Sweet Spring

A word from the Sugarbush Farm (just a view miles from us).

March 2013

Greetings!   Vermont’s maple season started March 1st when it warmed up enough for us to make our first maple syrup.  Snow fall this past season has been on the low side with less than 60 inches since November.  The three Nor’Easter storms that came up the coast and produced two or three feet of snow and big winds missed our area, which is 97 miles from the coast.  So tapping our 7,000 trees was somewhat easier than some years as the snow wasn’t quite so deep.   We are hoping for a more normal season (2012 ended the third week of March with 80 degree weather and the buds coming out).  So our plan is hopefully to be making syrup into early April.     Easter is early this year, March 31st, think about pancakes and Pure Vermont Maple syrup for a nice family breakfast, or order a nice cheese gift box for family and friends. Orders should reach us by March 20th to insure those gifts on the West Coast reach them in plenty of time.      While March 20th is the first day of Spring by the calendar, we say we have two Spring’s here in Vermont.  Our first Spring is March when in addition to maple, we usually have mud.  The rural gravel “back” roads such as Sugarbush Farm Rd begin to thaw, which results in mud sometimes several inches deep.  Those folks who have cars low to the ground sometimes walk the last mile or so to their homes in order to keep their cars in one piece.  Then by mid April, the mud has dried up and the pleasant Spring comes with the grass getting green, leaves starting to open by early May and lilacs blooming by Memorial Day.

Happy Spring to everyone!

CHECKING THE SKIING CONDITIONS IN VERMONT

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To get the latest ski conditions click BELOW and it will take you to  SKI VERMONT with the latest reports.

http://www.skivermont.com/

Wassail in Woodstock

 

Enjoy a festive weekend in Woodstock

Dec. 7-8-9, 2012

FALLEN LEAVES SPECIAL

 Need a break?

Take advantage of our “Fallen Leaves” special. Enjoy a late fall visit to Woodstock, Vermont . We have a special rate of $135/night for ALL our rooms until December 1.

Sugarbush Farm’s take on foliage colors

The best fall colors in Vermont are usually the first two weeks of October.  A number of things in nature can affect how brilliant the colors are, including the amount of sunshine and warm weather in late August and early September, amount of rain during the summer and whether we have had a hard frost yet.  The other main thing that make the leaves change color is the tree knows the days are getting shorter and so shuts down its color production of chlorophyll, which makes the leaf green and the underlying colors appear.  It’s one of the most amazing sights to watch the hillside near Sugarbush Farm change daily from green to brilliant oranges and reds.

If you decide to visit the state during    those 3 foliage weeks, be sure to have a   lodging reservation ahead of time   especially for the weekends, as some   years there are more people than beds.    We can always squeeze a few more folks   into our farm store and with lots of room for nature walks and picnics and visiting with the animals, you are welcome every day between 8 and 5.

Enjoy the foliage at the Farm

Harvest Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 6 & 7
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  
Join us for a traditional Vermont harvest celebration with a husking bee and barn dance; cider pressing, harvesting root vegetables, “putting food by,” and more; spiced cider and homemade doughnuts.

Wagon Ride Weekend
Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 13 & 14
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Narrated horse-drawn wagon rides around the Billings’ fields during the height of fall foliage; farm programs and activities.

Foilage looking good

Sunny days and cool nights promise a spectacular fall foliage this year. Visit http://foliage-vermont.com/ to see its progress.