This morning a dusting of sugar snow, the sun trying to peek through the fog. The past few days mild, signs of spring – early. Busy hanging buckets in the woods and cleaning the sugar house in preparation for boiling sap and making maple syrup. A rite of spring in Vermont, a graceful transition to the outdoors after winter’s cozy dormancy. At the mercy of fickle spring weather – the running of the sap dictating our day’s activity. Hard work but also magical. Buckets hung on trees fill drop by drop. Forty buckets full of sap will boil down to one of syrup. Early morning, checking buckets to see if the sap is running. Late afternoons, a delight to be out in the woods as the shadows of the maples lengthen, still leafless, tree juices flowing. And as the chilly darkness descends, the days harvest emptied into the holding tank, a retreat to the sugar house, wood-fire blazing, and sap bubbling, sweet steam all around. A time when the steam rising from the sugar house is an open invitation to neighbors to stop by for a chat and a shot of fresh, warm maple syrup. When the call to boil brings family and friends from near and far. A time to savor and share nature’s sweet bounty together – to welcome spring.
Nature’s Sweet Bounty
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TRAVELING NEAR & FAR 
I have never seen it in action. This was so interesting post with a very nice set of photos.
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Thanks for stopping by, and thank you for your nice comments. It was a short and early season – it seems that spring has arrived early in Vermont this year. Once temperatures no longer fluctuate between freezing at night and thawing during the day, sap stops flowing. All that remans now is to wash the 260 buckets we use to collect the sap – and enjoy the syrup we made. 🙂
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Wow. My hat off. Thank You giving this explanation, so I understand better what a huge work there is!
Have a wonderful day!
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It is a labor of love – both the process and the end-result is a sweet prize. 🙂
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Thank you for these pictures in photos and words showing what it takes to become maple syrup. Can’t wait to get there and see how it all works for myself – and to give you a hand of course!!!
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A cooler spell of weather the past few days has slowed things down a little. Hopefully the sap will still be running later in March when you visit. 🙂
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