For 150 years my family and I have produced pure maple syrup in northern N.Y. We tap about 1800 trees.(It was around 3,000 taps before the ice storm of '98.) We gather the old fashioned way and have a wood fired arch with a very rich soil for hard maple flavor. Most of all it is great fun for all who visit and just love being in the woods. One of my favorite sayings is " A family that sugars together, stays together."