Bye Bye 2020!!! (Happy New Year!)

We have HUGE dreams over here at Guiles' Sugar Shack.

While we are best known for our sugar shack and maple syrup production, we've got our hands in all of the different aspects of homesteading.

When we picture our home and our farm in the future (just like I'm sure all of you envisioning your future lives) we envision this grandiose (not so) little farm where in addition to continuing to grow and improve our maple syrup business, we are also raising and cultivating that which is necessary to sustain most other aspects of our life-- and also being able to share those products and adventures with all of you.

While being able to focus on big plans for the future, though, especially in a time like 2020, I think it's easy to overlook and underappreciate all of the serious progress that we have made over the last year.

Frequently, I'm left thinking that we should have gotten more done and that we haven't made nearly enough progress toward being wherever it is that we are supposed to be.

And then I scrolled through my phone to pull pictures for this post and realized, WOW, despite all things 2020, we came a long way this year.

So what did we accomplish in 2020?

Maple Syrup Production

2020 saw us undertaking further (still in progress) HUGE renovations on the sugar shack including the addition of a commercial kitchen (running water guys!!!) and significant upgrades to both the technology and interior.

We expanded our maple syrup offerings to include (to die for) maple cream and bourbon aged maple syrup, and for the first time we started bringing our maple goodness to local farm markets.

And--although it may be the smallest part--- it's my favorite part-- we completely did away with buckets and are 100% on our tube/vac system. No more arm pain from hauling 40lb sap buckets to the shack!!!!

So while we still have huge dreams of completing the shack renovations, introducing even more amazing maple products (**cough cough** did someone say maple sugar, candy or cotton candy??) and even the possibility of us bringing in an entirely new evaporator system---2020 wasn't bad at the shack.

All The Animals

We began our goat raising endeavors in 2019-- but 2020 brought us our first bottle baby--which was an experience, to say the least. She now believes she is part human, part dog/cat and maybe a little goat. But we got comfy with the tiny babies. And now we just bred two of our ladies to a local stud for our very own spring babies-- which he hope will bring goat's milk and the ability to produce and share all of the amazingness of goats milk soap, lotion, etc.

We started keeping bees! This was an interesting experience and we have definitely had both success and failures--but we learned so much, and harvested 3.5 gallons of honey for us out of our first hive as well as bees wax. In 2021 we hope to expand our hives, produce enough honey to share with our closest friends/family and customers, and start to create some pretty nifty bees wax products--- hello candles and lip balm???

And Chickens, can't leave out the chickens. The end of 2019 was a struggle as we diagnosed our chicken's with a pretty virile pathogen (thanks to a shady breeder)-- and not because we were required to-- but because of my desire to share our chickens with the rest of the world we decided to cull our entire flock (who were still able to provide for our bellies--- so were not at all wasted) and start over. I spent countless hours after sterilizing their coop and praying that all of my efforts were enough.

And they were.

We got our first incubator--and again after a learning curve and some heart break and much happiness, ordered the best eggs I could find and hatched chicks that we raised into our current flock--- and hesitantly put them back into the carefully cleaned coops-- and thank GOD--- the virus was eradicated and today we again have a flourishing and healthy flock.

And we added ducks--seriously-- if y'all ever need a smile just come peek on my ladies waddling around quacking after one another. (2021 goal-- a separate Quack Shack for my lady ducks.)

So keep an eye out guys, chicks/hatching eggs and breakfast are coming right up.

The Gardens

Our goal for last year was to germinate all of our plants from seeds-- and we did it-- not a single plant in our garden (vegetable or flower) was purchased-- rather it was started under some modest LED lights right in our kitchen and basement.

And we're hooked.

For this upcoming year we've already started transitioning a 12 x 12 area of our house into an indoor green house with grow racks and lights and all of the goodies. And I may have already purchased more seeds than we will possible be able to use or grow for ourselves.

So again this year, we will 100% grow from seed, what we will put into our garden this year (tomatoes, potatoes, squash, zucchinis, cucumber, peppers, broccoli, beans, etc.) and in addition to providing for ourselves we plan to have seedlings available for whomever may want or need them, and potentially some produce to spare.

Our goals out of the garden for 2021 include all of the above, but also to preserve all of our own seeds--- so that not only are we not reliant on greenhouses/etc for our plants-- but so that we don't even have to shop for seeds--- so that we can harvest and have what we need for everything from eating to preserving (a big increase planned) to replanting.

I've also wanted for years to grow flowers and set them on a roadside stand to share with the world, and while we aren't there yet-- we've made so much progress-- stay tuned for 2021--- we've got quite the garden in the works.

And there is so much more--- but we will save your the reading for now.

So, as you can see--- it's easy-- in many things--- to get caught up in all of the "what if's" and "we should have's" and be focused so much on the future that you miss out on all of the "little things" that you do accomplish and experience, that really add up to REALLY BIG THINGS in the long run.

So, on that note, bye bye 2020, welcome 2021--- and, now if you'll excuse us--- we are going to be quiet for the next month while we are finalizing preparations for the 2021 syrup season that should start in about six weeks (AHHHHHHHHHH)-- stay tuned for shack updates and tap day celebrations :)