I never got in on the actual mapling with the family. But I know that in April the trees were tapped and gallon jugs or small buckets (cleaned out milk or water jugs can be used) were tied to the trees to collect the sap. It was us kids job after school to empty the jugs and buckets into 5 gallon buckets and cover them. Then the older teens or young adults would go out and bring the 5 gallon buckets to the sugar pan to cook down, they are real heavy. Think 5 gallons of honey. Now they cheat and do it on 4 wheelers. How times change.
40 acres of trees were tapped at one time for the familys use. Not every tree was tapped each year and none were ever double tapped. It was Grandpa's then later Uncles job and pleasure to select the trees to be taged for tapping that year. The family still maples that same tree stand well over a hundred years after Grandpa started mapling them.
