It seems almost unreal to think back to a time only two generations ago when people were able to sit around a sugar shack amidst the tranquillity of the forest for the duration of maple season. We absolutely do not have the luxury of that kind of time. And so, much of the maple syrup making process takes place on our front porch in this huge metal pot while we are inside working. We check on the pot throughout the day to avoid boil-overs and burning. We top it up with concentrated sap that has been run through a reverse osmosis machine to reduce boiling time. Often we boil overnight when electricity is cheaper and take turns getting up throughout the night to monitor progress. Maple syrup making for us is a long way from how the original homesteaders did it, but it is also a long way from buying our syrup at Costco, so given the options, I suppose this is a compromise we must be willing to live with.
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