On Sunday we tapped the Maple trees on our property to officially kick-off Sugarbush 2011.
Not a big deal, you say? I beg to differ. This is a very important day where I live. Not only does it mark the coming of Spring, it reminds us of our connection to the land and everything it has to offer.
Besides, it’s the best damn syrup you’ll ever taste!
But as I said, today was just the beginning with tapping the trees. It wasn’t as warm and sunny as I would have liked, but when I think back to previous years, we were trudging through alot more snow that we did today. And if the weatherperson is correct, this next week will provide ideal conditions for the sap to run (fingers crossed!).
Before we could start, we had to get all the buckets.
Rick had to haul all the buckets and taps from the shed so they could be washed.
And here are the cast of characters for this episode.
And we’re off in search of the Maple trees.
Like I said, not much snow to walk through, probably 6 – 8 inches.
We use the modern convenience of a cordless drill.
After Rick blows out the sawdust from the hole…
…in goes the tap.
Success! First bucket hung.
Nice row of Maples in the front yard.
We tapped 18 trees in all. This small amount of trees has yielded us 60 – 90 gallons of sap in previous years, which turned into about 3 gallons of finished syrup. It may not sound like much, but it is plenty for the 2 of us, with extra to gift to friends.
I can’t wait to go out and hear the “tap tap tap’ as the sap drips in the buckets.
Stay tuned to the next episode were we start collecting the sap!
3 Responses to “Sugarbush Begins!”
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Nice job!! Temperatures in the Ontario northwoods to rise this week now to identify maple trees without leaves….hmmmm
Thanks Patty! Yes, it can be a little difficult to identify Maple trees without the leaves, but we were taught that the trees that have the textured bark (like most tress) down on the bottom and get smooth farther up are Maples. There are other ways, I am sure, but this way has proven 100% accurate for us.
Yay! Can’t wait to taste it this year!