Maple Syrup

What to do when it's too windy for a paddle... Today I decided to boil down the sap I've been collecting and make some maple syrup. I've never done this before (Long Island is not known for its delicious Maple Syrup -something a close friend of mine pointed out). But, I tapped a few trees in my yard this year to see what, if anything, I could make of it. And today, I found out!

Because of the ton of steam produced in boiling off the water, I opted to do the work outside in my driveway, using my Coleman stove. Despite the freezing cold wind, my system seemed to work fine. It only took about 2 hours and the half-gallon of sap I had collected to make about 1/2 cup of maple syrup.

As it turned out, the syrup is actually delicious! Now I can't wait for pancakes in the morning!!!