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I happen to know everything there is to know about maple syrup! I love maple syrup. I love maple syrup on pancakes. I love it on pizza. And I take maple syrup and put a little bit in my hair when I've had a rough week. What do you think holds it up, slick?

― Vince Vaughn ―

Vince Vaughn, born in Minneapolis, grew up in Buffalo Grove and Lake Forest, IL, gets it right. The season is off to a great start, and as the relatively deeper, colder, and snowier winter promised, the taste of our Pure Maple Syrup is uh-mazing!

Prince and Sadie, a Belgian stallion and a 3/4 draft/Arabian mix respectively, are kicking ass in their sap hauling duties this year.

Primal Woods

Dear friends Gary and Katie came all the way from Idaho for a very enjoyable and productive 4-day visit.

Geri, yours truly, Gary and Katie performing the obligatory taste test at every syrup draw-off.

Portable Sawmill Services Dead quiet this week, for me that's a godsend; I really have no time but to care for the animals and make maple syrup...of course as I was Evaporating and writing this (yes, a guy can occasionally multi-task) I got a call for Sawmill Services.

Sap Run #2

Pure Maple Syrup We're in the middle of Sap Run #2, we've collected 1,820 gallons of Sap. So far we've lost no sugar to operator error, knock on wood, that'd be me, the operator. Looks like I'll get a much needed break mid-to-late next week, as the overnight lows stay above freezing from Monday through Thursday, so no expected Sap flow. Prince and Sadie have done their job well, as has their teamster, Elmer.

Andrew teaching Katie the sap collecting "skilz"

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Everyone learned a lot this past week, myself included; as Joseph Joubert said, "To teach is to learn twice." I've made several "penciled-in" changes to Work Instructions, and added to the "Ideas" and "Useful Knowledge Gained" sections of the 2021 "Post Mortem" document. When choosing to do it "the old fashioned way," we must be the best and most efficient in those ways to achieve the lowest cost possible. Gary basically ran the Evaporator for the last two days he was here, which I have to admit was a great relief.

Top (L-R) John, Hector, Casper, Grey Stone, Gary; the male goats in their new winter quarters, separated from Red

Homesteading The big news is that Red is due to deliver in five days; the first births on the Homestead. To say that we are excited is an understatement, Geri is seriously considering pitching a tent in the barn so she's sure to not miss the action!

Red upon arrival back in November 2020

Meanwhile reclamation of the High Pasture is exceeding my expectations. I'm excited to get this seeded with native grasses just a bit later this spring. By 2023 it should be well established...I hope. This pasture was literally impassible before Adam and Joe got started; they're going to get a lot of firewood as a part of their compensation, at the same time they are really taking care of us and our needs.

The High Pasture reclamation project is really moving along. The livestock are going to love it.

In closing... It's been a great and very productive two weeks since I last wrote. Pure Maple Syrup was of course front and center, but the progress made on the High Pasture and in the barn were the icing on the cake. Many thanks to Gary and Katie for their help, and their friendship. I've been remiss in allowing so much time to pass without seeing friends; all I can do now is to repent, if you will, and change my ways.

All the best and warm regards,
John & Geri