Maple Sugaring season is here!

Nothing announces the arrival of spring like mud season and sugar houses spewing steam and smoke. As a native Vermonter, growing up in a family comprised entirely of native Vermonters, maple syrup is as much a part of spring as peepers!
As a child, my best friend's grandparents owned a dairy farm in East Wallingford, VT, made cheese (the best cheese curds I've ever eaten) and produced maple syrup the good ole fashioned way, by collecting sap with horses and a sleigh wagon. I have fond memories of riding on the horse driven wagon through deep mud and snow to empty the sap filled buckets into a large container which was then brought back to the sugar house. I also used to ride a little black pony in the summer at this same farm, who always threw me into the bushes the first chance he had! Never liked that pony and I guess the feeling was mutual!

My parents have had a cabin in the woods near Rochester, VT for as long as I've been in this world. Countless memories have been made there! Sledding down a mile long road prior to plowing days for one. No, I'm not really that old! The cabin happens to be a mile up on a dead end road with, at the time, no year round residents, so the town didn't plow. We had snowmobiles to climb the hill and sleds for the kids to ride down.
My dad made his own syrup for a few years until he decided to give it up after a series of unfortunate events. One year someone stole his whole inventory of wood, and one cannot boil sap without loads of dry wood. (this person was later caught as my Dad had marked all the wood with a dot of orange spray paint!) Another year his evaporator was stolen during the middle of sugaring season!(this culprit was never caught) Dad was not getting any younger so finally decided to give it up entirely. I do miss that homemade syrup!
If you plan to be in Vermont the weekend of March 19-20, it happens to be Maple Open House Weekend. Visit here for more information. I highly encourage you to visit one of Vermont's many sugar houses to see how syrup is made and take in the wonderful smell of boiling sap. Support the local sugarmakers by taking home some syrup your next batch of pancakes! I have an awesome boiled maple frosting recipe that I'll share next time!