Sugaring

Guest Post

I want to thank Connie for letting me be part of her special grandparenting blog, Family Home and Life. It is a real privilege to ‘write in’ for her today.

By way of introduction, I’m Judy, a retired Human Resources Executive and Master Gardener. I live across the country from Connie in New Hampshire on a small three-generation family farm, 1840 Farm. 

We have Nigerian Dwarf Goats for milk, Heritage Breed Hens, both standard and bantams for fresh eggs, and one handsome French Angora Rabbit, Herbert Menninger. Fans of Curious George will probably recognize where his name came from.

I started my blog, grandparentsplus2, a year ago as a way of sharing the adventures we have with our two grandchildren, ages seven and twelve.  Living in New England lends itself to some wonderful travel opportunities and different experiences than you might find in Phoenix.

One of the special winter activities we look forward to as a family is making maple syrup, which dates back to Native American Indians trading their maple syrup and sugar with the early European settlers.

Sugaring season lasts about four to six weeks. During that time, you gather the sap from a maple tree, boil it to evaporate the water, and harvest delicious maple syrup. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.

There are several sugaring practical lessons you can share with your children or grandchildren including the fact that the food you eat comes from somewhere, and you should be interested in that source. 

In addition to where your food originates from, the price of food is directly related to the harvesting process. In the case of pure maple syrup, the cost is higher because of the labor and time involved in going from sap to syrup.

If you are interested in more detailed information about making maple syrup or would like to try it yourself, I wrote a detailed post on the actual steps involved. 

Writing about sugaring is pure fun and blogging has been a whole new experience with benefits I would have never imagined. Who knew there was an entire community of blogging grandmothers coming from all parts of the country with a wide array of interests and skills. I learn something new every time I open my email and read my blogging friends’ posts. 

Whether you are interested in baking cookies, crafts, DIY, or making maple syrup, there are currently thirty-seven blogs written by grandmothers listed on Grandparenting.About.Com – check them out because I’m sure you’ll find some that will pique your interest.

I hope you’ll continue to enjoy Connie and her wonderful family here at Family Home and Life and feel free to stop by and see us at grandparentsplus2, my daughter at 1840 Farm, or my granddaughter at Horse Daydreamer – you see we’re also three generations of bloggers.

Connie here. That was very interesting! I love learning about the different ways bloggers live; so different from my life! As a grand parent who blogs, I wanted to make sure the grandma bloggers were represented this month, so I was delighted when Judy wanted to do a post about her corner of the country. I hope you will take the time to look at all the links she included; her link, daughters, and grand daughters! How fun, 3 generations! Thanks Judy! 


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