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Maple syrup time in Northern MN... by Hannah Genadek May 2, 2007 It's a crisp, clear and cold Saturday morning. As I head downstairs like a kid on Christmas, I see my dad in the kitchen making eggs and bacon in the cast iron pan. Their is a talkshow on the radio. I see the chainsaw on the table in the breakfast nook, sharpened and ready to bring to the woods. I'm full of anticipation, so I finish my breakfast very quickly, as we visit and listen to the talkshow on the radio. Even our black lab princess seems to be excited. After breakfast we get dressed in lots of layers and head outside. The snow is beginning to melt, so there are huge puddles of water, and large drifts of snow. The sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky. My dad gets the the old John Deer tractor going and hooks up the hay wagon. We load up some 5 gallon buckets,hot dogs, marshmallows, the chainsaw, a thermos of coffee and some hot chocolate, as well some some other odds and ends. Then the fun part begins... I hop on the hay wagon filled with excitement as my dad puts the tractor in gear. The tractor spits and sputters a little at first as it kicks into gear and then we're off! Our Dog princess, fulfills her duties of a dog, and walks alongside with pride. as we cut thru the back 40 of pastor on our property, we have to be careful to not sink into the low spots that are filled with water from the melting snow. the wagon is bouncing around...which is loads of fun for me. As I look around me I spot a mama deer in the field with her two fawns to the right looking to get some breakfast no doubt. To my left I see the beef cattle with nothing better to do than stand around and chew on there cud. I can see their breath in the crisp cold air. Everything just feels right, for I know that I'm going to be spending the entire day with my dad in the woods boiling down sap that we have collected from the taps that we put in the maple trees. I daydream a little and then look up at my dad driving the tractor with his barncoat on and coffee in hand. We proceed to "Maple Hill", which is what we call the hill at the edge of the woods on our property where the bulk of the Sugar or otherwise called Red Maple trees are. As we finally head into the woods, I see the familiar spot. There is an old barrel stove and a bulk tank set up to boil down the sap with. My dad shuts the tractor off and princess is just elated. Immediately, we get the five gallon buckets and begin checking all of the trees to see how much sap we have collected. This was one of the best parts for me. On each tree there is a tap with an ice cream bucket hanging from it. We proceed to pour the sap into the five gallon buckets. I believe its 40 gallons of sap to collect one gallon of maple syrup, so needless to say this will be an all day process. After we have collected a large amount of sap we then pour it into the old bulk tank that is beginning to wear through from years of use. My dad gets the fire going to boil the sap down, and then the fun begins. As the day progresses we drink some of the fresh cold sap that tastes like a very sugary water, cook hot dogs on a stick, and roast marshmallows. I continue to check for more sap in the ice cream buckets and look for treasures in the woods. However my most fond memories are listening to my dad make the same goofy jokes and tell stories of his childhood. As I refelect on these special days, Tears come to my eyes, and I realize that some of the best talks that I've had with my dad is while we were waiting for the sap to boil down. Nothing around us but the beauty and peace of the woods. Sometimes we would sit in silence and just enjoy what was around us. As the sun gets lower in the sky we head back to the house and enjoy some of the fresh maple syrup that we worked all day to produce. The maple syrup is wonderful of course. Something that you could never puchase in a store, for the memories created are priceless. As I watch my own children grow and see their little faces beaming during the maple syrup season, I'm ever so grateful for the little things in life that truly make life special. About the author: I'm a mother of three, with a great love for nature and all of life's special little moments. I currently reside in AL now, but I will always have a love for the beautiful and land and way of life in northern MN. | | | |
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