It was not the best day for an outdoor field trip. The sun was nowhere in sight and a drizzling rain fell. It is March, we live in NY, we went anyway. We pulled on boots, donned raincoats, held umbrellas and traipsed through the mud.Sap for making maple syrup is collected basically during the month of March. It must be warm enough during the day for the sap to run (above freezing) and cold enough at night that the trees don't start to bud (below freezing).
Once the trees bud, the flavor of the syrup changes and becomes bitter. The sap is collected in metal buckets or piped through plastic tubing to a holding tank. It takes 40 gallons of sap just to make one gallon of syrup. I'd imagine by the end of March Mr. Everson will be ready for a very long nap. This looks like a ton of work!My favorite part of this field trip is the maple sugar candy and buying a jug of syrup to take home to drizzle over vanilla ice cream, Yummy!
I've been thinking about you guys today. I wondered if you still went. It's a good day to snuggle by the fire and read a book...very damp. I visited mom and dad today. She seems to be feeling better.
ReplyDeleteNice post! Been there, done that, own the t shirt (of field trip to maple farm) haha.
ReplyDeleteBut this week somebody offered me maple syrup for eggs (in the future)...I will do that, I like the idea of trading our 'farm goods'.
Greeeeat Information Mart!...now..I think I will go into the kitchen and make some waffles...mmmmm...I don't have that wonderful maple syrup...but do have some great NS blueberrys...mmm...
ReplyDeleteWow...once again this week Martha darlin, t'is your Birthday week..I hope you have the most wonderful birthday ever...celebrate..the day you where born, t'was a extremely fortunate day for my family...You are one fine and valuable gem ma dear! I wish I was there to make you a great cake and all..but I can only wish you a fine great and healthy happy year..
The syrup over icecream sounds really delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a very fun field trip. I always loved field trips!
ReplyDeleteI wish you were here to bake me a cake too, Gramanita!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool trip. I wanna go.
ReplyDeleteWow, I want to go too!! Dont laugh if this is a stupidly ignorant question, but do people still collect (is that the right word?) maple syrup like that nowadays??
ReplyDeleteI think we only get maple syrup imported from Canada.
Yes, Ruth, this how it is still done. Inside the "sugar shack" the sap is heated and boiled down to make it into syrup. Of course, we live very near Canada where the winters are long enough and cold enough to produce good syrup.
ReplyDeleteSo, have you actually collected it yourself?
ReplyDeleteI've only ever read about it in the 'Little house in the Big Woods'....but that's not near where you live, is it?
(feeling embarrassingly exposed in my ignorance!)
No, Laura Ingalls lived in Wisconsin, I believe, but Wisconsin is also far enough north that the winters are long and cold. We have never done maple syrup ourselves. I think it would be a big job.
ReplyDeleteMy father had uncle who collected sap to make syrup. I don't know if they actually made the syrup themselves or not. I remember having a gallon can of syrup in our back cupboard. Pancakes taste best with real maple syrup.
ReplyDeleteMy husband's family has done it. They had the right trees so decided to do it once just to say they did. I think they made good memories (not to mention good syrup)...but their production was very small for the amount of time and work. Needless to say...it didn't become a lasting tradition for them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Martha - my family and I had a long discussion about maple syrup this morning over pancakes for a birthday brunch for my mum....
ReplyDeleteForget the "held umbrellas" part. None of us held umbrellas. I don't like umbrellas. They make me feel wimpy.Haha.
ReplyDelete