Stealing from the Trees...

Finally....the weather cooperated enough that we could start boiling down the sap that we have been collecting for the past few weeks! We have been storing sap in the garage waiting for the snow to stop so we could start the boil without adding any additional water in the form of precipitation. We have an outside boiler that Will cleverly made out of scrap junk scrounged out of the old barn. The primary base is an old metal refrigerator that the bottom was cut out of. Will dug out the side of the hill cut and shoved it in there, and replaced the bottom of the fridge with a coal chute door, also found in the old barn. Some stove pipe was also retrieved from said location to complete the illustrious contraption. The stainless steel pan was the only thing we had to buy, besides the buckets and taps.

Here is Sam, carrying a full bucket (tap and all) to the awaiting vessel.

Lila just about to pour the good stuff out....

Daddy gives the sap and kids a rickshaw ride back to the house....

Where the sap gets boiled down outside. We finish the syrup in the house...what an incredible aroma. The last bit was finished last night for a total of just over nine gallons! Our best year yet. Must be all the extra help from the kids...