It's been a while!

We just got back from an afternoon of maple sugaring and small farm fun. And yes I'm sipping syrup out of a mason jar while typing this! March is mud and snow, but it's also tree tapping, sap boiling, sweet, sticky goodness here in upstate NY. Maple Weekend is in full effect up here and the sap is flowing steadily. I really want to get back into maple sugaring after being on hiatus since I've moved to Saratoga. The park has some enormous maples in its southern property that seem like they'd be perfect for tapping. In the meantime, I decided to visit a couple of sugar shacks and check out their operations. Yesterday Neil and I went to Up Yonda Farm in Bolton Landing. Their operation is so cool, because its on this giant steep hill, and the sap just runs down via gravity. Today we visited Sugar Oak farms, run by a man and his 13 year old son. They tap trees
As far away as Hebron and bring the sap back to their suburban homestead in Malta via pick up truck...the Sap Wagon. His set up was so small and cool...the lesson that I took away from the visit was that there are really no good excuses for not doing what it is you wish to do. If you don't have trees to tap, borrow your neighbors' maples. Trade them for your famous syrup. Travel far and wide. Don't give up hope if you don't own your hardwoods. You can run a successful sugarbush right next to a major highway in a development! Happy Maple Weekend! On to St. Pat's!