Every maple syrup producer knows that this time of year means walking hundreds of lines searching for the tiniest hole that could cause us problems. As we prepare to tap, finding all the vacuum leaks is essential to a good system. The more vacuum we have, the more sap we collect and the more syrup we boil!
This is why, here at Pour House Maple, we don't like squirrels. Affectionately known as tree rats, squirrels and all the the other animals running around in the woods including bear, deer, coyotes, and chipmunks like maple as much as we do!! Throughout the summer and fall months, these critters like to gnaw on the lines just to get a taste of our sweet sap. Although we love sharing our sweet maple syrup, we'd rather not share with them.
Needless to say, we spent these last few weeks before season walking the lines looking for little holes... Or big ones!
