Sugar Season
It’s my favorite time of year again (well, I guess I really have many favorite times . . . . ) It’s sugaring season. Sweet. Scent of spring in the air. Warmer sun. Brisk mornings (sometimes anyway). Steam coming from the sugarhouses. And did I say sweet? You can even smell the syrup when you get close enough! I love to share information on this unique livlihood. Here’s a fairly scientific article from today’s paper on technology and sugaring. And another fun article on global warming (or arctic freeze here) and this season from a few weeks ago.
Well, I’m not sure livlihood is quite accurate (nor do I know how to spell that word - it doesn’t look right this morning). It’s more like a kind of hobby/semi-profession - like dog sledding I guess or making wine - you can make a living at if you really want to and you’re good at it and work hard at it. But it’s a finicky and relatively brief season, and the start up costs can be prohibitive and the work is hard and lots of people do it for fun on the side after their “real job” - but did I say it’s sweet? Oh, the taste of the freshly boiled syrup, freshly drawn off the evaporator . . . and then poured on waffles (or pancakes if that’s your preference, or into your coffee, onto your ice cream . . .) Ok, I’m drooling.
We ran out of syrup last weekend and were too busy to actually go watch any sugaring this weekend but we (desperately) needed syrup, so we went by a farm belonging to some folks we know from church and who we know tap their trees, and got some Saturday morning. And of course I asked questions (I always do). The day before, he put in a 13 hour day and boiled a whole pile of syrup. He took Saturday off (really just recuperated from Friday and prepared for the next round). He expected the sap to run like crazy which meant he’d be pulling another 13+ hour day Sunday collecting and boiling some more. The quicker you collect and boil, the better the quality. If you wait a day, you lose quality (significantly), and that translates directly to the bottom line. He produces on average of 300-450 gallons a year. I asked if that was a big or small operation; he said it’s small for commercial, but certainly far more than a hobby. He and his wife makes ends meet largely on selling syrup and hay (they sold the cows a year and a half ago). So we got a half gallon jug of the stuff that he boiled Friday. Grade A, medium amber.
We ate waffles for dinner on Sunday and the kids and I just salivated for the syrup. I confess, I kept tasting it while I was getting dinner ready (it was irresistable) and they were outside playing in the mud (in heaven I might add - I think I have little piggies every spring they love it so much). Forget the waffles, just hand me a spoon and pour (can you believe it?) I know that sounds odd to you “flatlanders” but it’s heavenly - but to think I offered it the kids - it’s not like they asked; their eyes were like saucers - really mommy? on the spoon? straight?! cool! Heck, at the sugarhouses, they pour it in cups for you to drink; I think I can allow a few spoonfuls! Oh we were in heaven. It tasted SO GOOD. Fresh. Delectable. The waffles were good too but did I mention the syrup was sweet? Oh the syrup was FINE. What a difference from the dregs of the jug the week before. I think I might become a connaisseur if you give me another 20 years here.
Sugarers are fun to know too. I discovered some other friends of ours from church who have been helping his dad the past couple weeks; these folks (the men) work full time jobs and the son (our friend) has three kids roughly the same ages as ours and they’ve been out there in the evenings after work/school etc, collecting and boiling and staying up late at the beck and call of the trees. She and I couldn’t talk enough about how sweet (and obsessive and addictive!) it is. Hard work but well worth it.
Next year I hope we’ll be collecting syrup of our own! It will just be for fun (hardly quality stuff boiled on the kitchen stove - I hear it will be of really low grade) but the kids are so excited to try and we’ve got two hardy sugar maples in our backyard, we ought to be able to have some fun. And to make your own, how sweet is that?!