.

Maine Maple Sunday 2013

All are welcome to visit our family sugar house and farm on Sunday March 24, 2013 from Noon to 5 pm. Come learn how we make maple syrup, be inspired to try it yourself. We will offer farm tours to see our dairy goat herd,, our laying hens, or visit the warm greenhouse in the back yard. We are located at 693 West Road, Bowdoin, Maine. Our homestead is kid friendly and we love to help others to become more self-sufficient. Hope to see you there. Angela & Reuben Wheeler