This spring marks my first-ever attempt at making maple syrup, and I have no idea what I'm doing.
Luckily I have two resources on my side: the Internet and Fred. The Internet is that place with Facebook and the cat videos, and Fred is my next-door neighbor. The Internet is helpful because there's no shortage of tips and tricks for hobby sugarers. And Fred is helpful because, for the last quarter century, he's been making maple syrup in the sugarbush that straddles both our properties.
I've only recently begun hounding Fred for tips on sugaring, but I've been mining the Internet and reading books about it all winter.
Our Native American predecessors did it. Heck, even my attorney in town does it as a hobby. So I'm sure I can do this.