Hi All, been lurking around for the past few months but just saw this thread yesterday and it's taken me a day and a half to read it all.
I'm a huge real maple syrup fan and consumer (we go through about a half gallon every few months) and as an owner of a little chunk of land with a lot of trees it's been fascinating to read through your adventures, thinking I may have to give it a try.
I almost cried (at work nonetheless) as I read your little story about the whole family getting together to help out.
It's been a long time since I've participated in any forums but it's great to see there are still good ones with, seemingly, good people still around.
I encourage you to give it a try. There's just something very satisfying about the entire process that's hard to explain. Our family truly enjoys it, even though it can mean hard work and long hours.