For Anita, sugaring
is the first sign of spring. “It’s a time of rebirth,” she says. “You go out in
the woods with snow up to your knees and know that spring is coming. Things are
changing. It’s mud season, which I hate. Sugaring takes us though that time.
“To me it’s magic,
seeing little shoots coming up. We have this wonderful earth and we take it for
granted. Spring is the very beginning and we’re the fortunate ones. Whether
it’s a good season or poor like this year, it’s good to feel part of the earth
and the seasons.”
Their sugar bush
covers two to three acres. Anita and Louie have been tapping for 16 years. They
use the “old-fashion” process: tap, insert spiels and hang buckets with lids.
When it’s a cold night, below freezing, and a warm day in the 40s, the sap
flows.

Often Anita’s
daughter Heidi and son Chad and their children help collect sap. “To watch my
grandchildren, talks to my heart,” says Anita. “I watch them put their tongue
under a spiel to catch the sweet white sap. This is special and not all
children are so fortunate.
“When they were younger, my grand children had fun playing around the trees and once they got lost. Now they tell me ‘We won’t get lost again,’” says Anita. “I’m hoping that one will carry on this tradition. It’s doesn’t need to be a business, but to have syrup for their family. What is most important is the family gets to be together.”

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