Dear Curiosity Journal,
As we near the bottom of our last jar of maple syrup, I look to the trees. I’m curious about what kind of sapping season we’ll have and how we’ll manage. Rufus’s father, Rich, is our head sugar maker, but he’s teaching in Door County this year and will only be returning to help as he can. This means Rufus and I will shift our lives to the sugar bush when the magic maple weather hits. We need to cut wood, clear fallen branches, clean equipment, and make all of the annual preparations. When Mother Nature is ready to pour forth the saccharine nectar of the Acer Saccharum, we must be ready to catch and cook it while creating memories with family and friends around the boiler. Under the boughs of the matriarchal maples, we’ll celebrate bringing in the first crop of the season.
~Joy
