It is a beautiful March day; the sun is shining, the snow is melting, and students are at Lutherlyn because the sap is running! Maple sugaring season has to be one of my all time favorite things about living in this part of the United States. Before the tiny tree leaves burst out of their buds or forest wildflowers blanket our woods, the maple sap flows.
It is a miraculous thing. Maple trees were uniquely created at the cellular level and their uniqueness enables us to enjoy sweetness that is beyond compare. Longer day length and warmer temperatures combine with cellular respiration and starch to sugar conversion to pump sugary sap up the xylem tissue of our native maple trees. All we have to do is drill a hole into the tree, hang a bucket, and start collecting the wonderful sugar-water. With some boiling, that sugar-water becomes super sweet syrup!
Maple sugaring season comes at just the right time for getting outside. When everyone has been couped up inside for months, maple sugaring provides a great excuse to get outside and walk around the forest.
I love the fact that I get to help students identify trees -without their leaves. When looking at a deciduous forest in winter, most people only see tree trunks that look almost identical. However, when you really stop to take a look, not only does each tree have slightly different bark, but their branches and buds are extremely unique. Most students are pretty good at noticing the difference - usually better than the adults with them.
Once a maple tree has been identified, then we get to use tools! (You just can't beat this season - you get to be outside, in the forest, and you get to use hand tools!) Using a brace to drill into a tree and a mallet to tap in the spile are certainly a very fun part of maple sugaring season. From my experience tapping maple trees with students, their favorite part of the day is either tapping the tree or taking the sap to the sugar shack.
Oh the sugar shack! There is nothing like the aroma of a working sugar shack. The air is filled with sweetness as the watery sap is boiled down to make syrup. The steamy moisture fills your lungs and makes you daydream about pancakes, waffles, and french toast.
Certainly the best treat of all on a sunny March day is a taste of maple syrup. Well, actually, it's a great treat on any day. There is something so incredibly special about tasting maple syrup. For one thing - it comes from a tree and its not a fruit! How amazing is that! All we do is boil it down, nothing is added and only water (and a few minerals) are removed. It doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup, added colors, preservatives, GMOs, or trans-fats. It's all natural and locally made.
Historians tell us that the Native Americans, who populated the eastern woodlands 300 years ago, saw the "maple moon" as a time for celebration. It often involved ceremonies and dances. I can certainly relate to that kind of jubilation. The renewal of life and the promise of spring make me want to dance, too - or maybe I've just had a little too much syrup.
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