The tapping begins.....

Well, that time of year is starting. Sugaring time is coming up, and we've been out in the sugarwoods starting to tap our trees. One of my favorite things about maple syrup is that parts of it are simply manual tasks. There is no way to mechanize or industrialize the tapping of a sugar maple (acer saccharum). You have to strap on your snowshoes, pick up your cordless drill, grab a few handfuls of taps, and start walking.