Current Boiling Schedule

Updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 2:01pm

***LAST SECOND UPDATE*** We have about 200 gallons of sap that we have to boil or it will go bad by tonight. So we are having a little impromptu boil for a few hours (3pm - 7pm) this afternoon. This is a special invitation to our online friends. Come join us and hang out. Not really official tours, but we will have lots of samples ;-)

Check out the nice article in the Boston Herald yesterday http://bit.ly/93z2m9

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.

We don't have any scheduled boils until Saturday, which is good because we don't have any sap either.  Cross your fingers that by Saturday morning we get some sap so that we can boil this weekend. 

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

Sunday, March 14:  9:00am - 4:00pm (tentative), 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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Brownie Troop 71874 from North Reading

March 6th, 2009 at 4:08 pm (events)

March 12, 2009
4:00 pmto5:00 pm
4:00 pm

Nancy Vadala will be bringing a group of approximately a dozen brownies with their siblings and parents for a fun filled tour!

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Brownie Troop 71174 from Medford

March 6th, 2009 at 3:26 pm (events)

March 18, 2009
4:00 pmto5:00 pm

Dawn deSouza is bringing a small group of first geade brownies, their siblings and some parents for a sweet tour!

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Preschool Children

March 4th, 2009 at 7:02 pm (events)

March 20, 2009
1:15 pmto2:15 pm

We are working with Gina Downs to arrange for her to come with a group of preschool children.

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Cub Scouts Pack 54 Den 7 from Billerica

March 4th, 2009 at 6:48 pm (events)

March 15, 2009
3:30 pmto4:30 pm

Diane Walker will be bringing a group of 7 and 8 year old cub scouts along with some of their parents.

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Daisy Troop 62102 from North Andover

March 4th, 2009 at 6:41 pm (events)

March 20, 2009
11:30 amto12:30 pm

Deborah Falcone will be bringing a group of twelve 5 and 6 year old Daisies along with approximately 5 siblings and a dozen parents.

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Parents of Tots

February 24th, 2009 at 9:37 am (events)

March 7, 2009
3:30 pmto4:30 pm

Gia Leach will be coming with a group of parents and tots for a tour.

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Weblos Pack 77 from Chelmsford

February 23rd, 2009 at 2:09 pm (events)

March 13, 2009
3:30 pmto5:00 pm

Kathleen Duffy will be bringing a group of about a dozen Weblos ages 10-11 along with their siblings and parents for a tour.

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Daisies from Tyngsboro

February 23rd, 2009 at 1:59 pm (events)

March 25, 2009
4:00 pmto5:30 pm

Heather McGaffigan is bringing a group of 6-7 year old Daisies for a tour, along with their siblings and parents.

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Brownie Troop 60414 from Lynnfield

February 23rd, 2009 at 1:50 pm (events)

March 18, 2009
4:00 pmto5:30 pm

Michele Myers-Mellor and the 7-8 year old girls from Lynnfield will be coming along with their parents and siblings for a sweet tour!

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