This is a photo of my wife’s parents, Warren and Elizabeth Nichols Harman, collecting maple sap from maple trees. They would drill a hole into the tree and then insert a wooden tap. The buckets hung on the tap and the sap ran into the bucket as it came up the tree from the roots. The sap was collected and put into a barrel laying on its side on a sleigh frame pulled by a horse. The sap was poured into a metal pan with a fire underneath. The water would evaporate from the sap and result in a maple syrup. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Interestingly the picture of her mother was taken April 1, 1947. Most often the processing took place at what folks called the Sugar Camp as they had to stay there to keep the fire going. Ideas or comments contact Tim Turner (304) 478-3389.
