March 25th FRIENDS
All caught up with the sap and woodpile chores, for the time being at least, Pete and I took the day off so to speak. We settled down on the bench in the sunny corner of what will soon be our garden again with a couple of library books each, intending to relax in the sun and read. That worked out nicely for an hour or two, but with the snow melting all around us, I began noticing some of my old friends that I hadn't seen for a while. I saw the dark green, glossy leaves of pipsissewa. Wintergreen was there. And then I saw the partridge berry, scarlet berries still intact, bright and shiny, looking no worse from winter's wear and tear. I got my sketch book and paints and set to work right then and there.

Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) is a trailing vine with conspicuously white veined, deep green leaves. The leaves are arranged opposite one another in pairs along the prostrate stems which often take root at the junction of the leaf axils, thus forming dense mats. The tiny roundish leaves, up to an inch in diameter at most, are evergreen. The flowers bloom in the middle of June; two twin trumpet shaped white blossoms tinged pink at the tips. The ovaries of the two flowers fuse to produce a single, slightly lopsided berry with two "eyes". Green at first, the berries ripen in late September or October to a high-gloss, lacquer red.

Many sources list the berries as edible, and they are, to the extent that they aren't poisonous. I have tried them, however, and found them to be dry and completely tasteless. A good reason to leave them for the wild turkeys and partridges.

March 27th NO NEST
More sun, more sap. I watched some wrens this morning flitting around in the eaves perhaps looking for a nesting spot. Although it seems like a perfect location, they for some reason decided to reject it. Perhaps the proximity of the phoebes' old nest dissuaded them, or perhaps it was Pete humming and laughing out by the fireplace, brewing up the morning coffee. Either way, I'm glad they chose another spot, for once settled, and with a new brood, birds often become aggressive and would no doubt start chasing us out from under our own porch, as the phoebes once did.

March 31st FINISHING OFF
The maple buds are swelling in the tree tops. In the distance, you can see them like a red haze over the hillsides, and closer up, they are are brilliant red against the blue sky. It is time to finish off the syrup and pull my taps.

In preparation for this, I have selected, washed and boiled (sterilized) a dozen glass jars of various sizes. All that's left now to do, is to keep on boiling until the sap reaches the syrup stage. This is very tricky to determine without a saccharometer. Experience helps, or you can use the standard jelly test, which is when two drops become one drop when poured off the side of the spoon. I have never figured out quite how this works, either for jam or syrup.

What I have noticed is that the syrup boils differently than sap does. The bubbles are tinier, more uniform, and golden in color. Forming perfect little circles, they tinkle as they break, and the surface becomes glassy and crackly looking. Admittedly not a very reliable test, but it's what works for me. Some years the syrup ends up a little thinner, and other years a little thicker. Either way, it is always delicious.

Once I have determined that the syrup is ready (ultimately by tasting it), I let the fire subside, and pour the syrup through a felt filter into large clean containers. I reheat the prewashed jars, pour the still hot, filtered syrup into them, cap them, and let them cool. I usually keep a quart or two for our own use (sometimes we use the syrup in wine making), and the rest I give away.

Now we can go around and collect the buckets, pull out the spiles, and prepare to wash everything, including my hair.