The sap is running!
Collecting sap for the boil.
Gorgeous day.
Sap in the holding tank ready to be boiled.
Steam rising off the boiling sap.
Our family has this thing for being out at the woods on a gorgeous sunny day in March, boiling down the sap that has been tapped and collected from the maple trees to make maple syrup.
There's nothing like it.
Our aunt and uncle started tapping the maple trees years ago and it has been a special tradition ever since that many family members & friends have been able to experience.
First you must hike around with your "gathering bucket" to each tree to retrieve the sap that's been collected under each spout. Every once in a while you plunge your hand into a bucket or hold it under a spout to take a delicious drink of the cold, frosty sap fresh out of the tree. It tastes like the most refreshing water with a hint of sweetness. It's something so perfectly fresh from God's creation.
After the sap is collected it gets poured into the boiler, a fire is started underneath, and then the boil starts! It takes hours to boil down the sap. The ratio of sap to syrup is ~ 40gal/1gal. Some might think it's not worth all the time and effort, just for a little "sugar." They're wrong.
It's worth it.
My favorite thing to do is to stand by the hot boiler and put my face in the steam rising off the sap and breath in the sweet, woodsy smell. Sure it might make your hair frizzy and sticky but who cares! It's a great spot to stand and stay cozy in the slightly chilly March air.
There are always the best snacks to be had in the cabin after working up an appetite from all the trudging around. We roast hot dogs (The kids even tried roasting their grapes and apples. Yep, you're allowed to do that sort of thing. Ew...But they loved it!) and eat lots of potato chips and have donuts and M&M's. No, we don't pay attention to eating healthy at the woods. We'll just go run around or take a hike to burn it off afterwards.
Snacks are part of being out at the woods.
Finally, at some point and very often in the late evening hours the sap has boiled down to syrup and is ready to be poured off through a filter and into a glass jar or some other type of sterile containment. You don't want anything to affect the flavor of the fresh, hot syrup...We then bundle our tired, but happy selves up and carefully take our maple syruping booty home with the memories of a beautiful day on our minds.
There's nothing like homemade maple syrup. We have to be careful not to like it too much. :)
And yes, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I am actually doing a post. This is what you get when I get a snow day! Blessings!!
Lindsey :)
