Sweet Fun

Just for fun, Steven and Noah decided to try making maple candy from one of the pints of finished maple syrup. It was a sweet success!

In Search of a Winter Adventure

The Schoeck family headed north in search of some winter adventures. Or should I say, Schoeck family plus two Wintenburg boys. We often invite Jonathan and Christopher along on our adventures.  Together we ventured north to Vermont in search of snow because we were not finding any here in Connecticut. 

We did find some snow at Sugarbush Resort. Not a lot, but enough to take skiing and snowboarding lessons. Steven decided to improve his skiing by signing up for a group lesson. As it turned out he was the only adult who signed up for the morning class so he had a private lesson. The rest of us decided to do something brand new and take snowboarding lessons.  God blessed us with a warm and sunny day. It was so warm we had to start peeling off a a few layers.

Steven Skiing

Christopher learning how to go down on heel edge

Jonathan learning to go down on heel edge

Noah learning to get up by himself

Hitting the slopes wiped us out! The next day we needed to replenish all those calories we burned off so we took a detour on our way home to Ben & Jerry's. 

Free Sample of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

After the tour of the factory we were treated to a free ice cream sample. Of course that was not enough so we went into the ice cream store to "try" different flavors.

Steven and Cristina discovered a new favorite: phish food.

The boys really love sugar

 After some deep discussions and a vote we all came to an agreement that everyone's favorite ingredient is: Sugar! 

Round Two

Yesterday was round two of boiling sap. We were blessed with a beautiful and sunny day. Though it was quiet without the festivities of having friends over, it was just perfect for father and son to spend some time together. Noah learned to split wood for the fire and Steven applied all that he had learned from last Saturday's experience into round two. 

Steven and Noah claim they worked ALL day but every time I joined them in the sugar shack I caught them hanging out, listening to music, reading a magazine and playing words with friends! But I guess they did get some work done because they made 3/4 of a gallon of delicious maple syrup. 

Scouts

It was not that long ago that Noah was racing cars made out of cardboard box as a Tiger Scout.

     I promise,
    To do my best,
    To do my duty to God,

    And my country,

    To help other people, and

    To obey the Law of the Pack

Tonight the Hebron Lion's Club hosted a Pasta Dinner Fundraiser for Hebron Cub Scout Pack 28.  

Abuelita and Tia Annie came out to support Pack 28

Noah helped sell tickets for the basket raffles

In only a few weeks Noah will be crossing over to Boy Scouts. Just this week his den started the transition by attending their first Hebron Boy Scout Troop meeting. This is a big step towards the big adventures that lay ahead for him. It's all fun and exciting times but I can't help but miss my little tiger.

Happy Valentine's Day

  Happy Valentine's Day!

Noah enjoyed a special dinner Steven made for the family including pink frosted cupcakes and sparkling cider.

Making Syrup from Sap

10+ hours of boiling and we have 1 gallon of maple syrup! I think next time we will do better. It sounds like a lot of work, and it was.

Thankfully we had friends over to help. Engineers Steven and Kevin were the masterminds behind the whole production.  

Then we waited as the sap boiled.
And we waited.






And we waited some more.

Thanks to Noah and his friend Kevin, two very good scouts, we had a campfire for roasting marshmallows and making s'mores while we waited for the sap to boil.

In the end it was more than just a day of making maple syrup, it was a day of fun with friends. 

Even Sierra found herself a little warm corner to relax in.

Preparing for the Boil

We were caught off gaurd with the early season and had to rush to get everything ready. The used evaporator needed some cleaning since it had not been used in a few years. Steven wire brushed the rust off the stove and chimney pipes then painted it with special high temperature paint. He scrubbed the evaporator pan until it was spotless. Of course, Steven the engineer, had to improve the system by fabricating a preheating pan so as not to loose the boil when adding cold sap. Better efficiency. But we are ready now! 


Yesterday Noah collected almost 30 gallons of sap from the buckets. In two days! 
We are hoping to boil on Saturday and start making maple syrup. 


This is unusually warm weather for early February. We are not sure how long mother nature will provide these optimal warm days and cold nights for sugaring, but we are enjoying it.

Early Start to Sugaring

Due to an unusually warm winter, the sap is starting to flow a month early.

We have recently expanded our backyard operation. Friends of ours, the McDonnell's, knew of a family selling their sugaring equipment in Maine. After an impromptu road trip, we now have a real evaporator and four times as many taps and buckets.

Steven has invaded Cristina's garden shed. It is now a sugar/garden shed.

Noah is a little impatient. He can't wait for the maple syrup to come.