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My sister's good friend from high school, Travis and I were talking one day.  He mentioned that every year he and several of his neighbors and friends get together and make Maple Syrup. They call their company  the Plain Grove Maple Syrup Company.  He currently doesn't sell to anyone other than North Country Brewery.   North Country uses it in their beer called Copper Kettle.  The menu gives the Plain Grove Maple Syrup Company some fame in print on their menu-which I think is totally cool.  The restaurant describes "Copper Kettle" beer as a medium balanced ale made with real maple syrup to give it a unique flavor and refreshing taste

 To make syrup you must start with drilling a small hole into the trunk of a tree and then insert a spout to catch the sap that begins to collect in the hole. The spout is then connected to a bucket to collect the dripping sap. I was fascinated by the whole process and was surprised to hear that when the sap is taken from the tree it is 98% water and 2% sugar.  This process requires a lot of time and energy, because it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of pure maple syrup!

Here are some of the photos I snapped of the process as well as the activity on the farm.

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I couldn't pass up the beautiful sky we were graced with this evening.  A great ending to a very enjoyable day

storyboard127 storyboard128 Thanks so much to Travis for allowing me to come and photograph him, the maple syrup making process as well as some amazing shots of this beautiful sunset.