outdoors

  Life on the north shores of the big lake seems to always include a new season of sorts waiting to start.  It wasn't long ago and all the talk centered around "when's the lake gonna freeze"? Be it opening day of fishing, deer opener or soon to be ice out, it's quite a sequence of events. And inbetween it all, weather watching is ongoing as the maple sap run is fast approaching. We call it "liquid gold". Like green beer around St. Pat's Day, it's only on "tap" for a few days every spring. Along with racoons waking up from a winter's sleep, we try not to miss a drop.

  My sapping days go back about 40 years or more. I'd help the old Barneveld brothers gather and cook sap each spring while in late grade school and during high school, usually during Easter vacation or on March weekends. Then brother Joe bought a new place on Knox Point in '77, which is in the heart of Wealthwood and the hard maples. That first spring, we took the plunge into our own boiling venture. In the end, we had syrup and learned some lessons as well. Of course, the Barneveld's and few other old local mentors played big roles.

  We cooked on Knox Point until a handful of years ago, when we moved onto the Red Door Resort sugarbush. Compared to the early days, with the likes of a sugar shack that includes lights, heat and Dish Network, a roof over the big boiling pan, and propane supplying the fire instead of a semi load of slabwood, it's like we're fartin' in silk sheets these days! 

  With about 600 taps and buckets out, we need to boil sap 24 hours a days during the run, just to keep up. A few neighbors show up each morning to help gather the sap and then I baby sit the cooker the rest of the time. It's quite a traditional social gathering place as well. There's always somebody showing up with nose trouble, which is kinda nice as sitting out in the woods watching water boil can be anything but exciting.

  Every spring, I wonder why we do this. We don't sell any of it as jumpimg through the health standard rules would be way beyond our primitive operation for sure. After the "help shares" are shelled out, we end up with enough to give several pints to all of the family members,  relatives and countless friends. Some even goes home with guiding clients. For a few years, we even traded our insurance premiums with maple syrup. It was the agent's idea! The mail delivery person, the local mechanic and any other service type we might need in a pinch gets a jar of syrup each year too. And I'm sure all the excercise we get doesn't hurt either. But I still wonder while I check the fire in the middle of the night, if buying a few pints for ourselves would not be easier. Now I wonder why I keep the wonder going, so I'll keep wondering, I suppose, during the next few weeks.

  There's no doubt why quite a few years ago we coined the "liquid gold" name for our syrup. After one season, one of the older helpers said he wouldn't sell a pint for less than $100. Figure all the time and effort put into a back yard sugarbush like ours, one would have to get that much to make $5 an hour!  So, we call it liquid gold.

  Stop by, the coffee is always on. Maybe roast a hot dog from the Sausage Shop in New Ulm or grab a bun and dig into the crock pot.  I like the company! It's always a good time to talk smart  and tell a few stories. Right across the road from the Red Door in the heart of Wealthwood Minnesota.  The question is, "when will the sap start running" this year? "When ya gonna tap the trees?" contact Steve at sf1954@embarqmail.com or call 651-270-3383