Sugaring Off

Walking in the woods wasn’t all we did in Hastings, although that was certainly soul satisfying enough.

We also got involved in the maple syrup production process. My very resourceful daughter-in-law, Dayna, had already put the spouts into the maple trees.

Maple sap dripping into pail.

Pails Collecting Sap

My husband Ted helped her gather the buckets of sap and pour them into the pan evaporator. The pan had been placed onto a metal grate so that a fire could be lit, and maintained, beneath it.

Boiling the Sap

Then came the l–o–n–g wait. To amuse ourselves, we put a dozen eggs into the pan. Pulling them out with a slotted spoon, we peeled off the shells and dipped them onto a plate sprinkled with salt and pepper. That was quite tasty.

Boiling Eggs in the Sap Pot

Maple Eggs Taste Marvelous

The sap became thicker and thicker, gradually releasing moisture, until it finally completed the transformation into that dark syrup we so enjoy on our waffles and pancakes. Boiling the sap over a fire gave the resulting syrup a slightly smoky taste, which we find delicious.

A Mason Full of Maple

A few more more sugaring off links:

A History of Maple Syrup

How to Make Maple Syrup