That would sum up our day at the Maple Syrup Festival this weekend. I should add in fun, lots of fun. Oh and friends 🙂 We ran into about a dozen friends while there. We were very excited to learn everything we could about maple syrup. Our family has a commitment to eating local but living in Florida, we were never local to maple syrup 🙂 In Florida we could get cane syrup and sorghum but not maple, oh it’s so very good, yes?
It was a fun filled day of hay mazes, maple syrup sampling, festivites, tomahawk throwing, old fashioned log sawing (oh my aching arms) and momma with Matthew in the sling for about 6 hours. He of course wanted to get down after his long nap against my body but with some areas being ankle deep in mud, I didn’t want him running around. He was also in our famous “red shoes“, do you remember these? I would like them to last as long as possible and with them being so old, I figured a day in mud and clay was not a good idea. We learned how to tap our trees and got a kit (we have to first identify the maples on our property which is hard since there are no leaves to help me see which ones they are) and saw a demonstration of how the native Americans boiled down maple syrup in hollowed out logs with rocks that they heated up in their camp fires. It really makes me think of how we take such things for granted.
I did finally find a dry spot to put Matthew down and he was very happy to climb and sit on the log there while we watched the older kids sawing away at logs. The weather could not have been better and it was so good to my soul to be out in the sunshine all day long. The kids seemed to be reveling in it. Thankfully, for the past few days, the sun has been out quite a bit. Except for the snow two days ago, I think spring is really coming soon.
We came home with some deliciously smoky tasting cotton candy, a gallon of grade b dark amber maple syrup and some secret treats I bought for Easter baskets. The kids were so tired, most of them passed out right after dinner.
How fun!! I would love to go next year if it works out. We love festivals of this kind, and always looking for something during this type of weather!
We love going there! We've been twice and wanted to go this year, but it just isn't going to work out. That would have been so funny if we had run into you there! Last year I got some beeswax candles there really cheap. Was that guy there?
I am so glad to find your blog again, I found it through Nissa Robbins Gadbois blog. Love the whole food video, I am making major dietary changes for our family. Thanks for sharing!!
Beautiful family, wonderful photos. Love reading your blog. We are a small-ish family in the great northeast. We have tapped a maple on our land. It has rarely been warm enough for the sap to run yet though. We are still blanketed in snow. It says you're in Florida on your 'about' section. I'm guessing not any longer. We are trying to figure out how far south we can move to still have sugar maples and Apple trees. 🙂 Sugar maples are a smooth bark tree. Look on the ground for old leaves, then check out the tree. On the new shoot branches the buds are Brown and very pointy maybe a couple centimeters long. God bless you all.
FishDogFarm
FishDogFarm, Yes, we moved in October to Kentuckiana, close to Louisville. I need to change the about section 🙂 Hope to see you here more often 🙂
Oh what fun! It looks like you guys had a blast. I know I would! 🙂
Nicole, I think you would have had a hard time keeping L out of the mudpits haha!!
True but it would be worth it, right?! Always bring a back up of everything… :p
Our children would have really enjoyed this…especially our boys & tomahawk throwing! I am not a big cotton candy fan, but that maple cotton candy looks tasty! I love those rosy cheeks on a sweet & sleepy baby…how precious! 🙂
Patricia, Since we came home from the festival, they have been planning an archery and tomahawk throwing area in our forrest.
That looks like SO much fun!!!!
What a great family day.
Thank you for sharing!