Because of this year’s extreme cold combined with 110 inches of record-breaking snow, maple sugaring was late to start and slow-going. For the first time, our open house was cancelled entirely. Spring finally broke through in mid-March with sap flowing irregularly. Kayleigh and Doug collected from 200 buckets in Concord, but the extreme conditions prevented tapping in Carlisle. Miraculously, by April the team had boiled 1,100 gallons of sap into 31 gallons of syrup (textbook 40:1 ratio) while simultaneously planting seeds in the greenhouse.

Special thanks to Steven Hathaway for his award-winning short film, “Tapping In,” about our sugaring process, David Outerbridge for building stairs up to the sap reservoir, Richard Nichols for sharing his knowledge of high-quality sugaring practices, and everyone who lent a hand during the season. Photos by Fan Watkinson, Program Manager.