Fulda Fun

This weekend we made our first trip to my parents' farm with J. 

He had a great time reading books with Gram and chatting with Boppa. He met Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. And he experienced his first picnic and sap boiling at Shady Acres. 

G and I brought crawfish boudin and alligator sausage from Louisiana to grill over the sap fire. My mom packed the rest of the picnic supplies. My brother made coffee over the fire. My nieces had their own little picnic table built by their dad (my brother-in-law, aka master of the sap). 

The girls had a blast playing in a dirt pile while the rest of us watched the maple sap boil. 

It would take too long to get the sap to boil all the way down into syrup, so they boil it down to a manageable level and then bring it home in pots to finish boiling it on the stove at home. Their total amount starting Sunday was around 30 to 40 gallons. This will only make a couple of pints. A lot of labor for a little bit of deliciousness!