babyblog

Maple Syrup

Yesterday, despite nasty winter snow storms, we went to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival.

Out in the boonies, it was an interesting experience. G has always wanted to go to one of these since we moved here, and usually we realise we missed it sometime mid April, so it was good to actually chalk this off our list of things to do.

To get into the bush you had to go on a school bus. Tried getting a stroller on a school bus? They are not designed this way. Then walk through copious amounts of MUD on to a wagon pulled by a tractor. Tried getting a stroller onto a wagon? They are not designed this way.

Said wagon has seats made of dirty wet bales of hay, cue DIRTY WET BUM. Tractor pulls you through even more MUD to this shack in the woods where the Maple Syrup is processed. Get out into EVEN MORE MUD. Tried getting a stroller off a wagon into giant mud floor? You get the picture. And my UGG boots were ruined, darling.

Then into the sugar shack where we actually learned quite a bit from the Farmer who explained the process. For example, did you know that you can only harvest Maple Syrup for 3 weeks in the year - and even that depends on the weather? And from 40 gallons of Sap extracted from the tree, you get 1 gallon of actual Maple Syrup? Mad work.

Anyway, we got back onto the wagon through the MUD and got DIRTY WET BUMS again, struggled with the stroller, walked back through more MUD to the school bus, struggled to get the stroller on board again, and went back to town.

All in all , it was good and interesting.

Last night we had dinner with some friends and we had the best salad ever in the history of salads. I've asked for the recipe.