Gimme Some Sugar

Being a resident of Vermont, I thought it important to note the beginning of sugaring season (the making of maple syrup). Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States. And, many people are getting ready to tap their maple trees. Maple trees release their sap in the springtime, usually March to April. Trees are tapped by drilling a hole and inserting a spout to catch the sap in a bucket or pipeline. A new tap hole must be made each year. Most healthy trees heal their old tap wounds within three years. The sap "runs" when the temperatures fall below freezing at night and then thaws during the day. In Vermont, there are four grades of maple syrup that you can purchase: Fancy, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and then there is Grade B which is the darkest, and in my opinion, the tastiest! A large group of sugarmaples is called a "sugarbush". And, the building that the maple syrup is produced is called a "sugarhouse". Forty gallons of sap is gathered to make one gallon of maple syrup. The sap is boiled down to make syrup (which is why you see all of the firewood in the photo). When the trees have made buds, the time to sugar has stopped. The syrup will become very bitter to taste.