The state of Vermont provides maple syrup makers with this little box of standards. The color of the freshly made syrup is matched against these samples. The new batch is then graded accordingly from 'Fancy' (lightest, most delicate) to 'Grade B' (dark and strong). 
Now we've moved to a different sugaring operation. This is Jon and Tammy Sargent's sugarhouse in Guilford, Vermont. They have an entire building devoted to making maple syrup. The evaporator fills about 70 percent of the floor space. The Sargents use tubing to collect their sap instead of buckets and they produce enough of the delectable liquid sunshine to sell internationally.
Because this is a small operation, the evaporator is about the size of an outdoor barbecue grill. Notice the wood in the background. Those pieces are cut to fit in the small firebox beneath the channels where the sap is boiling down. The steam rising from the sap smells warm, sweet, and maple-y.
The bucket is lifted off its tap and the sap that has accumulated in it is poured into a plastic gathering pail. Then the sap bucket is quickly rehung to collect the continuing run. After all the buckets are emptied, if you stand quietly in the woods, the dripping of the many taps makes a little symphony of sound.
Last week I posted a photo of sap buckets hanging from a tree. The story picks up here in Peru, Vermont where, after a few very cold days, the temperatures are starting to rise again and the sap is recommencing its run.
