It is that time of year again. Sap time. Warm days, cold nights, perfect for tapping trees and collecting sap. After hearing the weather report for the weekend, Barefoot Dad scrambled to get everything in order and got to work...luckily our new property has a handful of trees.
Step 1 Find the Sugar Maples (hard to do when the leaves are off the trees)
Step 2 Drill hole in tree
Step 3 Put tap into tree
Step 4 Hang sap bucket
Step 5 Listen for the ping of the flowing sap
Today the sap flowed instantly from the trees. Tomorrow we will check all the buckets and begin collecting the sap. It takes 43 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, and a VERY, VERY long time to boil it down. BP was there every step of the way as Daddy's little helper. She gets really into this whole project. I think it is cute that they do it. I can see BP telling her friends about it someday, rolling her eyes, and saying, "my Dad makes me collect all this sap and it is so much work" and secretly loving it. BB just loves being outside and getting dirty. Since the warmer weather blew in, I have to change her clothes at least three times a day. Where there is mud she finds it in a serious way.
4 comments:
Oh, what fun! I remember you did this last year. 43 gallons! Yikes. That pinging sound would make me so happy. Have fun with it.
This is so funny. Just this weekend I was talking to Tom about a maple sugaring fair coming up, and he said "Didn't Eric do that last year?" We think it'd be cool to show Buby. Good luck with all the sap.
PS If we lived where you live we'd be head-to-toe mud all day, too. It's too beautiful there to be inside :)
Barefoot dad looks like he is having fun using his power tools...what a great experience for the girls. Dyl goes to a sap house with Stephen where they boil down the syrup and he has learned all about how much work and time goes into making one gallon of syrup. Dyl calls it the "zap house" instead of sap house...Hope you guys get 43 gallons this year!
We have started too. All Adam wants to do all day is.... go and check the sap. Chip said he is quite a little worker. This is a great thing for them and i know they enjoy it.
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