My Virginal Sugaring Experience

Maple Syrup is not just a pancake condiment, although it is the finest.  We also love to use it with a little balsamic for dressing salads, as a glaze for root vegetables, to sweeten our coffee and tea, as an ice cream topper, in cookies and cakes, as a component in marinades - really maple syrup can find its way into just about anything in our kitchen.  With the price around $30/gallon, just like my precious fish emulsion, it is well past time to tap our own trees.

My friend Tim loaned us a set of 10 taps and buckets to get started on the 6 trees surrounding my parent's house.  So yesterday morning I tapped them and watched the beautiful maple water trickle and drip from the trees.  By early evening it was evident I'd have to empty the buckets so I procured some large plastic vessels to fill.  It won't be long until we are ready for the more labor intensive boiling process.  Of course we are looking forward to it.  In the meantime, I might experiment with an idea a friend shared at the NOFA-NY conference in January and run some maple water through one of those soda machines that are all the rage these days.

And now, trees with buckets.