It’s true!

  

Well, folks, we did it!

We have fresh maple syrup nestled in our cupboard. 

It is actually about 1/3 of the way gone already, because it turns out that I can make pancakes (waffles, french toast) work for ANY meal of the day.

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But, get this guys.  As much as it boggles my little West Coast mind, the rumors are true! It actually does come from trees!

(Which really opens up lots of great opportunities for me to say things like “Eat up the rest of your syrup! It doesn’t just grow on trees you know!!…Oh yes it does!” Haha!! I can’t wait!)

(Technically IN trees, but whatever)

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Brian suggested that we should go see the maple syrup operation in it’s purest form at some mom and pop shack somewhere.

And BOY did I deliver!

 

The sugar shack was literally in someone’s backyard, and we were given a tour by the teenager of the family who was stuck watching the syrup on a Saturday.

 

(note: many of these pictures are from Joseph)

Fun facts: The sap comes out of the trees clear, but gradually yellows the longer it sits. (Also the later in the season, the yellower the sap that comes out of the tree) This effects the grade (but not the quality) of the syrup.  This sap has been sitting for about 3 days, which is why it is yellowish.

It is cooked over a wood burning fire, and the wood in the stove has to be restocked every hour.

Also, this farm collects it’s syrup by hand- and it takes between 30-40 gallons to make one gallon of syrup!

After we had oohed and aahed a bit and bought our syrup, we headed back to the car.

The boy called out to us, “By the way!  We have some chickens and goats in the backyard if you guys want to see them?!”

Boy, did we!

 

Syrup and some chickens?  Too much, people, too much!

 

Joseph now asks me many times a day for a small lick of the syrup from the “syrup farm!”

I smell another trip to Connecticut in our future.  How does one go back to Mrs. Buttersworth after this?