sugaring season

Driving into work the other day, saw our neighbors emptying out the sap-gathering bins along the road. They said the sap was running full out, that it had actually overflowed. They were very busy. I stopped into a convenience store on the way in and a small gathering outside the store was talking about the sugaring season, and how it was going. When I got to work, I mentioned the story about the sap overflow to some people. The look they gave me indicated that letting sap overflow was almost akin to shooting your grandmother. The four seasons exist pretty much everywhere, but sugaring season is found in only a few places, like Vermont. Enumerating all of the seasons, the signs of the times large and small, was pretty much the motivation for this blog/journal so many years ago.

March 27, 2009

30's and foggy. Took a walk up the crossroads last night. As I started out, I saw steam rising out of the May's sugarhouse. I was happy to notice the first signs of sugaring I'd seen all year. As I got near the top, there was a pickup parked with its lights on. It was Justin Turco out collecting sap with his daughter. I met him as I was walking by, and he invited me to his sugarhouse. He said to go right in, and he would be along in a minute. Walking across the bridge over the creek in front of his house bright lights from the sugarhouse ahead in the misty gloom. His wife, Tammy, was inside sugaring. That smell! She gave me some hot syrup to sample, a taste of Vermont heaven. We had a great visit. Lights were on in the Johnson's sugarhouse at the bottom of the hill when heading home. Sparks shooting out of the chimney like stars in the sky. I realized there are four working sugarhouses within walking distance of our house. I think I am going to have pancakes with maple syrup tomorrow morning.