Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

by Vanessa from Vermont

Vermonters celebrate two seasons during the month of March:
1. Mud Season
2. Sugaring Season

Both are special in their own way, but they always go hand in hand.

First there are the smells. The "Spring has nearly arrived" smells. They consist of decaying leaves, running water, budding trees, animals waking up and so much more. Then the snow starts to melt and gives way to frost heaves and ruts on the dirt roads which are the true veins and arteries of Vermont. The driving is slow. The muck sticks to boots and everything else. Little boys and girls dive in chocolate puddles and come home to be hosed down.

And then people start throwing around terms such as "tapping", "lines", "collecting" and "arches". One day you'll come upon a sugar house and see the huge plume of smoke and burnt orange ashes billowing out of the stack, and you'll know the season has begun. If you've never smelled sap boiling on a warm, sunny day in New England, it should be on your Bucket List. It is a smell that can cure a long, cabin fevered, lack-of-sun, winter. To taste this liquid gold is something to behold. It is pure blood and sweat from hard working people. The trees labor all year to produce the sap. The collectors wade through feet of wet, heavy snow and in all sorts of weather conditions. It takes roughly forty gallons of sap to create one gallon of syrup. Therefore, it is obvious why the final price per gallon of syrup can be in the range of $50. Real Vermont maple syrup is sweet and sticky and ranges in color from light amber to molasses brown. It is used in everything from cooking beans, as an ice cream topping, a dip for sausage or ham, an oatmeal sweetener, hash brown potatoes and more. And of course, pancakes and waffles without Vermont maple syrup is like cookies without milk.

As Vermonters, we know that both of these seasons are messy. But we also know that we cannot have one without the other. They are but signs that another winter has nearly passed, and we have made it over the proverbial hump.

As the saying goes, "There is a big difference between a Spring day and the first day of Spring". But as least we have something to look forward to, after a long hibernation...and that is so sweet.