Kris Hansen

...Sugaring! =) We stopped by to visit our friends at their sugar house, which they had not used for over 4 years, to enjoy the magic that is sugaring.

<img src="http://gallery.kris-hansen.com/gallery/sweet_steam.jpg">

<img src="http://gallery.kris-hansen.com/gallery/boil.jpg">

<img src="http://gallery.kris-hansen.com/gallery/sap_sucker.jpg">

Drinking sap direct from the pipeline...

<img src="http://gallery.kris-hansen.com/gallery/stoking.jpg">

Keep that fire hot!

<img src="http://gallery.kris-hansen.com/gallery/first_hit.jpg">

Finally!!! Syrup!

Boston Driver

You sure that's not moonshine those kids are drinking???

Kris Hansen

Give a kid a bit of pure maple sugar, they tend to get a little wound. =)

bac2h

So how DOES that work with all the blue tubing stretched all over..Can you explain?

tihsyloh

All of the tubes are connected using gravity to drain to a centralized bucket. Makes collection a lot easier.

Grapeking

Love that stuff... used to have HUGE maple in the front yard, hung six buckets on it every year.

Kris Hansen

and let them run to one central tank. The big guys tap THOUSANDS of trees, doing that with buckets would require hundreds of helpers.

Having said that, syrup seems to taste better after the sap having been in metal buckets for a length of time.

CP

I remember going to sugar shacks down in CT (home) when I was little, and getting hot maple sugar the consistency of toffee served on a handful of snow...mmmm.

Kris Hansen

It's the guy's grandparent's sugarhouse..

There are quite a few hippies around, but mostly transplants trying to fit in, and doing poorly.

Dave Griswold

What part of Vermont? I've got family in the Brandon area. They do the Sugaring thing too.