REALLY the last thing about sap

Actually, I can't promise this is the last thing about sap

because

SAP IS SUCH A BIG THING IN VERMONT.

I swear.

Colored leaves. Snow. Sap.

(Except we don't get all that much snow anymore.)

The colored leaves and sap thing are logically linked

becuase you get sap from the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

and they have BRILLIANT red/orange leaves in the fall.

 Kids love sugaring.

Go ahead and poke around on Amazon and see all the beautiful books on

Sugar Snow,

Sugar Bush,

Maple Syrup,

Maple Sugaring!

My favorite is Anytime Mapleson and the Hungry Bears.

I read this to my kids a lot.

Stolen from amazon.com

Sugar sugar sugar.

YUM!

Sometimes I drink the syrup right out of the jug.

I swear.

My son pours it in a shot glass and heats it gently in the microwave.

Waffles were invented so those little squares would hold the syrup more effectively, right?

So clever, little syrup holders. 

This guy, Noel Perrin, who lived near here,

wrote these wonderful essays about Vermont,

of which MANY were about sugaring.

Check this out:

Also stolen from amazon.com

I remember one essay that explained how to consume massive amounts of maple syrup. He said (1) buy plain donuts, (2) dunk the donuts in syrup and eat until you are stuffed, (3) cleanse your palate with a dill pickle, (4) repeat, (5) sleep it off.

Anyway, this was lying on the Register #2 counter yesterday:

Sugar tourism. Sugaring for kids. YAY!!