We are so happy to have our maple sugar groves tapped again after a few years off. The Clace family and friends are local and great to work with. We let them set permanent lines in return for maple syrup and believe me the gift is precious. It runs along the theory of many other things. If you have a sheep, shear it and use the wool, if you have a cow, milk it and drink the milk, if you have land, till and feed the folks. So if you have maple trees, tap them and enjoy the sweetest gift on earth.
The logo tells all. They are doing the tapping, the boiling and the creating. Among other things.
We stopped by the sugar house today to spend a few hours...
They are doing it Yankee style. The sugar content in the sap is so strong right now they've been making fancy grade for 2 days. And I tasted it today and, oh man, is it good!
The fires were stoked constantly to keep the sap boiling.
Being at a sugar house is an event...it's hard work and social. At this house there were people from 9 to 84 years old, sharing stories and friendship.
This shows the syrup coming out of the evaporator into the filter where it then flows into a finishing pan and then is poured off into a container as finished syrup.
The kids went out and scooped snow into cups and then poured syrup over it as a treat known as "sugar on snow".
Things are pointing toward spring....including the outerwear. Here is our corner at the kitchen door. It is now full to the max with cold weather coats, rain coats and possibly a sweater in case we have a day that reaches 45 degrees.
If you want maple syrup you have the number to call!
Now that does bring back memories! The Vermont house had 10 acres and friends tapped it for my folks.
ReplyDeleteEvery year they did we got a gallon of yummy delicious syrup and one gal made candy and would send us over a small box. What a fun day you had.