RicelandMeadows

Sugarhouse Woodshed Complete

May 21, 2011

 

     The rain stopped yesterday, so I snapped this picture of the completed woodshed. It is still very muddy all around and clean up needs to happen , but the building is finished. We even installed an old sliding glass door for two very nice windows. The door was a gift from my cousin who was going to throw it away. The door made great windows that let in lots of light. I think they will let in much more light once I clean them 😮

 

     Our next big job for the sugarhouse will be to re-tin then re-brick the arch. The arch is the metal contraption that includes the firebox and is the base for the syrup pans to sit on. Ours is in need of repair and since we are doing everything over, it makes sense to complete that project too. The arch is 4 foot by 14 foot. We should be able to boil 9 to 10 barrels of sap per hour (about 300 to 400 gallons) yielding 9 to 10 gallons of sweet maple syrup each hour too … YUM.

 

     In order to boil at the rate explained above, we need dry seasoned wood and probably around 10 cords. The split, stacked, cord wood will burn hot, bringing the sap to a rolling boil, as the sap releases the water and leaves the sweet reward behind … to be eaten and loved by all of us … OK , maybe love is a bit strong, but if you haven’t tasted that golden sweet treat, hot from the pan, you haven’t lived!

 

     I remember when I was a young boy, spending time in my grandpa’s sugarhouse. I remember the buckets of sap running over as he boild feverishly, but couldn’t keep up. He would be working so very hard, sweat on his brow and worry lines on his face, but the sap continued to drip. Once he was caught up and the buckets on the trees were once again empty, the quiet, calm face of grandpa would return. I coild only find fun in the sugarhouse, no worry or care, grandpa worried enough for both of us. Now, I know why. The sap overflowing the pails was pennies from heaven being wasted on the ground. If he boiled faster by keeping the pans shallow, the risk of burning them up was great. If he boiled too deep, it took longer and its possible to make the syrup dark. He was a master who wanted perfection and I am pretty sure he got it. He made about 100 gallons of syrup each year and in doing so, boiled almost 4000 gallons of sap.

 

     My gramma helped in the sugarhouse, even sleeping on an old car seat late into the night as they took turns keeping up with the running sap. She brought lunches and answered many questions from a curious boy. That boy was probably a bit wild as most young kids are, not to mention being hopped up on hot maple syrup!

 

     Syrup time brought the family together. Many hands make light work and folks would help hang buckets, gather sap and even haul wood. I guess gramma and grampa had help on the big weekends, but the rest of the year it was mostly the two of them. The work of getting wood ready, washing buckets, cleaning the sugarhouse and pans, usually fell to the two of them. They worked shoulder to shoulder on everything, not just making syrup. The sweet reward they shared was their love for one another. God understood that love and so took them home on the very same day, the very same hour, knowing niether could live without the other.

 

     I make maple syrup to show my family how its done. I like working as a family and hopefully, it will become an income source for the farm. The sweet reward will be shared with excited boys and girls and many questions will be answered by me, sometimes with a look of worry on my face, but always with the love of my gramma and grampa Rice on my mind.

 

     I am so blessed by having the love of family and friends to keep me strong and keep me steadfast in my farming vocation. I am also blessed to have been fortunate enough to have had grandparents and parents to show me the way. It is in their memory that I strive to enlighten, not only my family, but anyone who asks. I share because people shared with me, I give because people give to me without holding back and I love with all my heart  because I have seen the power of that sweet reward, take people all the way to heaven …… and back … through the next generations … now, that is POWER!