It’s maple syrup season!
Posted by: TammyPop quiz! What time of year is it when the days are above freezing and the nights are below freezing?
Well? Any ideas? Hint for you. It’s the makings for SWEET SUCCESS!
It’s tappin’ time! No, no, no, you don’t go around tapping on trees and asking who’s there. LOL. It’s time to tap into the sweet sap that starts to run up into the maple trees that will help the tree begin to bud out. Here is a great article from the Maine education department:
http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/pdfpubs/7036.pdf
How is this frugal? Well, if you love REAL maple syrup, then you’ve undoubtably cringed at the $40-$60/gallon price tag so it makes cents to make your own. That said, if you don’t have a way to boil it down outside with wood it’s probably NOT economical to make your own but it can be fun. My middle son and I spent six glorious hours outside boiling down about 6 gallons of sap we had collected over a day or so. It was nice chatting with him and enjoying the great weather we had this past weekend.
Once completely boiled down, our six gallons of sap netted us just about a quart of syrup. Yep, NOT alot of profit for the time we spent doing the work (although I could have began working the garden at the same time if there wasn’t still snow on the ground last weekend but I’ll be able to start working it this weekend when I boil down the next batch) but I have to tell you that making my own syrup was satisfying.
I love taking something that nature has given us and using it to provide for my family. Just like my ability to turn a pile of yarn into warm socks, mittens or scarves, my ability to turn gallons of sap into a bit of sweet Heaven is a frugal skill. I didn’t learn the skills overnight and I didn’t learn them all at the same time but every time I use one of these skills successfully, it motivates me to add another frugal skill to my frugal toolbelt.
I admit, one of the things that makes me keep learning frugal skills is the economy. I often think of the Depression Era books I’ve read. People talked about how they had to make or grow EVERYTHING they needed. I also live close to and am a member of Old Sturbridge Village (an 1830′s reenactment vilage www.OSV.org). I’m a diehard New Englander. I value self sufficiency. I love knowing as many ways as possible to provide for my family other than hitting the store.
So, with that said, I have to end this post so I can get a nap and hopefully get over the flu (yes, the flu! GET YOUR FLU SHOTS! It’s more frugal than losing days at work. UGH! ) so that hopefully, this weekend, the boys and I can once again boil down some sap.
Try something new. Step out of your comfort zone. Add a new frugal skill to your tool belt!
December 18th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Thanks for posting this article. I’m definitely frustrated with struggling to search out relevant and brilliant commentary on this subject. Everybody now goes to the very far extremes to either drive home their viewpoint that either: everyone else in the planet is wrong, or two that everyone but them does not really understand the situation. Many thanks for your succinct, applicable insight.