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

Spring is coming

Another snow storm has covered the ground and is covering the sap buckets, waiting for the upcoming maple sugar season. Let's hope that the maple season will be good one. Remember now is the time to plan your garden and plan for those chickens or the next pig. Go out and think about what you can do to make your family more self sufficient. It may be fashionable now but it might be a necessity in the near future. Read my April 12, 2011 post. Sugar house is ready for the upcoming season.

Blizzard of 2013

Looking outside today, winter is holding tight to the land. The northeaster known as Memo, has dropped at least 24 inches of snow here, covering the nearly bare ground. It seems like this storm will be one to remember. In the goat barn we have two does born so far. Single births are rare but two in row is unheard of here. Time to feed the fires. See you soon.

Global warming?

Frigid temps tonight. Near zero or below even at noon today. The animals are well fed and the barn doors are pulled tight. Not to worry, maple season is still a few weeks away. Remember to think about next growing season soon. Seedlings will be started in little more than a month from now. Let´s hope no baby goats are born tonight.

Winter´s Furry - Let' s help the animals

New Year´s day has come and gone and the mercury is falling into the single digits.The farm animals are bedded down for the night with a little extra care for their welfare. It is the cold months that I realize the responsibility of caring for the animals should be taken seriously. We have all seen the barren pasture with a pair of hungry horses and wondered why folks that can barely feed themselves try in vain to take on the added stress of livestock. Someone should tell these folks that keeping hungry animals won't fix their low self-esteem. Try cleaning up your yard, how about taking out the trash from time to time. Why not get rid of the junk cars, how about taking down the Christmas decorations by Labor Day. Usually in the midst of the trash is a hungry goat, wondering when there may be some fresh hay available. I would guess that more than a few of our young goats have gone to unfit homes, a concern of mine for sure. I have really been impressed by some of our goat keeping friends and their commitment to their animals. It is great to see really great folks learning about animals and taking their responsibility so seriously. If you see a hungry animal this winter do what you can to see that it has shelter and food.

What do we do about all this?

In the wake of the Sandy Hook killings, "What do we do about all this?" On Friday, it is shock. It is disbelief, it is numbness to the numbers, the victims. On Saturday it is listening, it is reeling from the innocence lost. It is a feeling of grief. On Sunday it is praying, it is crying, it is folding our hands, listening to our pastors and being told that it is God's will. NOW IT IS MONDAY - GO DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THIS. There is still grief, there is still sadness, there is still mourning. But, "GO DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THIS". What do I mean? Crying is normal, praying is noble, wringing our hands asking why is ok, But for God's sake "GO DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THIS". So you ask, what can I do?. Talk to your young kids, talk to your teenagers, talk to the young adults in your life, talk to your husbands. Yes, talk to the boys and men in your life, talk to the girls and women in your life. How do we fix a broken society that would raise boys into killers? Yes, I said it, it is the society we need to fix. It is the society that tells single mothers that boys don't need fathers. It is the society that sits our boys down in front of the gaming console with a digitial M16 rifle. It the society of killing all around us, on the news we watch and on the entertainment we support. We have a society that surrounds our boys with women teachers, kicks dad out of the house and leaves the boys to make their own path. WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT ALL THIS We can blame the guns, they share in the blame for sure. We don't need high-powered killing machines placed in civilian hands. We need guns though. We need protection, we need security and we need tools to stop violence. As you may have known, The Farmer believes in our right to bear arms. I own several guns and will fight for MY right to keep them. I have guns for hunting and I have guns for the protection of my life, the life of my family and for YOUR PROTECTION AS WELL. I have registered guns, I have a concealed weapons permit, I have taken days of training on how to carefully handle, store and use a gun. I have used a gun for more than thirty years. I know where I can and cannot carry a concealed weapon. I cannot carry on school grounds, in a post office or a bank. I cannot carry in bar or on an airplane. Criminals know this as well, making schools "soft targets", filled mostly with female teachers and little kids. Let's DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THIS. Let's turn over every stone. Let's point fingers at everyone and everything that is to blame. Don't be blind to think that there is a single cause that leads to a single result. There is plenty of blame to go around. NOW GO DO SOMETHING.