So, remember the other nomading family, the Jeppsons, that we met in Miramar beach? And that we met up with a couple times in Washington DC? Well, it turns out that we were able to cross paths again! They are currently in Vermont. And since NH and Vermont are both very small states, it was a no brainer for us to meet up. It is about an hour and a half away from where we are staying.
We decided to meet up at the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks. Cause, hello!?! It’s Vermont!
It was a really hot day so we decided to start out by going to the Sugar shack/gift shop and getting Maple creamies. Creamies are apparently another Vermont thing. It’s basically soft serve with a higher fat content, so it is very….well, it’s creamy!
Unfortunately, someone dropped her creamy on the ground. 🤦🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ But the people were really nice and brought out another one.
They were so delicious. And incredibly refreshing on a heckin’ hot and humid day.
After we ate our creamies, we walked around the farm checking all the things out. We got to watch a video in the Woodshed theater that details the entire maple syrup making process from beginning to end. It was quite fascinating actually. A couple of interesting facts:
- It takes 40 gallons of sap to create 1 gallon of syrup.
- Trees must be at least 40 years old.
- As long as the pressure inside the tree is higher than the atmospheric pressure, the sap will flow. So these days, vacuums are used to create negative pressure so that the sap will flow more easily.
- Boiling sap down is a time intensive and energy intensive endeavor. So, these days reverse osmosis is used to cut down on the amount of time that the sap is boiled.
- The weather conditions have to be JUST right to tap the trees: daytime temperatures have to be above freezing, and nighttime temperatures are below freezing.
After watching the video, we went and saw the production area, where the reverse osmosis machine and boilers are located.
There were also goats and a few other things that we checked out.
We also decided to check out the little trails that they have set up on the grounds. The maple trail takes you through part of the forest where the maple trees are located. And you can see all the tubes that bring the sap down to the farm. That was pretty interesting.
Then we did the “Fancy loop” which was just a pretty little walk through the woods and back toward the farm.
By this point, we were all starting to get pretty hot. So, we sat in the shade and chatted for a bit and allowed everyone to cool down for a few minutes. And then we decided to go and get a late lunch.
We ended up in the downtown Montpelier area at a place called Buddy’s Famous. It’s a burger joint, and the food was really delicious.
The other great thing about this place is that it was really low key. We sat and ate and chatted for an hour and a half with our 9 children. And it was totally fine. And even better, it was air-conditioned.
The children entertained themselves beautifully during that time by playing with the foil that their hamburgers came in. They built airplanes and all kinds of other things. Man. Why do we buy toys!? I’m giving them each a roll of foil for Christmas from now on.
Eventually the time came for us to part. It was a lovely day. I love the Jeppsons. They are just the best. They have seriously been one of the most amazing parts of this nomad year. Our families just click SO WELL!!
Hopefully our paths will cross again sometime soon!!
After we parted, our family went and checked out a couple of little shops that were nearby, and we drove by the capitol building (the real one this time.)
And then we headed back to New Hampshire.
It was an awesome day.
