Signs of Spring

One of the first signs of spring around the farm has always been this sight. Buckets hanging on the maple trees in our yard mean the days are getting warmer.

The sap runs when nights are below freezing and days are warmer; it runs best when the temperature is above forty degrees and the sun shines.

Our middle son was "bitten" by the sugaring bug years ago; his childhood friend had an old-fashioned sugarbush on their farm and Sam loved to go there and ride the sap wagon. He's been tapping the trees on our property and making syrup on the halves with a local man since before he was big enough to lift the buckets high enough to dump them in the tank we put in the bed of the pick-up truck. In fact, his college admission essay described his syrup-making business!

This season has been a short one. The boys tapped the trees on a Saturday and by Friday had taken the buckets down. We've put them back up on these clear nights as there has been frost but we're only collecting about 40 gallons of sap which doesn't even make a gallon of syrup.

We'll hope for the weather to stay cool for a few more days but, when the trees bud, the syrup season is over. Enjoy the beutiful spring weather while it lasts!