Maple Sugaring 2020

I had meant to publish this blog post back in the middle of March, but with everything that had been happening to the world (and still happening), plus I was having a hard time uploading my pictures, I couldn't find the time to publish this blog post. I guess late is better than never.

The last time I tapped my maple trees was back in 2013. Seven years ago! Can you believe it? It feels like it was last year that I tapped my trees, but seven years had passed. Life had gotten busy (e.g. broken and mended relationships, marriage, children, and raising of said children), but that's not to say that I hadn't thought of or asked my Mr. Man to tap our trees during those seven years.

This year, I had to tap my trees. So, I made an initiative and kept it in the back of my mind. When Valentine's Day came around (that's how I keep track of maple sugaring time), I reminded my Mr. Man and told him that it was time. We used the same methods as before, but this time I got stainless steel chafing pans to burn down the sap, which worked great. (Last time, I used an aluminum pan that left a slight aluminum aftertaste in the syrup.)

This year, due to an early spring, was a really long maple sugaring season. One of my maple trees is dying, so we were down one tree, but we still got enough sap to make syrup to last through the year. It's not too much work, but it can be time-consuming, especially with toddlers underfoot.

Like in previous years, we made do with what we had and used food-grade plastic piping to tap the sap. Plastic gallon jugs collected sap. Once we got enough, we boiled the sap using a propane tank or over an open fire. Once the sap got close to the syrup stage, I brought it inside the house and finished it off. Lastly, I canned it.

After all that work, I'm thinking about the future. One of my maple trees is dying and I'm thinking about planting a sugar maple to replace it in my yard. I'll just have to figure out where to plant it. At the same time, one of our neighbors said that we could tap their maple trees next year, which is a possibility, but I'll have to think about it some more.



We've been enjoying our syrup on pancakes and in other ways. I hope you are doing well and staying safe in your little part of the world.

Staying Home and Staying Safe

Since this pandemic, I've been home with my boys. My Mr. Man is also working from home and we've quarantined ourselves. Unless necessary, we don't go and see anyone, nor do we let anyone come into our home. It's been tough on us and on our boys, who want to go to the store or the playground. They just want to be out. 

Even with the early spring, despite the several snow storms in the last few days, it's not enough to keep my rambunctious toddlers busy. They've had too much electronics, have played with all of their toys, and read all of their books. They miss playing with others, going out, being at the playground, and just doing what they use to do. They ask to go to certain places and it's hard trying to explain to them that there's a pandemic going on and we need to stay home to be safe. Of course, they've accepted much of what's happening around them without too many issues. Of course, they're also going a little bit crazy from the isolation.

Who knows how long this is going to last. I'm just counting all of my blessing, sending out love to the world, and continuing to stay home to stay safe. In these uncertain times, I hope that you too are staying safe.