Maple Syrup!

We had such a fun opportunity this morning! We got to go see how maple syrup is produced. The man who owns the farm took us on the tour. He was very sweet.

These are ward buddies (and three of Laura's neighbors). We are so lucky to have such great friends!

First the owner took us down to the maple trees and explained how the tubing runs from tree to tree and then into a big tank. When the sap is flowing, it can go uphill.

They did have a couple of spouts in trees, so people could see how it's collected and try a taste from the buckets. It was mostly like water, with just a hint of sweetness.

He has a reverse osmosis machine that takes out much of the water, and is much quicker (and cooler) than just boiling it.

But then they do boil it to get it to just the right temperature and sugar/water ratio. I took a picture inside the white building here, but it was so hot, my camera lens fogged up. He gave us each some warm, fresh syrup that we came outside to drink:

Then he brought out some maple cream to eat on crackers. It is just syrup that has crystalized. It looks like honey butter. It was a big hit.

We bought some syrup and maple cream and then came home quickly to make pancakes!