Maple Days

Yesterday, we took the kids to Old Sturbridge Village to experience their Maple Days events. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, and it was too cold for the sap to flow. However, we did still learn a little about the sugaring process and how maple products were used in the 1830s.

The first stop once we arrived was a small house where a man showed us how they would boil down the sap and pour it into a mold for the sugar and liquid syrup to separate. While there, we got to taste some maple sugar candy. K really enjoyed it, but AJ refused a piece.

Next, we walked over to the sugaring camp, where they were boiling melted snow over an open fire since the sap was not running. The man working there had put a wooden spile into a nearby maple tree, but nothing was coming out. He explained that the tree keeps the water down in the roots when the temperature dips below freezing. Once it warms up a bit, the tree sends the water up to the crown of the tree. This is what makes the sap flow perfectly for maple syrup. Once the weather warms up, the tree doesn't need to send the water back down to the roots at night anymore. Then the sap available turns bitter and useless to anyone but the tree.

Once we left the camp, we walked to the farm where they were demonstrating how the people in the 1830s used maple sugar in their baking. Saturday is "Bake Day" so they don't have to bake on the sabbath. Maple sugar can be used with a one-to-one ratio, and it doesn't leave a maple aftertaste. The ladies in the kitchen explained how to tell if the oven is the right temperature for the various baked goods. They stick their arms in the hot oven and start to count. When the temperature gets too hot to bear, they stop counting. That is what they call their "pie count".  Everyone has his/her own pie count, and the best way to learn is by someone testing the oven right before you. Then you stick your arm in and start to count. Whatever number you stop at is your own pie count, and you know that is what to aim for when baking without a thermometer in the oven. I found that fascinating.

After leaving the warm kitchen, we headed out to the barn, where we were privileged to see two calves. One was a little more than a week old, but the other had been born the night before. Both of them were so cute, and their fur looked wonderfully silky.

People were starting to get hungry, so we ambled over to the tavern for a meal, pausing at the carding mill, grist mill, and saw mill on the way. After lunch, K wanted to make a craft. She had saved her money to pay for it herself, so she made a punch tin ornament, and Timo took the boys to the indoor kids place to play. H had been looking forward to playing there since we left the house, so I know he enjoyed himself.

K hammering a pattern in her tin ornament

Once K was finished with her ornament, she wanted to design her own decoration on a tin tray. Then, we joined the boys. I heard that they would be milking one of the cows, and I wanted to witness that. I learned a lot about cattle and milking during this event, and I have already had a chance to share some of the knowledge with others.

K's pattern

Watching the milking of the cow

After the milking, it was time to go. S had fallen asleep in Timo's arms, and we needed to get home.

Although I did not really get to witness a true sugar camp, I did learn a lot, and I hope the kids did, too. I will miss the educational opportunities of OSV after we move.