What a wonderful time we had last Sunday afternoon! We took the granddaughters to a county park east and south of LaGrange, Indiana for Maple Syrup Days! Here's Emma posing at the entrance to the "Sugar Bush,"--better known as the woods.
Papa and the girls enjoying the crispy cold, but sunny afternoon!
Emma and Granny sitting at the front of the horse drawn wagon that took us for a ride into the "Sugar Bush" where we learned all about the process of tapping trees and making syrup. The wagon even stopped out in the woods and the guide took a pail off the tree and let us dip our fingers in to taste the sap!
Emma and Sophie sitting outside the Sugar House where gallons and gallons of sap was boiling down. The steam cloud inside was huge and venting through a cupola in the roof, but the smell was wonderful! Sophie is finishing her second maple syrup sucker.
Granny and the girls next to a maple tree. This Sugar Bush is filled with 600 or so pails just like this one--a traditional type of pail with cover. Plastic pails are used in some areas, such as the roadside I photographed in a former post. The sap runs best when the nights are below freezing and the days sunny and warmer than 32 degrees. The morning before our tour, the guide said every pail in the woods was overflowing!
Papa and the girls sitting on bales of straw near the Sugar House.
People dressed as pioneers were boiling sap down in this cauldron. We came home pleasantly scented like woodsmoke and sweet syrup steam! The girls tasted cotton candy made from maple sugar and ate maple syrup suckers shaped like maple leaves. But most of all, they loved the horse drawn wagon rides. Since we were some of the last visitors of the afternoon we actually got to take two wagon rides through the Sugar Bush! Wonderful memories and an awesomely educational field trip! I thought of God's great provision and all the various types of sweetness He blesses us with (like little grandchildren) as we rode through the woods! Blessings, LORI
Sugar House looks fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the sweet comments on the wool. Even though our families don't understand the excitement that comes with sheep/wool/spinning/knitting, we can share in 'each others'. Hopefully some day you will have your sheep and me too. I need to figure out what kind I shall get before then. :) I love the cormo very much so far.
Yes, Cormo is so far my favorite too. I did go visit a farm of Blue-Faced Leicesters and Romneys. Seemed very friendly and a great wool combo for covering a huge span of use-ability.
DeleteSo glad they were able to do this with you guys. They don't remember because they were falling asleep but we read about the whole process of making maple syrup in Little House in the Big Woods. I might have to try it sometime :)
ReplyDeleteKori: Great idea! When my parents did this for me for a project for school, I think we quickly learned that we needed a vented set up in the kitchen. The steam is overwhelming. Someone on the tour said it will steam the paper right off of a kitchhen wall! Outdoors cooking or a sugar house works best, I guess!
DeleteFun day out. Cute Grands. Sugar bush! Maple trees I guess?
ReplyDeleteYes, a Sugar Bush is a stand of maple trees or maples that are being tapped for sap.
ReplyDelete