Stowe Vermont
This is our last day here. Dave and I had decided to do some sightseeing this am and then get on the road in the afternoon. We didn’t do any hiking either Bill and Deb. I was a little bummed as it is so beautiful and just a really crisp morning. However, I really enjoyed the things we did. We went to the Cld Hollow Cider Mill. Here are some views from the short drive and their parking lot.
We then visited a small, family owned sugar farm called Nebraska Knoll. A few tidbits I learned include, a sugar maple fa doesn’t tap a tree until it is at least 50 years old, once tapped during the late winter, a sugar maple produces about 1-5 gallons of sap per day that makes into 1-2 cups of finished maple syrup. During each year, a tree on average produces 10-20 gallons of sap. This particular farmer we visited has 10,000 trees in their sugar bush. They no longer use buckets, but now hook up with tubing to move the to a sugar house and cook.
I didn’t take a photo of the inside but basically the sap is stored in big tubs until it is boiled. This process is still down with wood and a solid heat until the sap begins to caramelize into the syrup. Depending on the hue of the syrup determines how far into the season of production, lighter syrup is early and has a lighter flavor, the darker is the latter part of the season and will be a stronger maple flavor.
Later, Dave and I walked a recreational path in n and around Stowe. Many people use it. It is 5.2 miles and goes over the Little River many times and provides a view of Mount Mansfield.
The remainder of the day spent driving. We went bout 8 hours and 450 miles. Getting to interstate 90 took about 4 hours of winding and going thru little towns then we enjoyed interstate driving with less stop and go.
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