Urban Maple Syruping

Posted by blainegarrett on Mar 24th, 2009 | View Comments

Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Maple Syrup was a big business, that I seldom thought of. We were too poor, or never really thought of it, but we seldom had maple syrup unless it was given to us as a guest. However, taking a field trip to a maple syrup business was a staple field trip. Even in highschool, a few friends Jeremy and Mike started their own syrup business that sounds like is still going. They built themselves a “sappin’ shack” that I never personally partied in but often romanticized the tales of debauchery that occured there. Aww Wisconsin, how wonderful ye be. Now that I am rooted in Minnesota, the memories of driving past a forest of trees with buckets hanging from them are mostly just that – memories.

However, over the weekend, some kids around my age stopped by the house and asked if they could tap the tree in yard. I didn’t even know it was a maple.  They were part of a group in Minnepolis that started to tap trees in the Seward/Powderhorn neighborhood. I often wondered what the skinny was. I guess they are having a pancake supper after sap season is over. That sounds like a really cool way to get the neighborhood together, especially the “Minnesota Nice” type neighbors who you hardly ever talk to.

On the way to the coffeeshop today, I snapped some pictures, including the one in my front yard. Sweet.