Did you tap your trees?

If you do not know what that means, you probably didn’t. This is the sweet season that many rural Michiganders are pining for after the ice fishing season. Maple Trees all over West Michigan are oozing a nectar simply called “sap.”

Our family has been making Maple Syrup for over three generations, and we will tell you that our liquid gold is far better than anything you will buy on the market. We tap (drill small holes into) the trees and hammer a spile (a small spout) into the hole. We hang buckets just under these spouts to catch the dripping sap. Then we collect it and boil it until it becomes darker, thicker, and sweeter (an evaporation process). After we filter and put it in jars, look out pancakes.

For many years, Grandma and Grandpa have been using it to sweeten every thing from coffee to fresh baked goods. I bet Grandma even puts it in her venison chili.

How about you? Do you make your own syrup, or just love to put it on your pan cakes? Tell us about it.