Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Our Very Own Maple Syrup

After all the collecting and all the boiling we finally finished our maple syrup Easter Sunday night! It was glorious to watch the process from start to finish. It was glorious to add yet another family project into the mix. We were in awe as it went from a thin liquid to a thick syrup (and to have it be such a gorgeous maple color and just the best maple flavor ever, too)! We surely learned a lot along the way (the turkey fryer really is the way to ) and we will definitely be making this part of our family's seasonal rhythm for years and years to come. When all was said and done we gathered 25 gallons of sap which turned into the quart and six jam jars that you see above. Not a bad haul for our first sugar season (especially since we didn't even tap the trees at the very beginning of it).

Thank you to Emma for asking a simple question which opened a whole new world to us, and to Sarah for her guidance and wisdom and answering each and every one of the many questions we had along the way. What a lovely (and sweet) way to end the winter and welcome the spring. xo

9 comments:

  1. That is fantastic! That will probably be the best syrup you ever eat. :) Next year I will be asking you for advice for us to give it a try. We are inspired!

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    1. Oh my gosh, I don't think it can get any better than this syrup! It is SO good! We'll happily share all that we learned with you! Truly an amazing experience and one that I know you, Russ, Mary and Alice will love! xo

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  2. I am so happy you guys tapped those trees and got a chance to give this a try, I knew you would love it. There is nothing sweeter than the taste of your very own maple syrup. Enjoy!

    We are doing our last boil today :)

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    1. So true Kim! There really is nothing sweeter! I'm so glad that we got to experience this this year! Looking forward to next year already!

      Happy last boiling day! Hope it's gone well! xo

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  3. That's amazing - I can't believe how much sap it takes to make just those bottles, but I bet it tastes wonderful!

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    1. It tastes incredible! It really is wild how much you need to get and then to see how much it really makes! For our first time I'm glad we didn't tap earlier. I'm not sure we would have been up for more this year! Next year though we're ready! xo

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  4. Oh, I am jealous...we have three maple trees on our property line, but they're on our neighbor's side of the fence. (Long story...) I want so badly to tap them. Maybe our next house will have some maple trees...we are dying to make our own syrup. Enjoy it! xo

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    1. Oh, how frustrating! I hope that you can tap them next year (or that your next house has lots of maples)! Such an incredible experience and one that I know you all would love! xo

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  5. Thanks, Rose! And I don't blame you for skipping it this year as it really is rather involved (well, when boiling anyway)! You've definitely got a good reason to pass on sugar season this year! :) xo

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