A walk in the woods, just as the snow lets go.
There's a particular kind of peace in the late-winter woods — the hush of melting snow, the first warm afternoon after a long cold stretch, the slow drip… drip… of sap finding its way to the bucket. After months indoors, it's the season that calls everyone back outside.
It's a time for people to come together. Neighbors trade stories around the steam. Kids drive the tractors around the block, collecting sap from every tree in the neighborhood. And there's nothing quite like watching them tip their heads back and drink the sap straight from the tap as it's still dripping in the sun. Wholesome and good.
Then comes the magic — gathering 'round to watch the sap evaporate down into the sweet Minnesota Crude: fresh, golden, hand-made maple syrup. We did it with our own hands. We made plenty of mistakes along the way. But we sure learned a lot — and had a whole lot of fun doing it.
