Sugaring Time In New England

In the crisp cold morning of February  I hear.  The chickadee's singing. And drilling so near. Soon the men folk appear. Hanging buckets on spouts, watching the sap run out. Collecting is next. With such happy cheer. No one can wait for the smell in the air. As the sap is now syrup and April is here the maple  trees blossom in wait for next year.        By Jo-Lynn Somero              

A Sap Season To Remember

Sap season is a big part or our science, math and history and my mother has made a curriculum to fit all of the above, she says hand's on training is  best way to learn, not only are we learning  but we are the third generation of  maple syrup  makers. About  the end of  February my dad and Pa pick a day for dad and two of my brothers Levi and Zeke to help  clean out  the sap shed  that resides on my Pa's property. When all cleaned out and they have washed the pans, it is ready when ever it will be needed. I'm going to tell you sap season that stands out in my mind was a couple years ago. We had already cleaned the sap shed and hung the buckets, when Pa and Granny Annie where called a way to visit a dear friend  that was feeling poorly, there stay got a bit longer, when Pa's friend got worse and past on to heaven. This left my mom and I to run of the  the sap shed which she called the sugar shack, while dad, Levi and Zeke did the collecting of the sap mom and Zeke made syrup for the first time from start to finish, Levi had already made syrup many times before with our dad being the first of the third generation syrup maker in the Somero  clan.

Zeke is bringing  out the clean buckets to start our 2013 Sap Season !

Levi and Zeke are setting out the first buckets of the year, in our field.

It is now my turn to drill and hang the buckets in the front yard.

 here is dad  washing part of the evaporator pan.

 Next is the tapping and hanging buckets. Now we need cold nights and warm sunny day, so the sweet sap may fill are buckets. This is my Pa hanging a bucket he is the head honcho.

My elder brother Brian has come back to help us tap and reminisce  of the old times he helped dad and Pa .

Dad and I drilling. I'm the first girl of the third generation to drill the hole and hang buckets.

Zeke is putting on the sap covers

Pa with Uncle Adam who is also adding covers. Uncle Adam helps when ever he can.

Pa  is keeping count of the buckets

 Pa, Uncle Adam, Levi, Zeke and my Dad.

Zeke and I are  collecting some of that sweet clear sap.

dad filling the gathering tank in the back of his truck.

Back at Pa's  the sap is filtered  and pumped in to the holding tank

Levi.

Levi is using  a maple sap densimeter to test how sweet the sap is

The higher the sugar count the less boiling it should take to make maple syrup

Sweet smelling steam coming from the  evaporator

Levi  feeding the fire.

The Somero  sap shed is boiling.

Dad

Mom and Levi

Levi testing to see if it is syrup yet

Yes it is syrup!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zeke and I made candy over snow, but it was more like a maple slushy when we finished.

Yum!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom making syrup

The sap shed welcomes all visitors

A gentleman that my dad called cousin Tim from CA. came, he and my brothers collected sap  I think he really enjoyed being a part of it all

Dad and Levi grading the syrup

 Jeff Aho another maple sugar maker  stopped by for a vist

Levi canning syrup

I am filling buckets of sap to be added to the evaporator tank

 Mugs and Andy came

along with Marty; Uncle Adam and Brian

 Mom keeping the fire going

My dad and mom standing in the sap shed door way

I am  bring the bottled syrup up to Pa and Granny Annie's house

I have also been blessed to be able to make maple candy with a very nice lady named Karen, she and her husband Jonny are a team and own a huge sugar house in Dublin N.H.

We are visiting Jonny and Karen sugar house