Collecting Sap in the Sun

Seeing SouleMama's post today about sugaring time reminded me that I had a similar post to share here. Laura and Strider have been making maple syrup for a few years and this is the second year they are collecting sap from maple trees at their new place. Last Friday, I went out to Laura's house for lunch and after we ate we decided to check on the sap buckets. 

I brought Rascal along since my kids were in school and he was more than happy to join us on our sunny hike up the hill to where the maple trees are.

The vintage sap buckets are a beautiful new addition to their sap bucket collection.

Not as beautiful but just as functional, milk jugs make up the other half of their collection. Eli gathered up the containers, 

and he and Isaac took them down the hill to where Laura was,

 

and she poured all the collected sap into a barrel sitting in the shade of a big tree. 

Then, the boys put the buckets back on the trees and we walked down the hill, 

And into the meadow. 

It's a walk that their family must take every day during the sap run. And while the weather conditions haven't been perfect for optimum sap production, they'll still get a good bit of maple syrup. And I'm happy we had a good reason to take a walk on a perfectly sunny February afternoon.