Current Boiling Schedule

Updated: Friday, March 12, 2010 11:31pm

Bonus Update: In addition to our standard 6 samples (maple sap, mid-boil, maple syrup, maple cream, maple candy & maple sugar) we have a special extra sample this weekend thanks to Mad Maggie's Ice Cream (www.madmaggies.com)... we will give people a taste of their newest flavor Maple Bacon Ice Cream. Tried it tonight and it is delish! Thanks Steve!

And There's More: All weekend at Joe Fish (www.joefish.net) they are serving the following for their lunch and dinner maple special... Pecan Crusted Mahi-Mahi with Turtle Lane Farm Maple Glaze: Fresh Mahi oven roasted with a pecan crust, drizzled with a Turtle Lane Farm Maple Glaze, accompanied by a medley of tri-colored roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables

Updated: Friday, March 12, 2010 12:02am

Great News!! We just collected nearly 400 gallons of sap. That means we will be boiling this weekend. Not sure how long the season will last, so if you think you want to learn about sugaring, or visit a sugar house this year... do it this weekend!!  And don't let the rain stop you.  If it is bad out, we do the tours inside and there is plenty of room.  You would be surprised how some sugar can make you smile on a rainy day. So come experience a real New England tradition and join us this weekend!

The sap run has been terrible to put it mildly.  It has been too warm at night, and the 10 day forecast doesn't look much better.  We are hoping something changes and we get some cold nights, otherwise we might not have much of a season. 

Saturday, March 13:  9:00am - 4:00pm, drop in visitors are welcome.

Sunday, March 14:  9:00am - 4:00pm, drop in visitors are welcome.

If tentative is stated, it means provided that Mother Nature cooperates and provides some weather in the 40's during the day and overnight temps below freeazing.  We update our voice mail at home as well, so if you are ever wondering if it's a good time to stop by, check back to our website or give us a call.

Feel free to swing by, reservations are not necessary. Park on the street not in the driveway (and please don't block any of our neighbor's driveways). You can walk up the driveway and go around the left side of the house (follow the path). You will see the lights of the sugar house. You may want to bring your boots as there will be mud on the way back to the sugar house. If the sign is up at the end of the street, we are boiling because the first and last thing we do is put up and take down the sign.

We will update this schedule every couple of days, so check back often for the latest!

Also check us out at: www.facebook.com/turtlelanemaplefarm and at:www.twitter.com/turtlelanemaple

2010 Season is Fast Approaching

February 23rd, 2010 at 2:21 am (Facebook, News)

Actually, it is here! Only problem, we aren’t ready.

In all the past years, earliest we have had sap running is February 27th, and so that is what we prepare for. Imagine our surprise late last week when we figured out, OMG the season is passing us by. We have been working every spare minute on getting ready. Hanging lines for 500+ taps all around town, including a brand new run of 100 taps that replaces nearly the same amount in trees cut down last season on Johnson and Salem Streets. Cleaning the sugar house, the pans, the pumps, the tanks, and anything else we can put hot water to. And for the first time since December, now the website. There will be more coming soon. As in past years, we will post boiling schedules daily so keep checking back. Kathy is also working on a comprehensive tour schedule, sorry to all of you that have been waiting.

We should be ready to go by the end of this week. Then the question will be, will the sap run? The last week has been perfect, to our shagrin, and now it looks like the next 4 days will be miserable. Our boiling this weekend will be purely dependent on whether mother nature will have some pity on Turtle Lane Maple Farm. Cross your fingers, do a dance, and check back daily as we get closer to the weekend.

For those of you on Facebook, we have been enjoying sharing information via our Fan Page at: www.facebook.com/turtlelanemaplefarm and on twitter at http://twitter.com/turtlelanemaple

Thanks for supporting local agriculture!

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Preparing for the 2009 season

February 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am (News)

Sorry to everyone that has come to the site so far this year and found terribly outdated content.  We have been busy with life as well as getting ready for the season.  Sometimes it seems we are stretched a bit too thin.  But we are very excited for the upcoming season!

We are in the process of cleaning the sugarhouse, repairing the equipment, and getting ready to run tubing (we are always looking for volunteers).  We expect to run tubing during the last two weeks of February. Most likely in the last week of February we will be tapping the trees in expectation that the beginning of March will kickoff the beginning of the season.  The perfect weather for set flow is daytime temperatures in the 40’s and overnight below freezing.  Although the groundhog says that there is many more weeks of winter we believe that the beginning of spring is right around the corner.

We are hoping for a plentiful season of sap flow, because all indications are that we are sure to have a successful season in terms of visitors. We have already booked 28 groups for tours, not to mention all of the drop-in visitors we are expecting.  Last year we had 1,750 visitors for free tours (a new record), not sure if we will beat that this year.  We’re getting antsy for the season to begin, and look forward to the upcoming weeks in March!

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