Maple Goddess

Goddess of Maple at Evening
by Chard deNiord

She breathed a chill that slowed the sap
inside the phloem, stood perfectly still
inside the dark, then walked to a field
where the distance crooned in a small
blue voice how close it is, how the gravity
of sky pulls you up like steam from the arch.
She sang along until the silence soloed
in a northern wind, then headed back
to the sugar stand and drank from a maple
to thin her blood with the spirit of sap.
To quicken its pace to the speed of sound
then hear it boom inside her heart.
To quicken her mind to the speed of light
with another suck from the flooded tap.

Syrup sublime!

...simply sublime samples of sryup...

First sample of syrup

The tapping of the sugar maples

Today we tapped the first sugar maples at the cabin! The sap is definitely on the run! Maple syrup, here we come!
The rest of the trees will use tubing rather than these lovely spiles, but it will be a lot easier than trudging up & down that steep hill with sloshity buckets of sweet sap.

the sweet stuff of 2009 . . . sugaring again

Some photos from our sugaring so far . . .

arch & boiling pan


Ryan welding
making some last-minute improvements

still cold sap with maple reflection


Freddie helps us measure how many inches of sap we have in the boiling pan

Ryan measuring the sap



sample jars


Old Dingman Reserve . . .
the only batch of syrup made from the trees at my folk's place


samples from every batch we have made
(almost . . . we're missing one)


boiling syrup


syrup about ready to pour off


pouring off the syrup


syrup & steam


first filtering


back at the homestead
we finish off the syrup on the stove to can it


final filtering & preparing a sample jar

sugarin' on the tele

Our sugarin' party is so popular, it's even on TV!

Well, OK, only in a manner of speaking. Ryan had this old tele out to watch one night when he boiling up into the wee hours. The next day I caught this reflection of Abbey, Bryan & Lou hanging 'round the boiling sap.

Beardyman in maple steam

Ryan pouring off the syrup after a long day of boiling

Maple Sugarin Party

Gathered 'round the boiling sap


Toothsome goodies


Wafting whiffs of maple


Mmmmmaple candy!
Zoe & Erica


Zoe & Loretta


Lindsay & Andy


MURPHY!


Nicole, Snookie & Dawn


Mr O chillin...


Aunt B


Sarah & Erica


Gramp Oat


Ivan!


Jenna & Jordan

final sugar

pics from canning our first batch of syrup this year...

at a good boil

about to boil over!

filtering

filter spiral

final sample jar...grade A fancy?

boiling

some old spiles

our elegant arch

arch from the other side

...and sugaring begins

buckets drying in the sun




ZGrrl helping out


ZGrrl & Papa tapping


sap!


sweet & tasty!


Buckets hanging...


Stay tuned for exciting sap-boiling photos! They're pretty sweet!
No more puns. I promise.