ha, by the way things look in these pictures, it looks as though we could start our own reality TV show, like that moonshiner show that the guys in our family sometimes watch. it looks like we're a bunch of hillbillies out in the middle of the boonies...which, i suppose, some people probably think we are....
but instead of moonshine, they were collecting sap from maple trees and making bona fide maple syrup! and there's nothing quite like the sweet taste of fresh maple syrup. lots of work, indeed, but very worth it in the end.
...and indeed it is a crude little operation out here in the boonies!
'the operation' is stuck out in the middle of the woods, with a little pond and lots of trees around the property. the guys made this crude little building last season specifically for boiling the sap. it's been dubbed the 'sugar shack' and its quite crude indeed. thankfully the weather was gorgeous so early this spring because as you can see, the sugar shack is unfinished and still has a few unfinished sides, but it has served its purpose well. It was a family affair collecting all the sap and boiling it down - including several of the kids - and it wasn't unusual for some of them to spend most of the day in the woods with their dad getting stuff done. often they would bring a book or two with them to do some reading for school while waiting for the boiling process. the whole maple syrup process has been quite an education for all the kids - talk about hands on learning! they could read all about it in a text book, but nothing beats actually being part of this process and doing the real thing. and they all worked their butts off - no slacking at all for any of them - it's hard work and a long process, and they all did a fabulous job!
here is ryan and laura collecting some of the sap...yes, even some of the boyfriends got roped into helping. but i don't think they minded too much.
marissa got into the process a lot more this year than last year - she's grown into a great little helper and really enjoyed it!
the sap dripping from the tree down into the buckets...
they emptied the filled tree buckets into a 55 gallon drum and when that barrel got filled they poured the sap into a huge pan on top of the stove and then started the long process of boiling it down...
here's wayne dumping more sap into the huge pan on top of the stove...
marissa spooning out the foam...
colter became a pro at operating the stove and keeping an eye on the sap as it cooked...
here is colter measuring the thickness of the sap as it boils -
i'm not at all sure of the whole process, but he definitely knew what he was doing and did a great job...
here's the crude old stove - homemade. but it got the job done and worked well...
marissa & laura...
i sent the camera with marissa one day and told her to chronicle the afternoon.
she came home with some pretty cool pictures.
she took most of them for this post.
and here's marissa in a self-portrait...
she has definitely inherited the 'camera gene'
and is starting to take after some of her older sisters and i.
she loves to take pictures and has no problems at all capturing the moment...
i love this picture she took of herself while riding in her daddy's pick up!
when it was all said and done they ended up with about 65 quarts of maple syrup - and a solid week and a half was spent on the whole sugaring process, maybe even closer to two weeks.
the syrup is delicious.
and everyone is gung-ho to do it all over again next spring.
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