When I think of spring chores, the first thing that comes to mind is making homemade syrup. My family has been gathering sweet nectar from fabulous maple trees for generations. The privilege of pouring the sweet, thick, rich rewards from this rigorous endeavor over pancakes, waffles and corn fritters are to be surpassed by none other.
This labor of love begins by augering a hole into the trunk of the tree, setting a tap, and then hanging galvanized buckets to collect the sap. This process continues from tree to tree, until the last tree is finally tapped and the last bucket has been hung.
The sap-filled buckets then need to be removed from the trees two to three times a day. The sweet contents get poured into the holding tank, hauled to the house, and then transferred to the huge kettle in the evaporation shed. There, the sap is boiled until rendered into a thick stream of rich goodness.
Now that I think about it, making maple syrup is not really a chore, but more of a wonderful blessing given to us by God and nature.
Kenneth
Mauston, Wisconsin
Read more stories about spring chores in Heart of the Home: Spring Activities.
